Grassington, population of just over 1,100. However, this number increases exponentially each day with  & walkers. Originally the settlement was spelt as Gherinstone, Garsington or Gersington. The name Grassington comes from the Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon and Gothic and means either the town of the grassy ings or a farmstead surrounded by grass. Although described as a village, Grassington was granted a Royal Charter for a market and fair in 1282 giving it market town status. 

Grassington was used as the setting for the fictional town of Darrowby in the 2020 Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small, instead of Thirsk where the actual story took place; Thirsk had become too large for the small-town feeling needed by the programme. 

In 1909 Grassington got its first electricity from a hydroelectric plant at Linton Falls, which continued until 1948 when the National Grid arrived. In 2012 a new hydroelectric power plant was opened using the restored turbine house, providing 500,000 kWh of electricity a year, using two Archimedean screws.

Today, Grassington is a picturesque village with cafes, bookshops, pubs, shops, a folk museum centred around a beautiful cobbled village square. It hosts festivals throughout the year and is very popular with walkers. Linton Falls is a short walk away. 

Photo of one of the streets in Grassington.