Just east of the National Park boundary, remote Nidderdale, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), is less well known than some of the more popular spots within the Yorkshire Dales, but nevertheless has many beautiful sights, not least the outstanding How Stean Gorge, at the top of the Dale. Here the River Nidd has cut through the limestone to form a deep ravine. Unfortunately there is a charge to pay to enter: there is also an activity centre on site with canyoning, abseiling and Via Ferrata, so you are not likely to have the place to yourself! You may do better to walk the Nidderdale Way and experience the river's steep valley upstream. At the foot of Nidderdale, Pateley Bridge is a small market town with steep streets leading down to the river bridge, and home of, reputedly, the oldest sweet shop in England, established 1827. The town also won the Great British High Street Award in 2016 in the village category, so it is clearly worth a visit! On the very eastern edge of the Dales can be found one of the largest and best preserved medieval abbeys in the country. The stunning World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132, and became fabulously wealthy from wool production, lead mining, and much else. The abbey owned vast areas of land in Nidderdale and Malhamdale and even further afield. Alongside the beautiful ruins is Studley Royal Park, a magnificent water garden designed by John and William Aislabie in the mid-18th century.

From the gardens you glimpse the towers of nearby Ripon Cathedral; mostly constructed in the 12th century, it stands on the site of a 7th century church, and the town of Ripon itself has been occupied for over 1300 years. To the south of Nidderdale is the north of England's answer to Bath, the elegant spa town of Harrogate. Site of the very popular Great Yorkshire Show for three days each July, the town has been welcoming visitors ever since the first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 though it reached its heights as a spa town in the Georgian and Victorian periods, and much of its charming architecture reflects this. Today it is a wealthy, handsome town with the Royal Pump Room Museum, Turkish Baths, wonderful and quirky shops, the famous Betty's Tea Rooms (now nearly 100 years old) and the Grade II listed Valley Gardens just some of its many attractions. The Pump Room was built in 1842 and at its height entertained 15,000 people every summer.