The town is the perfect base for walkers, with plenty of places to eat and drink, and a good choice of accommodation. There is a plaque in the High Street that marks the start and finish point of the 53 mile circular walk that is the Nidderdale Way. For a shorter walk, try the signposted Panorama Walk, which takes you up hill out of the town and provides extensive views of Nidderdale and the moors. It is part of the main medieval route from Ripon to Skipton.

For those visitors with a sweet tooth, you must visit The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, established on the high street in 1827 (it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays though). This traditional shop retains a unique character, and is one of many small specialist shops and craft centres in the town that make a welcome change from the retail outlets that are found on many modern high streets, that appear almost identical wherever they are in the country.

To get a real feel of the rich history of the area and the people who have lived here over the centuries, a visit to Nidderdale Museum is a must (the admission charges are very reasonable). It is a past winner of the National Heritage Museum of the Year, and provides a fascinating history of the area, with real size exhibits such as a Victorian parlour, kitchen and school classroom, and a chemist, joiner's shop, haberdasher's and cobbler's from years gone by. The museum is housed in a former Victorian workhouse and has sections devoted to agriculture, religion, transport, industries and costume.

Above the town are the impressive ruins of the original St Mary's Church, built here in 1321. The tower, walls and graveyard still exist, and are all interesting for visitors, with some very old and unusual graves, such as that of Mary Myers, apparently 120 years old, and quadruplets born in 1755. From this elevated point, you can get magnificent views over the town and up Nidderdale.

While in the area, there are a other outdoor attractions that should be visited. Stump Cross Caverns, on the B6267 between Pateley Bridge and Grassington, is a cave system over 3 miles long, discovered in the late 1800s by lead miners. Although many of the deeper caverns are only accessible by experienced cavers, the 'show caves' are a fascinating attraction for everyone, and enhanced by dramatic lighting, the beauty of stalactites and stalagmites are there for all to see. The visitor centre at the site has a gift shop and tea room as well as a place to watch a short film about the caves, so you can make a real trip out of it.

In the other direction out of Pateley Bridge, on the B6165 towards Ripon, are Brimham Rocks, owned by the National Trust. This attraction consists of many strange shaped rock formations on top of a steep hill in about 50 acres of heathland. The millstone grit boulders have been shaped by the erosion of softer layers topped by harder rocks, beginning during the last ice age. A lot of the rocks have been given names, reflecting what they now look like, the most famous probably being Idol Rock and Dancing Bear. There are car parks nearby, with maps of the area, so you can walk right up to the rocks and explore at leisure.

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