Wensleydale (landscape)
Wensleydale is a river valley in North Yorkshire , Northern England , and one of the Yorkshire Dales . The River Ure flows through it and is popular as a holiday region due to its pronounced rural character. The Wensleydale cheese produced here is marketed nationwide.
description
Wensleydale is a wide trough valley that descends from the main ridge of the Pennines east to the Vale of Mowbray . The actual valley extends from Hawes as the crow flies 30 km to Middleham , where the Ure turns south and flows towards the village of Masham . The slightly hilly valley floor between the bordering slopes is almost everywhere 800 to 1300 meters wide and offers plenty of space for usable areas, settlements and traffic routes. Most of the valley is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park .
The highest point of the Wensleydale is the 716 m high Great Shunner Fell north of Hawes, the third highest point of Yorkshire. The height of the valley floor drops from about 230 m at Hawes to 76 m at Masham.
The valley was named after the village of Wensley at the eastern end of the valley. This makes Wensleydale one of the few Yorkshire Dales that is not named after its main river. However, the name Yoredale was also used earlier .
While the valley course has only small branches on the north side, there are significant side valleys several kilometers long on the south side: Widdale and Sleddale flow at Hawes, Raydale near Bainbridge, Bishopdale near Aysgarth and Coverdale near Middleham. In Raydale is Semer Water , a natural lake with limited water sports.
traffic
Road traffic
The length of the A684 runs through Wensleydale, which is connected to the A1 in the east at Leeming and continues to the west through Garsdale to the M6 and Kendal .
At the western end of the valley, the Buttertubs Pass provides a connection to Swaledale , neighboring to the north , and a road runs through Widdale to the southwest to Ribblehead . Roads to southern Wharfedale run through Bishopdale and Coverdale .
Rail transport
The historic Wensleydale Railway formed a continuous route through the valley and connected Northallerton (connection to the East Coast Main Line ) with Garsdale (connection to the Settle – Carlisle railway ), crossing the main ridge of the Pennines just before Garsdale station. It was built from 1848 and completed in 1878. In 1954, passenger traffic was discontinued, the track structure was partially dismantled and the remaining route was operated as a pure freight railway until 1992. Since 2003, passenger traffic has been taking place again as a museum railway , partly with steam locomotives . The section of the route not dismantled was reopened in full from Northallerton (West) to Redmire by 2014.
economy
Besides tourism, livestock and dairy farming are the main industries in what is now Wensleydale. In the eastern part there is a large limestone quarry, Wensley Limestone Quarry .
The well-known and nationally marketed Wensleydale cheese, which has developed into an important branch of the economy, is produced in the Wensleydale Creamery cheese factory in Hawes . The dairy has a visitor center, a tasting room for all regional cheeses and a museum about the history of cheese production. The trademark is protected throughout Europe.
Two nationally important breweries are located in the village of Masham: the Black Sheep Brewery and T&R Theakston .
Culture
The village of Askrigg , located in the middle of the valley, became famous for being the location of the veterinary practice in the TV series The Doctor and the Dear Cattle . Other locations in the series are also in Wensleydale and its side valleys.
The Aysgarth Falls are a tourist attraction with its own visitor center. They were set in the film Robin Hood - King of Thieves .
tourism
The rural character of the quiet valley has given rise to a gentle tourism economy. Attractions such as Aysgarth Falls or Wensleydale Creamery have their own visitor centers. Several villages have set up local museums, there are many inns, private accommodation and some campsites. Bird watchers and anglers love to visit the intact natural landscape.
Marked hiking trails criss-cross Wensleydale. The Pennine Way , England's longest long-distance footpath , runs north-south through Hawes and over the Great Shunner Fell.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.lakesemerwater.co.uk/watersports.php , accessed August 16, 2016
- ^ Website of the operator , accessed on August 16, 2016
- ↑ http://www.aditnow.co.uk/Mines/Wensley-Limestone-Quarry_17483/ , accessed August 16, 2016
- ^ The Telegraph , accessed August 16, 2016
- ^ Website of the center , accessed on August 16, 2016
- ^ The Guardian , accessed August 16, 2016
- ^ Website of the village , accessed on August 16, 2016
- ^ The Northern Echo, March 24, 2013 , accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/aysgarth-falls.html , accessed August 16, 2016
- ^ Local history . Retrieved December 30, 2010.