Pry House Farm
Bed & Breakfast Keld in Upper Swaledale
close to the Coast to Coast and Pennine Way

"rural splendour & unspoilt countryside...
explore the diverse & dramatic
beautiful landscapes of Upper Swaledale"

"a traditional Swaledale farmhouse
a working hill farm, near Keld
flagged floors, beamed ceilings & open fires"

"in the stunningly beautiful Upper Swaledale
North Yorkshire Dales"

Welcome to Pry House Farm Bed & Breakfast
near Keld in Upper Swaledale

  01748 886845        

Facilities at a Glance
  • From £80 per night for 3 or more nights
  • Please enquire about 2 night availability
  • Traditional Yorkshire Farmhouse
  • Tea & coffee making facilities in both rooms
  • Guest lounge with open fire
  • Beamed ceilings
  • Flagged floors
  • Full Yorkshire breakfast
  • Locally sourced produce
  • Off road parking
  • Secure cycle storage
  • Perfectly peaceful
  • Bird watchers paradise
  • Wild flower rambling
  • Recognised dark sky accommodation
Pry House Farm...

Pry House Farm Bed & Breakfast where Chris and Glenda invite you to share their dales home, a traditional Swaledale farmhouse. Enjoy the rare opportunity of staying on a working hill farm with a genuine farmer and his wife. Experience the sights and sounds of everyday life on the farm; sheep being gathered, hay being made, newborn lambs, dogs working (seasons dependent) and gain an understanding of the highs and lows of upland farming.

Pry House Farm Bed & Breakfast stands at the very head of Upper Swaledale, 2 miles west of the tiny hamlet of Keld. The farmhouse faces the fell, surrounded by meadow. The landscape is remote and rugged but breathtakingly beautiful, dotted with traditional field barns and endless miles of dry stone walls snaking over the hillsides. The skies are massive here and the night sky magnificent.
Upper Swaledale is a peaceful place; the quiet only disturbed by the call of the Peewit and Curlew, the rush of the river and bleat of Swaledale sheep.

Stay in a traditional dales farmhouse on a working hill farm in beautiful, unspoilt Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales. Gather together in the guest lounge as a family or a group of friends. Enjoy the open fire, share a bottle of wine (we are happy to provide glasses, please ask), chat, joke, play games or cards. Whatever your leisure make Pry House your base for a memorable holiday. Peace and quiet, fresh air, vast open spaces, miles of rugged, untamed landscape to explore - a place to truly relax and unwind.
Read the full details for Pry House here......»»





Chris and Glenda


About us...

We live at Pry House Farm, a working hill farm, two miles west of Keld. Chris has farmed at the top of the dale all his adult life. I help Chris on the farm at lambing time but the rest of the year I am kept busy welcoming bed & breakfast guests into our home (April to October) and looking after Hillcrest Cottage.

Pry House Farm is a working hill farm that sits 1300 feet above sea level and has majestic views all around. The peace and quiet is audible, the night skies mesmerising and the scenery stunning. Nature is all around us and the silence is broken only by the call of the curlew, the bleating of lambs and occasionally the rumble of a tractor. What is happening on the farm depends on the time you visit; April and May is lambing time, July and August haytime then there is shearing and dipping and sales so usually always something to see.
Breakfast ingredients are, where possible, sourced locally supporting local businesses.

Pry House
pry



Walking & Cycling at Pry House Farm & Shepherd’s Hut

Situated in the Pennine hills Pry House Farm is close to the Pennine Way, the Coast to Coast, the Herriot Way and the Swale Way. Hundreds of walkers, every year, pass through as part of their long distance walking challenge. Others come to discover the dozens of public footpaths and bridleways to be found in Upper Swaledale. Pry House Farm B&B is perfectly situated to explore sections of the Pennine Way taking in Ravenseat and Tan Hill , to find the source of the Swale or conquer lesser known fells such as Rogan’s Seat (2,205 ft) and Wild Boar Fell (2323 ft).
There are footpaths here for all abilities; tackle the summit of Great Shunner Fell (2349 ft) or have a go at the Swale Trail (family friendly mountain bike path) or the gentle, low level Every Barn Tells A Story walks - there’s something for everybody in Swaledale.
Have a look at the YDNPA website for details of the Swale Trail and the EBTAS project. Kisdon Hill dominates between Keld and Muker but again there are several options depending on fitness or favour: over the top via the Corpse Way or follow the river Swale as it sometimes rushes, sometimes meanders along the valley bottom. At Pry House Farm B&B we have maps and books and trail guides galore including three children’s guides for local walks that the whole family can enjoy together.
Let us help you plan your day. We are always happy to help, share our local knowledge and point you in the right direction – just ask. And at the end of your day, having worked up an appetite, there are several good eating and drinking places within easy reach. Try Keld Lodge, The Farmers Arms in Muker or The Black Bull at Nateby.

What some of our visitors have said...

"Nothing was too much trouble for our kind hosts. The help in choosing beautiful walks was much appreciated. We felt welcome and at home straight away with the right balance of warm conversation and quiet space to relax. The breakfasts were very good indeed, nicely presented in a light, spacious and homely farmhouse kitchen. Our beds were comfortable, the bathrooms spotless and the moorland views, birds and night skies amazing."

"We thoroughly enjoyed our four-night stay. Everything went so well. Our accommodation was comfortable, and we appreciated the cosy lounge. The view from our back bedroom over the hills was glorious, and every morning when we opened the curtains, we were treated to the sight of many birds feeding on the field below - particularly curlews, lapwings and redshanks, each of which, I think, nest in adjacent fields. On our first night, we were privileged to see twin lambs, newborn fifteen minutes earlier. Glenda and Chris made us so welcome, and were such interesting people to talk to. A memorable stay, and we would love to return when in the area.."

