Wensleydale and Swaledale Summer Resorts Cover Art

 Some of the coolest vintage art I have encountered to restore and recycle comes from the covers of antique tourist guide booklets and brochures. I found this image in the British Library Public Domain Collections and it was in need of some loving care. I did some digital restorations and then added it to some cool products like the shirt pictured here.

It comes from the late 1800's era and was published by the North Eastern Railway Company. The guide book was all about the Wensleydale and Swaledale Summer Resorts in the Penines of Yorkshire England and what is now known as the Dales National Park. These two valleys run parallel to each other and are separated by a ridge and joined by a road over Buttertubs pass. 

Swaledale is the dale of the river Swale and Wensleydale is the dale of the river Ure. Both are famous for thier cheeses that are named for them. They both seem to always have been a popular place to go on a summer holiday for the scenery which included forests and waterfalls and historic villages with old churches, abbeys and castles.  Now in modern times the Dales in the Penines are popular for walkers and they are still publishing tourist guides with walking routes.  

Have you been to Wensleydale or Swaledale or are you planning to go there?  Wouldn't this be the coolest souvenir shirt to wear on your walks? What a conversation starter it could be to get the locals to tell you what they know about the history of the area! Or just to remind you of your amazing time spent walking the moors. 

Get your shirt here