Tiny village home to England’s highest mainline train station and award-winning pub
WHAT makes a great English village? Cobblestone streets, white-walled cottages, a couple of cosy pubs and the country’s highest mainline train station?
Well, if that’s the case, Dent in Cumbria has made the cut – and it even has loose ties to Queen Victoria.
The tiny Cumbrian village, which is home to just 700 residents, is routinely regarded as one of the loveliest villages in the Dales.
Located inside Nidderdale National Landscape, an area of outstanding beauty near the Lake District, Dent is a 50-minute drive from Lancaster.
Holidaymakers who prefer to use public transport will be relieved to know that the tiny village has its own train station.
Dent Train Station is believed to be the highest mainline train station in England, with this accolade drawing in tourists from across the country.
Situated on the famous Settle-Carlisle Line, direct trains operate from Leeds to Dent giving visitors the opportunity to visit the village by rail – and that’s not all.
You can also book to stay overnight at one of the station’s buildings.
The Grade II listed property is located within an acre of land and has enough space to sleep four people in two rooms.
Week-long stays run from Saturday to Saturday or Wednesday to Wednesday, with the possibility to book three-night weekend breaks too.
Three-night stays start from £480 in November, with costs rising over the festive period.
Despite serving the village, Dent Train Station lies four miles away from the village, meaning visitors will need to walk or grab a cab to visit Dent.
There’s plenty to do in the small English village, including a 12th century church, with flagstones made from the local black Dent marble.
Other attractions include an art gallery and a blacksmith’s shop.
The English village also has a memorial fountain to its most famous son, geologist Professor Adam Sedgwick.
Sedgwick was considered one of the founding fathers of the modern science of geology.
He was also a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and a later opponent of Charles Darwin.
Stone Close is a popular coffee shop in the village, serving a range of home-baked goods.
There are only two pubs in the village, the George and the Dragon is an award-winning pub famed for its cider and perry.
Meanwhile, the Sun Inn promises punters a no-frills experience.
There are a range of overnight accommodation options in the English village like B&BS and a room at the Sun Inn.
ENGLAND is home to more than 6,000 villages, which means there are plenty to discover. Here are just three others to visit this year:
- Located in Kent, Biddenden is somewhat overlooked by holidaymakers. That being said, there’s lots to do in the Kent village, including a stroll around Biddenden Vineyards – an award-winning vineyard.
- Beaulieu in Hampshire sits on a river of the same name and is famous for its motor museum, its ponies and its spectacular nature. Its surroundings earned it a place on a list of the most beautiful villages in the country, where it beat other picturesque destinations like Orford in Suffolk.
- Saltaire, a Victorian village in West Yorkshire, is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was first created as a model village, with houses built for the Salt Mill factory workers between 1851 and 1871.
Another tiny village in the UK has been compared to a retro 1940s film set.
And an abandoned village in England only opens to tourists once a year.