Natural England - Yorkshire dales

Yorkshire dales

Rich in cultural associations ranging from Wuthering Heights to Emmerdale, the striking landscape of the Yorkshire Dales is a familiar one for many. Countless geography and geology students have had their first taste of fieldwork on the limestone slopes of Ingleborough.

Limestone is at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, appearing dramatically as cliffs, gorges and pavements, and providing a landscape of pastoral valleys patterned with dry-stone walls, barns and stone-built villages. Waterfalls are numerous, and the streams sometimes vanish into the system of caves, channels and shafts that honeycomb the rock. On the fells, millstone grit often overlies the limestone, giving a bleaker, heather-covered aspect to the Park.

Sedbergh is well placed for exploring the remote western dales. Among many delightful villages elsewhere are Askrigg in Wensleydale and Linton in Wharfedale. Ingleton and Malham, which can be crowded in summer, are popular centres.

Prehistoric field systems and many Scandinavian place names give a sense of Dales history. Ruins such as Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale and Bolton Castle in Wensleydale show medieval prosperity, based largely on sheep farming. Lead mining, which reached a height in the 19th century, has also left its mark on the landscape.

Several walking routes, including the Dales Way, The Ribble Way and the Pennine Way, cross the Park, with easy walks around the waterfalls at Aysgarth and Ingleton. For the specialist, caving is plentiful, and there are three show caves open to the public.

Aysgarth Falls, a popular Dales attraction stood in for Sherwood Forest as the setting for the quarterstaff battle between John Little and Robin of Loxley in "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves". Askrigg became the fictional Darrowby in the TV series "All creatures great and small".

Contact Information

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority,
Yorebridge House, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 3EE Tel: 0870 1 666333 Email:info@yorkshiredales.org.uk

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