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About Us

[lead]The Queens Arms has been a treasure and an asset for Littondale residents and their visitors for centuries. [/lead]

New Tenants Matthew and Michelle Birtley and their family are looking forward to their new Dales life at the Queens, Matthew has been a Head Chef in the surrounding Dales for many years and Michelle has also a wealth of Catering and Hospitality experience.

We have received tremendous local support since we re-opened The Queens and are proud that, like our food, we ‘locally source’ all our staff coming from the Dales, including Head Chef. We are fortunate to be located in the heart of what many consider to be the ‘prettiest’ of the Yorkshire Dales with wildflower meadows, stone walls and barns, woodland, caves, moorland and the River Skirfare meandering by.

The essence of the Queens is Yorkshire Dales hospitality, excellent food and real ale – our log fires in the winter and garden in the summer provide a meeting place and a refuge for locals and visitors.

The team at The Queen’s looks forward to welcoming you to Littondale.

Welcome to the peaceful, tranquil and charming valley of Littondale, tucked away in the very heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Littondale with its picturesque hamlets of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Halton Gill and Foxup, is rich in Bronze and Iron Age settlements and has been a sheltered fertile valley for over 5000 years.

The land was granted to the monks of Fountains Abbey around the 13th Century and became used extensively for sheep farming, which is still an important and much loved part of dales life. As a side dale to the west of Wharfedale and with Malhamdale to its south, Littondale follows the River Skirfare which is famed for disappearing below ground for much of the year exposing a dry rocky bed – one of the more unusual features of this limestone landscape – and with its remarkable cave systems – it is a true delight for geologists to potholers!

Proudly boasting Pen-Y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, at its head – the valley is famous for its flora and fauna amidst its wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands and abundant birdlife. Littondale has been the inspiration behind Kingsley’s Water Babies and the setting for a host of TV and film projects from Emmerdale Farm, Wuthering Heights, Woman in Black and a much anticipated new series of All Creatures Great & Small.

Today, Littondale is home to around 300 residents and is a vibrant dale with over 30 businesses ranging from accommodation providers to inns to artists and craftspeople. This community website was created in 2020 to highlight and promote the spirit and natural beauty of this incredible place. We hope very much you will come and experience the wonder of this hidden gem so please read on about what we have to offer and come visit – we look forward to welcoming you all!