What is available locally?

Overlooked by Pott Hall is Leighton Reservoir, which is a 105-acre 90-foot deep fly-only bank fished reservoir, stocked with Rainbow Trout. Permits can be purchased from the hut in the car park and fishermen can be found here in even the most inclement weather. Some of our regular guests catch so much trout that we have benefited from their bounty! See http://www.leightonflyfishing.co.uk/ for more details.

For those into rock climbing, Ash Head Crag is a remote crag high on Masham Moor and is excellent for bouldering and just 0.5 mile from Pott Hall. For more information, see https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=3130

The remoteness of Pott Hall makes it ideal for star-gazers, with Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty having some of the darkest skies in England. Not all constellations need to be viewed with a telescope, so even the uninitiated can have a go – the following websites might give you a pointer: http://www.nidderdaleaonb.org.uk/dark-skies and http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/

Wildlife is a feature of Pott Hall, with visitors expecting to see pheasant, grouse, lapwing, curlew, owls, partridge and oyster-catchers, depending on the time of year. Not to mention rabbits, bats and the annual event of the cheeky Cheviot lambs; there are always two who manage to wriggle their way under the gate and graze in the Barn’s personal space!
http://www.nidderdaleaonb.org.uk/bird-watching

A walker’s paradise, many walks are available from Pott Hall doorstep, either going around the reservoirs of Leighton and Roundhill, or climbing onto Masham Moor and traversing into Upper Nidderdale. Masham is also a good starting point, with various lengths of walk listed on the site below, including through the beautiful Hackfall Woods.
http://www.visitmasham.com/good-walks/
http://www.nidderdaleaonb.org.uk/walking-nidderdale-aonb

For a good view of Pott Hall from across the valley, visit the Druid’s Temple. This is a stone circle folly, built in the 1820s by William Danby, Squire of Swinton. It provided a shilling a day to many local people who were unemployed. The Bivouac café can provide a welcome refreshment if you have walked from Pott Hall.
http://bivouac.swintonestate.com/cafe-bistro/