Long Preston

Long Preston is a community-driven village close to Settle in lower Ribblesdale. It boasts two public houses, a small convenience store and numerous striking stone cottages.

Most of its housing runs along the A65, but there are numerous paths running off in both directions that lead to the surrounding countryside.

Before setting off on a hike you can call into the Rohan store and pick up some suitable clothing and equipment. The outdoor brand now has emporiums across the country, but its roots are firmly in the Yorkshire Dales and it has a shop in Long Preston offering end of line products at discounted prices.

A Long Preston tradition is maypole dancing on the village green on May Day each year. There's also a Gala with processions from the local school, brass bands recitals and even a serving of bacon sandwiches.

The land in and around the villages has been lived on since prehistoric times, with an axe head from the Stone Age being found on nearby Bookil Gill a few years ago.

The village was also once surrounded by a thick forest that was home to packs of grey wolves. Fed up with the ferocious animals attacking their livestock, locals petitioned King Athlestan for a solution. He accepted their call and oversaw the building of lodges in the woodland that housed men given the job of protecting the villagers.

Then known as just Preston, the village was an agricultural hub through much of Middle Ages, but it changed greatly during the industrial period of the 18^th and 19^th centuries with the opening of cotton mills.

Long Preston train station opened in 1849 and this further helped to change the business community and demographics of the village. The station is now connected to the famous Settle to Carlisle line and has services running to Leeds in the south and Morecambe in the east.

To the south of the village is Hellifield, which is known for its flashes. These are natural ponds that have formed in fields and are important parts of the habitat for many migratory birds.

Long Preston's two inns both provide accommodation for travellers. There are also rental cottages available and a quiet caravan park set on a working farm.