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Semerwater () is the second largest natural lake in North Yorkshire, England, after Malham Tarn. It is half a mile (800 m) long, covers 100 acres (0.40 km2) and lies in Raydale, opposite the River Bain within Yorkshire Dales National Park. A private pay and display parking area is at the foot of the lake. Semerwater attracts canoers, windsurfers, yachtsmen and fishermen. There are three small settlements nearby:
Stalling Busk Countersett Marsett Semerwater was the subject of a number of sketches and paintings by the artist J. M. W. Turner. Semerwater is a pleonastic place name. The name, first recorded in 1153, derives from the Old English elements sæ 'lake', mere 'lake' and water. The form "Lake Semerwater" introduces a fourth element with the same meaning. The lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, first notified in 1975.
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609 m
Raydale
Raydale (also known as Raydaleside) is a dale on the south side of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. The northern part of the dale is the valley of the River Bain, which flows out of Semerwater, one of very few lakes in the Yorkshire Dales. Above the lake the dale is drained by smaller becks, and is joined by two smaller dales, Cragdale on the east and Bardale on the west.
There are three hamlets in the dale, Countersett, Marsett and Stalling Busk. The village of Bainbridge lies at the mouth of the dale.
The dale is a broad, flat-bottomed U-shaped valley, with a significant woodland cover around Semerwater and the other water courses.
680 m
Countersett
Countersett is the largest of the three settlements in Raydale, around Semerwater in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Yorkshire Dales to the north of the lake. The Boar East and West were once one farm, and before that a pub called The Boar Inn. The date 1667 was above the door, along with a Latin inscription which translated as "Now mine, once thine, but whose afterwards I do not know" (ref. Wensleydale, by Ella Pontefract, Dent & Sons, 1936)
Countersett Hall dates back to the twelfth century. In 1650 Richard Robinson, the first Quaker in Wensleydale purchased the hall and extended it. It is a stone built Manor House with Richard Robinson's and his wife's initials and date of purchase, 1650, inscribed in stone above the front door. Illicit Quaker meetings were held in the Hall before the establishment of the nearby Meeting House. George Fox, a founder of the Society of Friends, stayed at Countersett Hall in 1652 and 1677. There is a local legend that Mary, Queen of Scots, stopped off at the hall on her way to Bolton Castle in 1558.
Countersett Quaker Meeting House was converted from an old barn in 1710 by Richard Robinson's son. A Quaker service is held there on the last Sunday of each month. The Meeting House is open to the public. On-foot access is via the signposted entrance by Chapel Farmhouse which is situated on the main road which runs through Countersett. The meeting house is grade II listed. During recent refurbishments, a kitchen and toilets were added.
From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
691 m
Countersett Hall
Countersett Hall is a Grade II* listed historic building in Countersett, a hamlet in North Yorkshire, in England.
The house dates back to the twelfth century in parts – artefacts were discovered during renovations in the 1980s. Richard Robinson purchased the freehold and extended the hall in 1650 – his initials are inscribed above the front door. Robinson became the first Quaker in Wensleydale and held meetings illegally in the house. George Fox stayed in the house in 1652 and again in 1677. There is a local legend that Mary Queen of Scots stayed at the hall on her way to Bolton Castle.
719 m
Countersett Quaker Meeting House
Countersett Quaker Meeting House is a historic building in Countersett, a village in North Yorkshire, in England.
Quakers met in Countersett Hall from the 1650s, initially illegally. From 1710, they instead met in a nearby barn which perhaps dated from the late 16th century. It was altered to make it suitable for worship, and was again altered in 1778, when it passed into the ownership of the Quakers. They used it until 1872, when they moved to a purpose-built structure. The meeting house was purchased by the Primitive Methodists, who used it until the 1970s. In the 1980s, the Quakers again began meeting in their old building, which they restored in the 1990s. In 2011, a small outbuilding was converted to provide a kitchen and toilet. The building was Grade II listed in 1986.
The single-storey building is constructed of rubble, with a stone slate roof. It has three 12-pane sash windows, all on the main front, and dating from 1778. The entrance is to the right, and has a plank door. The rear elevation has two infilled windows and a blocked door, which are believed to date from the building's time in use as a barn. Inside, there is a panelled dado and an elders' gallery. Seating is provided by two types of simple bench. The floor has mostly broad floorboards, but there is also a stone slab which previously provided support for a stove, for heating.