Yorkshire Dales – Herriot and Emmerdale Country
One of the most stunning areas in Britain, the Yorkshire Dales (often referred to simply as the Dales) includes the superb Yorkshire Dales National Park, created in 1954 and one of Britain’s fifteen National Parks. The charming villages, fabulous walking, climbing and caving are just a few of the numerous attractions the Dales has to offer its visitors.
Consisting of valleys and hills, it comprises 18 dales in total. The National Park, which covers some 1,770 square km (680 square miles) has many nature reserves and is rich in wildlife including birds of prey, black grouse, skylarks, red squirrels and rare northern butterflies.
Walkers will be attracted to the 135 km (80 mile) Dales Way, which passes through both the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Lake District National Park; as does Arthur Wainwright’s 354 km (220 mile) Coast to Coast Path, which also crosses the North York Moors National Park. Other walks include the Pennine Way and the more recent and roughly parallel Pennine Bridle Way, which also provides access for horseback riders and cyclists.
The famous Yorkshire Three Peaks, a further attraction for walkers, are located at Whernside (736 metres-2,415 feet), Ingleborough (723 metres-2,372 feet) and Pen-y-ghent (694 metres- 2,277 feet). The gruelling Three Peaks Challenge, varying from 37.5 km (23.3 miles) to 42 km (26.1 miles), involves a circuit of all three mountains to be completed in 12 hours. There is also a Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross race over 61 km (38 miles).
The extensive limestone cave systems make this district one of the finest caving areas in Britain with many open for public tours. One of the best known is the Gaping Gill system, a 105 metre (344 feet) deep pothole into which the Fell Beck stream flows and others include the Alum Pot System, Mossdale Caverns, Kingsdale Caverns, Leck Fell Caves, the Easegill System, White Scar Caves in Chapel-le-Dale near Ingleton, Ingleborough Cave in Clapdale near Clapham and Stump Cross Caverns near Pately Bridge.
The Dales Countryside Museum is the National Park’s own museum and is housed in the converted Hawes railway station in Wensleydale. Conveniently, it is also one of five visitor centres located at major destinations in the park; the others can be found at Grassington, Malham, Reeth and the Aysgarth Falls.
Visited and extolled by, amongst others, John Ruskin, the artist Turner and the poet William Wordsworth, the triple Aysgarth Falls, on a one mile stretch of the River Ure in Wensleydale, are particularly spectacular during wet weather. Cautley Spout, tumbling 198 metres (650 feet) down a cliff face in the Howgill Fells, is England’s highest above ground waterfall and Kisdon Force is another series of waterfalls on the River Swale in Swaledale.
The late 14th century Bolton Castle in Wensleydale is a Grade I listed building which has been used as a location for Ivanhoe, Elizabeth, Heartbeat and other productions. Castle lovers can also visit Richmond, Barnard and Middleham Castles, the latter once the boyhood home of Richard III.
Located on the banks of the River Wharfe, Bolton Abbey was founded in 1151 by the Augustinian order and the Church and the ruins of the Priory can be visited. The National Trust’s Cistercian Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden near Ripon is another major attraction, where the 12th century ruins, the only surviving Cistercian corn mill and the spectacular Georgian water gardens can be admired.
In addition to the towns and villages mentioned elsewhere, Settle, Sedbergh, Horton and Clapham are worthy of a visit, while the 117 km (73 mile) Settle and Carlisle railway line built in the 1870s, is considered to be one of England’s most scenic.
Lovely Harrogate, only a short drive from the Dales is historically famous for its spas, but has developed into a lively town with outstanding shopping and public gardens, combined with its superb heritage and architecture. Thee miles from Harrogate are Ripley Castle and Gardens; in a beautiful location, this historic attraction is open to the public all year round.
This stunning area, which attracts more than 13 million visitors annually, has proved to be a great magnet for television producers and is the setting for the long-running TV soap opera Emmerdale and the backdrop to the James Herriot classic All Creatures Great and Small, for which the pretty Wensleydale village of Askrigg was transformed into the fictional village of Darrowby. The Dales are also featured in the films Calendar Girls and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Useful websites:
http://www.touristnetuk.com/Ne/dales/index.htm
http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Dales
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