2 days ago in mid December we visited Swaledale. Perhaps as expected most coffee shops are closed. However some open on a weekend, but we visited on a Tuesday. After parking in Reeth we said said hello to a resident who invited us to visit the “Do it yourself” cafe in the Reading Room. He made sure that the fire was well stoked to keep us warm. It is truly do it yourself from filling the kettle to washing up afterwards. There was a good choice of hot drinks – tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cupasoup. There was also a selection of cold drinks. 5 Boxes contained home made cakes donated by residents. A charge is made of £1 per drink or piece of cake. However it states that you can donate more. We welcomed the hot drink and cake as the outside temperature was 1 degree.
Could I encourage travellers to Swaledale and Reeth to support this initiative. It raises funds to keep village facilities open and provides a welcome service for visitors. The cafe is open daylight hours during the months that the village tea room is closed.
