Most people assume that if you want to see a red squirrel in the north of England, you go to the Lake District. Fewer know that the Yorkshire Dales has a stronghold of its own — a quiet side valley near Hawes called Snaizeholme, where a dedicated trail exists for exactly one purpose: watching red squirrels.
We've written about where to find red squirrels in the Lake District; this is the Dales chapter of the same story.
Snaizeholme is a valley of conifer woodland off Widdale, south-west of Hawes in Wensleydale. Conifers matter: red squirrels compete far better with greys in coniferous woodland, where the small seeds suit them and suit their rivals poorly. The valley's isolation — surrounded by open moorland that grey squirrels are reluctant to cross — does the rest, in exactly the same way the Lake District's upland geography has protected its own populations.
The red squirrel trail here is managed in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, with a viewpoint where squirrels come to feed. Sightings are never guaranteed anywhere in nature, but Snaizeholme is about as reliable as red squirrel watching gets in England — patient visitors on a quiet morning very often see them, sometimes at close range.
Snaizeholme is also the site of one of the most ambitious woodland-creation projects in the country: the Woodland Trust has been establishing a major new native woodland across the valley, planting on a scale measured in hundreds of thousands of trees. Over the coming decades the valley will change profoundly — more woodland, more connectivity, more habitat — and the red squirrels are among the intended beneficiaries.
Visiting now means seeing a conservation landscape in its early chapters, which is its own kind of interest: this is what the beginning of a forest looks like.
Autumn — squirrels actively caching food and at their most visible; the larch turning gold around them.
Late winter and early spring — caches running low, squirrels foraging hard, and no leaves to hide behind.
Early mornings at any season beat afternoons. Move quietly, settle at the viewpoint, and give it time — twenty patient minutes routinely beats two hurried hours.
Check access arrangements before you travel: the valley is reached from Hawes and arrangements for visitors have varied as the woodland project has developed.
Are there really red squirrels in the Yorkshire Dales?
Yes — Snaizeholme holds one of the National Park's few populations, protected by its conifer woodland and its isolation. It is the most accessible place in the Dales to look for them.
Is this better than the Lake District for red squirrels?
Different rather than better. The Lakes offer more sites; Snaizeholme offers a single dedicated trail with a good success rate. If your trip covers both areas, you have two chances instead of one.
Can it be combined with other Dales highlights?
Easily — Hawes, Hardraw Force, the Buttertubs Pass and Wensleydale itself are all on the doorstep.
Snaizeholme fits naturally into a bespoke Wensleydale day with Hardraw Force and the Buttertubs Pass. Tell us wildlife matters to you and we'll shape the day around it.
