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Where
are the Dales?
The
Yorkshire Dales National Park covers a land mass of some 683 square
miles of the central Pennine uplands. It includes the countryside
lying to the north of Skipton, Settle and Ilkley, between the A65
to the west and the A1 to the east.
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| Map
of the Yorkshire Dales, with main villages marked Thanks to
the YDNP for the original. |
How many dales make a National Park?
There
are more than 20 individual Dales, each with its own character and
atmosphere.
Some
of the more familiar ones include:
- Dentdale:
once farmed by Viking settlers.
- Malhamdale:
with the dramatic Malham Cove above its tranquil Tarn.
- Swaledale:
where the swift River Swale winds through pastures dotted with
field barns.
- Ribblesdale:
famous for the Three Peaks walk.
- Wensleydale:
a familiar name for cheese, waterfalls and Castle Bolton.
- Wharfdale:
with breathtaking countryside and Bolton Abbey.
The
main dales include or are linked by smaller, less famous dales such
as:
Airsdale; Bishopdale; Clapdale; Coverdale; Langstrothdale; Littendale;
Raydale and Washburndale.
What
makes the Dales unique
Each
dale has a unique character, though of course all have a dale, or
valley at its core.
They
combine to give a blend of grassy valleys, tumbling waterfalls,
a network of rivers and streams, topped by heather-covered bleak
fells or bleak limestone crags.
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| Malham:
photo by Walter Sommerville |
It's
rich with intricate patterns of dry-stone walls and field barns,
and dotted with picturesque stone villages.
The
Dales contain some of the most dramatic exposed limestone cliffs,
gorges and a fretwork of limestone pavements in the UK. The hills
are riddled with limestone caves dating back to the Ice Age.
A photographer's
paradise, but it's not just countryside ... . the National Park
is also home to 18,000 people, and a holiday destination for more
than eight million tourists each year.
Share your Dale
If you live somewhere
in the Yorkshire Dales, e-mail and tell us all about it, or send photos. We'd
like to feature your Dale! Send photos, in jpeg format, or information about
where you live, to: northyorkshire@bbc.co.uk.
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The Yorkshire Dales was designated as a National Park in 1954.
