The remote and tiny North Yorkshire hamlet of Booze

Booze, a secluded settlement in Arkengarthdale in the Yorkshire Dales, is home to only a small number of households but has become well known because of its quirky name and isolated location.

Despite what many visitors first assume, the name has nothing to do with alcohol.

The hamlet’s name actually comes from the Old English words “boga” and “hus,” meaning “house by the curved hill,” referring to the landscape overlooking Slei Gill and Arkle Beck.

Perched above Langthwaite in upper Swaledale, Booze is reached only by a steep, narrow single-track road winding up the hillside.

Its remoteness became national news in 2008 when Royal Mail announced it would no longer deliver mail directly to the hamlet due to health and safety concerns over the road’s steep gradient and difficult access.

The decision meant residents were left facing a round trip of around an hour to collect their post from Richmond.

Postal deliveries were eventually restored after improvements were made to the road by North Yorkshire Council.

Though tiny today, Booze was once much larger.

The 1851 census recorded 41 houses in the hamlet, with many residents employed in farming and lead mining, industries that shaped much of Arkengarthdale during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The surrounding hills are still marked by the remains of old mining levels and spoil heaps linked to the area’s industrial past.

Local legend also tells of a mining disaster near Boldershaw, where miners reportedly blasted into an underground lake, flooding the workings and drowning dozens of men and pit ponies.

Although historians have questioned parts of the story, it remains one of the Dale’s best-known mining tales.

Today, Booze is better known for its peaceful scenery and unusual road sign than its industrial heritage.

Visitors travelling through Arkengarthdale often stop for photographs beside the village sign, while walkers and cyclists exploring the Yorkshire Dales pass through the hamlet on routes across the surrounding hills.

Ironically, despite the name, there is no pub in Booze itself.

The nearest place for a pint is the nearby Red Lion Inn in Langthwaite, which has become famous in its own right after appearing in the television series All Creatures Great and Small.