Information on Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire
Pateley Bridge is a small market town with a population of around 2000, situated in a valley on the River Nidd. The name Pateley was first recorded in as Patleiagate with Pateley coming from the Old English meaning “woodland clearing of the paths”, referring to paths up Nidderdale and to Craven which intersected here. Until 1964, Pateley was the terminus of the railway line running up Nidderdale from Nidd Valley Junction, near Harrogate. Between 1907 and 1937, the Nidd Valley Light Railway ran to Lofthouse and onto the reservoirs of Angram and Scar House further up the dale. The town is the site of the Nidderdale museum which is located in the original Victorian workhouse and covers all aspects of life in the dale. Pateley Bridge is the starting and finishing point on the Nidderdale way, a circular route which covers 53 miles, looping around the Nidd Valley. Its also a convenient location to visit nearby attractions such as Brimham Rocks, Stump Cross Caverns and How Stean Gorge. Since 1319, Pateley has also hosted one of the largest agricultural shows in the UK. Known as Nidderdale Agricultural Show, Pateley Show, the Nidderdale Rant or Pateley Feast, the show is held in September and attracts visitors from all over the country. Pateley has two pubs , The Royal Oak and the Crown (Nidderdale doesn’t have the most imaginative pub names – Pateley and neighbouring Lofthouse and Middlesmoor all have a ‘Crown’, a couple of restaurants and B+Bs and a caravan site by the river.
