Yorkshire Dales

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Location of the Yorkshire Dales within the Pennines
Characteristic of the Yorkshire Dales are the rocky, barren, open hill country and the parcels of land enclosed by dry stone walls. Near the valley is pasture land, further up there is moorland (left in the background and right at the top of the picture).

As Yorkshire Dales , locally the Dales , the river valleys in the central part of the Pennines mountain range in northern England are summarized. Together with the ridges between them, they form a rural, sparsely populated region in the northern English counties of North Yorkshire , West Yorkshire and Cumbria . The Yorkshire Dales in the strict sense are the valleys north of the River Wharfe .

Surname

The Dales get their name from the Danish word dale (= valley).

Most of the Dales are named after the river flowing through it (Swale → Swaledale) or vice versa (Deepdale → Deepdale Beck). The best- known exception is Wensleydale , which is named after the village of Wensley and is traversed by the River Ure .

geography

The dales are 'U' or 'V' shaped valleys, formed by glaciers especially from the most recent glacial period . The mountains consist for the most part of limestone types and show pronounced karst forms such as caves, gorges, river subsidence (the best known is Gaping Gill ) and extensive, furrowed rock surfaces.

The Dales area is cut by the main watershed of England, which corresponds to the ridge of the Pennines. Most of the Dales drain east to the North Sea , some west to the Irish Sea .

The landscape of the Dales is characterized by cattle pastures separated by dry stone walls . They provide nutritious grass and are mainly found in the valleys, while in the higher areas a type of vegetation known as moorland predominates: barren land overgrown with fern, hard grass and heather , in which numerous wild animals such as the red grouse find habitat, but also sheep become.

  • A small road through the “wild” moorland leads to the cultivated land further back.

  • Road through Littondale

  • Karst processes formed bizarre rifts between Swaledale and Wensleydale .

  • At Gunnerside Beck, a Swale tributary, lead ore was mined in open-cast mining ; the wide, bare scree fields are still there.

  • An extensive limestone plateau west of Ribblesdale. What looks like a scree field is actually a continuous rock.

  • Raised bog in the moorlands at the end of October, with Swale- and Arkengarthdale in the background.

  • Thornton Force, a 14 meter high waterfall on the Twiss River. The falls can be seen from the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.

history

Finds in numerous caves indicate prehistoric settlement in the Yorkshire Dales. Agriculture was also practiced in the Bronze Age . The Romans used some lead mines and built high-altitude trails through the Pennines .

Danish Vikings later left their linguistic legacy behind. For example, the word “ dale ” (originally “ dalr ”) goes back to the Vikings. In the Middle Ages, monastic orders gained influence and built numerous abbeys. They also established wool production. The demand for natural stone and marble led to an economic boom.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the region experienced a brief boom through lead ore mining in Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and Pateley Bridge. There was also a textile boom. Many huts set up their own looms and the whole family was involved in textile production. When modern industrial plants replaced this traditional method of production, many families emigrated, so that today only about 18,000 people live in the entire area.

tourism

The Yorkshire Dales are crossed by several long distance footpaths : Pennine Way , Coast to Coast Walk , Dales Way and Pennine Bridleway .

Numerous local hiking and biking trails are available for short trips. The Herriot Way leads through Wensleydale and Swaledale in the footsteps of the TV series The Doctor and the Dear Cattle . The Three Peaks Walk is a special challenge for mountain hikers.

National park

Location of the national park in northern England
The logo of the national park shows the mask of a Swaledale Sheep

In 1954, the Yorkshire Dales National Park was established on an area of ​​1,765 km² . Most of this national park is in North Yorkshire . In 2016 the park was expanded by around 260 km² or 24% of its old area. It now includes parts of the upper reaches of the River Lune , which lie in Cumbria and Lancashire . Areas northeast of Kirkby Lonsdale with the Leck Fell , the highest point in Lancashire, were included in the national park.

