THE YORKSHIRE DALES
THREE PEAKS WESTMORLAND DALES WHARFEDALE SWALEDALE WENSLEYDALE NIDDERDALE ILKLEY MOOR
Designated as a National Park in
1954, the Yorkshire Dales is one of two National Parks which
are found mainly in Yorkshire. A part of the Dalesalso lie in Cumbria and a few square miles
occupy the far north-eastern tip of Lancashire. More relaxed than the neighbouring Lake
District, the Yorkshire Dales offers plenty of walking, caving, mine exploration and rock climbing
opportunities. Some of Britain's best caves are to be found here and the Pennine Way and Coast
to Coast Paths pass through the Dales, intersecting in Keld, Swaledale. Also featured here are
the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Forest of Bowland and Nidderdale.
are found mainly in Yorkshire. A part of the Dalesalso lie in Cumbria and a few square miles
occupy the far north-eastern tip of Lancashire. More relaxed than the neighbouring Lake
District, the Yorkshire Dales offers plenty of walking, caving, mine exploration and rock climbing
opportunities. Some of Britain's best caves are to be found here and the Pennine Way and Coast
to Coast Paths pass through the Dales, intersecting in Keld, Swaledale. Also featured here are
the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Forest of Bowland and Nidderdale.
The Northern Dales
The Northern Dales consist of Wensleydale and
Swaledale and the associated valleys of Bishopdale and Arkengarthdale. Wensleydale is a broad valley with many farms as is Bishopdale. Swaledale is more rustic with it's meadows and barns. Arkengarthdale is one of the more remote dales leading up to Britain's highest pub at Tan Hill. Extensive mining for lead and coal once took place in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. |
The Three Peaks Area & Settle
Dominated by the Three Peaks of
Yorkshire, Pen-
y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, the western part of the Yorkshire Dales also contains some of the finest and most extensive cave systems in the United Kingdom. The Settle & Carlisle Railway passes through this area on the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct. Ingleton, Clapham, White Scar Caves and Ingleborough Cave are well worth a visit. |
The Westmorland Dales
The town of Sedbergh was historically in the West
Riding of Yorkshire until the county boundary re-organisation of 1974 when it was transferred to the new county of Cumbria along with part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The Park was extended further into Cumbria in 2016 and now incudes Casterton Fell with it's extensive network of caves. along with much of the area to the east of the M6. |
Wharfedale & The East
The eastern part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
is dominated by Upper Wharfedale and the several dales that branch off it. To the west of Upper Wharfedale is Malhamdale, at the head of which is the impressive Malham Cove. This area is home to some of the most challenging and notorious caves and potholes in the country. For the less energetic Stump Cross Caverns is visitable by the tourist. |
Skipton,
Ilkley & The South
The town of Skipton on the southern edge of the
Yorkshire Dales is the gateway to the National Park. Worthy of inclusion here is Ilkley with it's famous moor and part of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal between Foulridge and Bingley. Also mentioned here is the friendly town of Barnoldswick. |
Nidderdale
Although outside the national park, Nidderdale is
worthy of inclusion in the Yorkshire Dales with it's reservoirs, picturesque villages, interesting geology and selection of caves and mines. Brimham Rocks, How Stean Gorge and Pateley Bridge are all worth a visit here. Nidderdale has several interesting caves as well as some mines. |
Caving in the Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is home to some of Great
Britain's
classic caves including the longest cave system in the British Isles. Several of them are open to the public as show caves. There are also a number of mines that can be explored here. |
 MAP OF THE YORKSHIRE DALES  |
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