Bell tents in Nidderdale AONB

At Brimham Rocks, 100 million-year-old boulders sheer out of the heather moorland in formations whose names evocatively intimate their bizarre shapes: the Dancing Bear, the Gorilla, and the Smartie Tube. This spectacular Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies 10 miles northwest of Harrogate, and is a highlight of the Nidderdale Way hiking trail. The closest campsites sit near Pateley Bridge to the west.

Masham is a likeable market town toward the northern extent of Nidderdale AONB on Yorkshire’s most famous dale, Wensleydale. Its two breweries, arts and crafts galleries, variety of places to eat and drink, and camping and caravan park just east of town ensure it’s a great base for fans of under-canvas sleeping. The 50-mile circular Ripon Rowel Walk passes town and largely follows the banks of the two rivers converging in Masham, the Ure, and the Burn.

One of Yorkshire’s great medieval abbeys, Jervaulx Abbey sits near Nidderdale AONB’s boundary within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The splendid 12th-century Cistercian ruin features a small camping and caravanning site within its walled estate beside the River Ure. You can pick up the Six Dales trail, which runs right across the AONB from north to south, right outside.