APPLETREEWICK, England—The Yorkshire Dales have much to attract tourists to Northern England. The twisting rivers and stunning vistas make the region perfect for walking in summer. Things can be tougher in February and March, but David Aynesworth knows how to draw crowds to his pub in winter: ferret racing.

The landlord and his plumber friend Phil Hardacre spent an afternoon recently putting up a ferret racetrack in the village locals call “Aptrick.”

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