Britain is home to some of the most quaint scenery and cute houses. The county of Yorkshire is no exception! Of all of the charming villages I’ve been to, Thornton-le-Dale in North Yorkshire might be the most picturesque I’ve seen. I combined my daytrip with a great hike in beautiful weather. Thornton-le-Dale is one charming village you can’t miss!

Out of everything in town, the thatched cottage (or Beck Isle Cottage) is probably the most charming and cutest part. I think it maybe be the prettiest house in the whole country! It was built in the 17^th century and still has a (surprise) thatched roof.

The beck (stream) runs along past the thatched cottage out of town. I was lucky enough to go to Thornton-le-Dale on a really hot, sunny day, and the beck was full of lots of families and kids wading and cooling down.

The square is fairly small, but also especially make sure to see the stocks. They were last used to publicly punish people in 1874. King Edward I granted the village a weekly market in 1281.

My favorite part of the village was walking around and seeing all the cottages and houses in town. There were so many charming ones, especially with beautiful gardens and flowers.

I decided to go hiking for most of the day into the North York Moors National Park, and did the Green Walk through Ellerburn Valley and Dalby Forest. I got my maps and directions (which were spot on for the whole hike) from the Thornton-le-Dale website here.

Ellerburn Valley and the walk along the way have some absolutely beautiful views. There are usually sheep in the fields.

The village of Ellerburn itself is very small, yet it’s worth a wander to see St. Hilda’s Church. The church dates back to the 12^th century (although some stones and crosses point to an even earlier date).

Finally, the walk goes through Dalby Forest, which is really popular with mountain biking and also hiking. The hike back goes through fields with cows and sheep, and eventually hooks up with the stream—you can follow it all the way back to Thornton-le-Dale.

Thornton-le-Dale is fairly easy to access from York. There is no train station, but you can take the Coastliner bus #840 from York to Whitby, which takes about an hour and a half. It costs £14 for a day return.

Thornton-le-Dale is one of the most charming villages I’ve ever seen—it might even be one of the most picturesque in the country! Don’t miss this stop in North Yorkshire.

Have you ever been to a charming town or village?!