Rylstone is a small and picturesque village in North Yorkshire, located about six miles south-west of Grassington and not far from Cracoe. It sits at the edge of Barden Fell, with the distinctive landmarks of Rylstone Cross and Cracoe Pinnacle rising above the surrounding landscape. The setting is peaceful and rural, with open countryside and a strong sense of local history.

The name Rylstone appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Rilestun”, and the area has roots stretching back to Viking and then Norman control. One of the village’s literary associations comes from William Wordsworth’s poem The White Doe of Rylstone, written in 1815. The poem is based on local legend and weaves in the real historical events of the Rising of the North in 1569, a failed Catholic rebellion that involved the local Norton family.

At the heart of the village is St Peter’s Church, an ancient stone building with a square embattled tower. The church dates back to the Norman period and has been altered and extended over the centuries, particularly in the 17th and 19th centuries. Looking down on the village from Barden Fell is Rylstone Cross, a prominent stone monument. The original structure was erected in 1815 to mark the Peace of Paris, and after several wooden versions fell into disrepair, a new stone cross was installed in 1995.

In more recent times, Rylstone became widely known due to the Rylstone Women’s Institute. Members of the group created a charity calendar in the 1990s to raise money for leukaemia research, an event which later inspired the film Calendar Girls. Despite this brush with fame, the village remains quiet and traditional, with stone cottages, a village green, and a duck pond forming the centre of the community.

Rylstone is a popular spot for walkers, thanks to its proximity to open moorland and scenic routes that connect to other parts of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a place where history, landscape, and local life continue to blend in a quiet corner of the countryside.