Wensleydale Creamery
Gayle Lane Hawes North Yorkshire DL8 3RN
"We'll go somewhere where there's cheese!" says Wallace to Gromit, and we all know where Wensleydale-fanatic Wallace had in mind. Cheese has been made in the dale since the 12th century – when Cistercian monks were the first to produce it – and today's Wensleydale Creamery continues a proud tradition, still using milk from local farms to create a distinctive cheese that's sold across the UK. The revamped visitor centre in the market town of Hawes is at the heart of the operation, with an interesting museum covering the historic background, including an old farmhouse kitchen and dairy with vintage equipment. But it's the business end of the Creamery you want to coincide with if you can, since here you can watch the stuff being made from the special gallery – best times to catch this are between 10am and 2pm, but they don't make cheese every day so call ahead to check if you want to see it. There's also a restaurant and coffee shop, while the separate Cheese Shop has every variety of Wensleydale under the sun.