The national park does not include all of the Yorkshire Dales. For example, Nidderdale does not belong to it, but has been under a similar protection status as the AONB since 1994 .

The number of visitors is more than eight million each year.

Cultural references

In the Yorkshire Dales, the stories of the veterinarian and writer James Herriot take place , which also served as a template for the TV series The Doctor and the Dear Cattle . Almost all of the outdoor scenes in the TV series were actually shot in the Yorkshire Dales.

The American travel writer Bill Bryson lived in the Yorkshire Dales for a while and described them in his book Notes from a Small Island . Charlotte Link's novel "The Sisters' House" is also set in the Dales. This is how the Wensleydale is mentioned.

The TV series Shaun the Sheep is set in a characteristic Yorkshire landscape.

List of Dales

Side valleys are marked by arrows ↑ on their "Muttertal". Example: Cragdale joins Raydale, which in turn joins Wensleydale.

East side, draining to the North Sea, from north to south

Surname flow Localities
Teesdale River teas Barnard Castle, Mickleton, Middleton-in-Teesdale
↑ Deepdale Deepdale Beck
↑ Baldersdale River Balder Baldersdale
↑ Lunedale River Lune Grass spars
Swaledale River Swale Reeth, Gunnerside, Muker
↑ Arkengarthdale Arkle Beck Langthwaite
↑ East Stonesdale East Gill
↑ West Stonesdale Stonesdale Beck
↑ Whitsundale Whitsundale Beck
↑ Great Sled Dale Great Sleddale Beck
↑ Birkdale Birkdale Beck
Wensleydale River Ure Leyburn, Wensley, Askrigg, Hawes
↑ Colsterdale River Burn Colsterdale
↑ Coverdale River cover Coverham, Carlton, Horsehouse
↑ Apedale Apedale Beck Redmire
↑ Bishopdale Bishopdale Beck Thoralby
↑ Walden Dale Walden Beck West Burton
↑ Raydale Raydale Beck / River Bain Bainbridge, Countersett
↑ Cragdale Cragdale Water Stalling Busk
↑ Bardale Bardale Beck Marsett
↑ Sleddale Duerley Beck / Gayle Beck Gayle
↑ Fossdale Hardraw Beck Hardraw
↑ Widdale Widdale Beck
↑ Cotterdale Cotterdale Beck
Nidderdale River Nidd Pateley Bridge, Lofthouse, Middlesmoor
Wharfedale River Wharfe Otley, Ilkley, Threshfield, Kettlewell
↑ Washburndale Washburn Blubberhouses
↑ Mossdale Mossdale Beck
↑ Littondale River Skirfare Arncliffe, Litton
↑ Langstrothdale River Wharfe (upper reaches) Yockenthwaite
Airedale River Aire Keighley, Skipton
↑ Malhamdale River Aire (upper reaches) Malham

West side, draining to the Irish Sea, from north to south

Surname flow Localities
Uldale River Rawthey (upper course)
Garsdale Clough River Garsdale Station
↑ Grisedale Grisedale Beck
Dentdale River Dee Gawthrop, Cowside
At the top is England's highest train station, Dent Station
↑ Deepdale Deepdale Beck
Barbondale Barbon Beck Barbon
Lonsdale River Greta Burton-in-Lonsdale, Ingleton
↑ Kingsdale Kingsdale Beck
↑ Twisleton Dale River Doe
Crummackdale Austwick Beck (upper course)
Ribblesdale River Ribble Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale
↑ Silverdale

Attractions

Bolton Castle

Web links

Commons : Yorkshire Dales  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/geology.html , accessed November 16, 2013
  2. ↑ Helen Pidd, Yorkshire Dales expand into Lancashire in national parks land grab , in: The Guardian, August 1, 2016, accessed August 20, 2016
  3. ↑ http://www.dentstation.co.uk/ , accessed March 25, 2014

Coordinates: 54 ° 16 ′  N , 2 ° 5 ′  W