Kilnsey is best known for Kilnsey Crag, a dramatic 170 feet high cliff that looms above the main road through Wharfedale, often giving passing motorists a brief view of rock climbers attempting to pass around the 40ft overhang at the top of the crag.
Just outside the village is Kilnsey Park, originally a trout fishing centre, but now also featuring red squirrels, a farm shop and deli, restaurant and coffee shop.
The village itself is a tiny cluster of houses centred around the Tennant Arms Hotel. The village was once a monastic grange owned by Fountains Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries Kilnsey Old Hall was built on the site of the grange. The remains of the old hall are now used as farm buildings.
Kilnsey hosts one of the main agricultural fairs in the Dales, normally held on August Bank Holiday Tuesday. In 2009 that means that the fair will fall on 1 September.