James Herriot's honeymoon, Greta Garbo, a stone circle, a sacred spring and Deadman's Hole: they can all be found in one small village... Carperby in Wensleydale. There's a letter on the wall of the Wheatsheaf Inn which is the focal point for many visitors to Carperby in Wensleydale.
It's from James Herriot, or more accurately the writer, Alf Wight, and tells his parents of his wedding, including the moment the vicar asked him if he took "this woman to be your lawful wedded husband"... Not long after James Herriot stayed there, Greta Garbo came to stay during a break in her busy schedule performing in the Dales.
Nowadays Carperby is a small quiet village, but must once have been a busier place as it has two 'centres'. It gained a market in 1305, one of the earliest in the Dales. By 1587 the market had declined as Askrigg took much of the trade. It was moved to the other end of the village and the 'new' market cross dates back to 1674.
Carperby seems to have been quite an important location for worshippers of one kind or another. There was a Friend's Meeting House and two Wesleyan Chapels (one replacing the other), both now converted into private houses, although an old Quaker burial ground remains.
The name derives from early Scandinavia settlers and was originally kerperbi. 'Kjarr' meant a bushy, boggy area and 'by' a farmstead.
Close to Carperby is a curious place, a stone circle about which very little is known. Some think it could have actually been a Bronze Age cremation site. In the middle of Carperby stands St. Matthew's Well, which may be on the site of a sacred spring, in use much earlier than the date stone implies.
There's also a place called Deadman's Hole at one end of the village - I wonder what led to that name?
From Carperby there are several pleasant walks, including over to Bolton Castle or to Aysgarth Falls.