Visit Sedbergh, England's Booktown in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

The old Market Town of Sedbergh (pronounced Sed-Ber), with its cobbled yards and unique atmosphere developed at a confluence of four valleys and four rivers where ancient trade routes merged. Its main industries through the centuries have been based around farming and the production of products from wool, with weaving and hand knitting being the main employment of the Sedbergh people.

In 2005 the decline of the town centre was arrested by the first fruits of the four-year project to make Sedbergh England's Book Town. A book town is a loose collective of businesses based around books and their production. The book shops of Sedbergh and district offer a treasure trove of collector's books for the enthusiast. In addition to the shops Sedbergh has established a Festival of Books and Drama which takes place in August to add to the many events already offered by this most energetic of communities.

Sedbergh is not only set in the western dales of the Yorkshire Dales National Park but is also close to the eastern fells of the Lake District about 5 miles east of junction 37 on the M6 motorway and about 10 miles from Kendal and the West Coast main line railway at Oxenhome Station.

For those who like to explore, the town has a variety of narrow lanes and small clusters of old buildings. There is a 12^th century Norman church (restored in 1886) and, overlooking the town, is the site of Castlehaw, an ancient motte and bailey castle.

For the serious walker there are the Howgill Fells. The closest hill, Winder, can be reached by a walk of about 1½ miles and provides extensive panoramic views over the surrounding countryside from its 1550 ft (473 m) summit

For those who prefer more level ground there is a variety of paths along the banks of the meandering River Rawthey and adjacent fields and woodland

Visit the Sedbergh Tourist Information Office, in the Dales and Lakes Book Centre at 72 Main Street, which carries a comprehensive range of maps guidebooks, postcards and souvenirs. The Tourist Office would be happy to help you with your telephone, written or email enquiries and supply any items you require so you can find out about the area before you visit. Payment can be made by credit card.

Use the menu above or the links below to learn more about the area.

Find out more about Sedbergh, England's Booktown..

Events.

Find out about annual events in Sedbergh and browse our events calendar for up to date information about events in the arean.

Browse the Sedbergh Events Calendar.

Explore the facilities of Sedbergh's town centre..

Come & stay

Relocate, buy or rent a house, stay in a guest house, pub or B&B in Sedbergh.

Things to do & places to go

What there is to do in the area.

History.

Read a brief history of Sedbergh

Get Here

How to get to Sedbergh by car, train & bus.

Scenery

See some pictures of the Sedbergh surroundings.

Town Twinning

In 2004 Sedbergh developed a town twinning partnership with the town of Zreče in Slovenia. Sedbergh's contact with Zreče came through the BBC2 programme, ‘The Town that Wants a Twin’, broadcast over 12 episodes in January 2005, in which Sedbergh played host to four European towns selected by the television production company, from which Zreče was overwhelmingly selected by the people of Sedbergh, on a vote.

Links

Links to some other local websites.

Economy

What the economy of Sedbergh is based upon.

Weather.

Check the Sedbergh weather forecast from the BBC.for the next 24hours and the next 5 days, these will appear in a separate browser window.

Contact information

Who to contact if you have questions or suggestions about this site or things relating to Sedbergh.