AMBITIOUS expansion plans including luxury chalets with hot tubs have been unveiled for a Dales attraction featuring one of Yorkshire’s most ancient natural wonders.
How Stean Gorge in Nidderdale near Masham has existed for 10,000 years since the last Ice Age.
Graded as a triple Site of Special Scientific Interest, it hosts stunning geological formations, features bats hanging from its caves and fossils frozen in limestone.
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The adventure facility already offers abseiling, gorge scrambling, caving, canoeing and a high ropes via ferrata course – one of only three in the UK – as well as the Gorge and Caves upper pathway.
It currently has a 20-pitch campsite but a new five-year plan overseen by a new management team will see the instalment of 11 new chalets, including luxury accommodation with hot tubs and wood burning stoves.
Four chalets are under construction with an opening date at the end of April with a further two set for completion by July.
Company directors Tony Liddy, 33, and his partner Rebecca Verity, 29 are set to take on the management of the new site.
Tony said: “We’re transforming the site with these ambitious expansion plans with an eco-friendly build in fitting with the spectacular setting.
"So far, we’ve planted around a hundred trees around the new chalets, to act as natural fencing along with 600-plus bare root hedging whips to create a healthly habitat for years to come.
"We have a huge demand in the adventure tourism including family holidays, hen, stag and corporate parties looking to do group activities, and our additional lodges offer will help bolster that market.”
The new chalets offer the only group-scale accommodation in the tourism hotspot, sleeping up to ten people per chalet.
Bookings for hen and stag parties have doubled since Covid restrictions ended.
Online enquiries have also shot up as the appetite for outdoor activities and UK staycations increased as a result of the pandemic.
Tony said: “It’s been incredible, there’s just a massive appetite out there to embrace life, get into the great outdoors and experience adventure again.
"Groups of friends who have missed out the last two years are ready to get out, enjoy and make new and better memories.”
The attraction was owned by married couple Stan and Ann Beer since 2007, and Tony and Rebecca worked closely with the Beers for many years.
Tony has worked as outdoor activity instructor for 16-years, becoming head of outdoor activities ten-years-ago and Rebecca ran the internal offer for 13-years.
Tony’s brother, Dan Liddy, has also joined the team this year as the new head of outdoor activities as Tony takes on the managerial role.
Tony said: “We’re very proud to be continuing the values of Stan and Ann, who we have all worked alongside for so many years.
"We owe them a huge amount and learnt so much from them.
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"They helped raise How Stean Gorge into a leading visitor attraction, as well as a vital lifeline for local employment and our rural economy.
"It’s a fantastic legacy, and we are incredibly excited to take that on and build on that hard work.”
The site has already undergone significant upgrades in the last year, including a new hot water system with underfloor heating in its shower block and new kitchen facilities.
The team has also installed a new shower, toilet and bunks in its Bunk House based at Scar House Reservoir, a unique wild accommodation offer that sleeps up to 17.
In 2017, a cantilevered extension was built with glass walls and glass floor panels that sits over the gorge, which is over half a mile in length and up to 20 metres deep.
The glass-floored extension is home to its dining offer, which has seen an updated with a pub-style menu, alongside increased space to seat 80.
The cafe is also undergoing renovations in the coming months and plans are in place to revamp the visitor centre.
Meanwhile, outdoor facilities have been boosted to 12 kayaks, 16-plus canoes and over 200 wet suits for Gorge Walking.
How Stean Gorge has been attracting visitors for over 100-years and Stan Beer fell in love with it after moving to Pateley Bridge in 1976.
A retired paramedic with Ann, a retired nurse, he said he swapped the NHS for the ‘Natural Health Service’ when they bought the site.
The couple is now retiring.
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