Wensleydale Creamery Visitor Centre
Visitor centre at a working Dales creamery in Hawes with daily cheesemaking demonstrations, a self-guided exhibition on cheese heritage and a guided tasting.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Wensleydale Creamery stands on Gayle Lane in the market town of Hawes, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It makes Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and says it continues a cheesemaking tradition in the dale that goes back many centuries.
The visitor centre has become one of the main attractions of the Dales. The Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese Experience begins with a cheesemaking demonstration of about 30 minutes, in which creamery staff make cheese by hand and also show how butter is made. It continues as a self-guided tour about the history of artisan cheesemaking in the dale and ends with a guided tasting called A Taste of Yorkshire.
Visitors can leave the experience at any time to look around the rest of the centre, which has a cheese and gift shop, a coffee shop and Calvert's restaurant, and then return. The creamery building has high-performance insulation and a green roof, and whey from the cheesemaking is processed into energy for local homes.
Highlights
- Daily live cheesemaking demonstrations
- Self-guided exhibition on the history of artisan cheesemaking in the Dales
- Guided cheese tasting, A Taste of Yorkshire
- Cheese and gift shop, coffee shop and Calvert's restaurant
Permanent exhibition
- Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese Experience – A cheesemaking demonstration followed by a self-guided tour on the history of artisan cheesemaking in the Dales and a guided tasting.
- Operated by
- Wensleydale Creamery
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £5.95 |
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| Children & teens | £3.50free up to age 4 · Child ticket for ages 5 to 16; under-5s are free. Children under 16 enter free at weekends and in school holidays. |
| Groups (12+ people) | –Groups of 12 or more should book by email or telephone. |
| Families | £14.95Two adults and two children. |
Prices are for the Cheese Experience. Tickets can be bought online up to 24 hours before a demonstration or at the reception desk, subject to availability. A loyalty card, available with each ticket, gives 12 months of free entry.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The visitor centre is described as fully accessible and has designated disabled parking. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout; other dogs are welcome in the coffee shop and its garden, entered through the garden entrance. Visitors who need specific help should contact the centre before their visit.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £14.95 · Two adults and two children. |
There is a family ticket, and children under 16 enter free at weekends and in school holidays.
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking
Free on-site car park with designated disabled parking. If it is full, there are pay-and-display car parks in Hawes on Gayle Lane (DL8 3RQ) and at the National Park Visitor Centre (DL8 3NT). Coach parking is by appointment only.
- Accessible parking
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
The 1897 Coffee Shop, Calvert's restaurant (tables can be reserved), Cheesy Afternoon Tea and a Cheese and Gift Shop. There are toilets in the visitor centre.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | A demonstration lasts about 30 minutes and the museum recommends at least another 30 minutes for the self-guided section. Groups of 12 or more, and larger groups by prior arrangement, can book by email or telephone. |
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