"We loved our stay at Pry House. The location for us was perfect as we wanted to get away from our busy lives and waking up to only hearing sheep in the morning was bliss. Glenda welcomed us with a lovely home cooked breakfast every morning and greeted us with a chat when we returned each evening. The bedrooms were comfortable with lovely views across the fields, plus plenty of hot water in the bathroom."


Swaledale’s relationship with James Herriot

It is 40 years since the BBC t.v. series All Creatures Great and Small was first broadcast and almost 50 years since the first James Herriot book appeared on the shelves however interest in the Yorkshire vet has not faded. A lot of filming for the t.v. series took place in Swaledale.
There are plenty of locations to visit nearby. Drive through the famous water splash as seen in the open sequence of the television programme. Have a pint in the Red Lion in Langthwaite and browse the gallery of photographs of actors and actresses so familiar to All Creatures Great and Small fans.
Pop over to Askrigg and find the fictional Skeldale House and the Drovers Arms. For true fans a trip to the World of James Herriot in Thirsk is a must and makes a great day out. Closer to home visit the set of James Herriot’s Darrowby surgery as used in the t.v. series in the Richmondshire Museum, Richmond. Swaledale was Alf Wight’s (the real James Herriot) favourite dale. When he was poorly his son drove him to a best loved spot where he had a panoramic view of this beautiful dale.

more details of Pry House...

Check in times

Check In: 4:00 PM
Check Out: 10:00 AM

Interaction with Guests

Pry House is our home so we are available at the beginning and end of every day of your stay and are happy to share our knowledge of the area, our farming lifestyle and answer all your questions about this stunning and unique corner of the Yorkshire Dales.

The Rooms

The twin bed bedroom - two single beds with quality pocket sprung mattresses, lovely linen and dreamy duvets that guarantee a good nights sleep during your stay with us. The twin room is furnished with antique wardrobe and dressing table and has views over the meadows and pastures. Tea and coffee making facilities are supplied in the room. The twin room has its own large private bathroom with super deep bath in which to enjoy a long soak. The bathroom is a mere two strides across the landing from the bedroom.

Double Ensuite Room - The double ensuite room with extremely comfy king-size bed overlooks the meadows and panoramic views of the fells. Guests are mesmerised by the views from this bedroom and struggle to tear themselves away. There is so much to see depending on the time of year you visit; lambs gamboling, hares boxing, lapwings soaring and house martins gliding. The ensuite shower room is spacious and modern with powerful shower and oodles of hot water. Tea and coffee making facilities are supplied in the room.

Facilities details

Plenty of off-road parking and secure cycle storage and cycle washing facilities. Drying room for those days when you are caught out in a shower. Pry House is surrounded by traditional hay meadows, pasture and the high fells. The infant river Swale flows below the house where you will find cool pools and waterfalls to swim in. There is a plethora of wildlife to observe from every window as well as the garden. A bird watchers paradise. The ever changing skies and the light that plays on the fells is spellbinding. Zero light pollution for amazing star gazing.
Comfortable guest lounge to relax in after a day out exploring the dales. Open coal fire, t.v. and lots of local interest books, magazines etc. Secure cycle store.

The Location

Pry House Farm is situated 2 miles west of the tiny hamlet of Keld in Upper Swaledale. Keld has a tearoom, Information Centre and small hotel, Keld Lodge with excellent restaurant. Beautiful and unspoilt, Keld is on the crossroads of two major long distance walks; Coast to Coast and Pennine Way. There are lots of cycle routes both on and off-road some a mere 2 miles from the 2014 Tour de France route. Keld has the highest concentration of waterfalls in England. During 19c lead mining was the main industry of the area. There are still remains of lead mining times to be discovered. Tan Hill Inn, 5 miles away, is the highest pub in England. Lots of good, traditional pubs, tearooms and other quality eating places very close by.

Transport links

A vehicle is essential when staying at Pry House Farm Bed & Breakfast and Shepherd's Hut.
There is no public transport to the farm.

The local community bus service comes to Keld twice a day. For the timetable see The Little White Bus Swaledale Timetable...... »

Nearest station: Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, 11 miles. Darlington (mainline station Edinburgh to London) 25 miles Nearest Airports: Teesside, Manchester, Newcastle.

Guest Access

Breakfast is taken around the kitchen table in the farmhouse kitchen; the heart of our home. At Pry House we pride ourselves in providing a traditional Yorkshire breakfast with produce sourced locally from our butchers and greengrocers. Please advise of any FOOD ALLERGIES OR INTOLERANCES at point of booking. The guest lounge with open fire (winter months only) has an extremely comfortable sofa and chairs and is a lovely room in which to relax , watch t.v., read and reflect on the activities of the day or plan what to do tomorrow. Both our guest rooms are accessed via a private staircases making Pry House Farm ideal for families or two couples holidaying together.

The Neighbourhood

The tiny hamlet of Keld and surrounding pretty villages are protected by the Yorkshire Dales National Park authority. Traditional farming methods also contribute to the beauty of the area. High fells dotted with Swaledale sheep, miles & miles of dry stone walls snaking up the hillsides and field after field of natural hay meadows bursting with flower in late June and early July. Upper Swaledale is a paradise for walkers and lovers of the countryside but equally Pry House is ideally situated to explore the nearby Lake District, is close to several castles; Barnard Castle, Raby Castle, Bolton Castle and many other interesting attractions. There's so much to do here - come and see for yourself.