Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is a sweeping upland landscape of green valleys, heather moorland and dramatic limestone scenery stretching across northern England. The name 'dales' simply means valleys, and each of the principal dales takes its name from the river that carved it, including Wensleydale, Swaledale, Wharfedale, Ribblesdale and Malhamdale. The result is a patchwork of pastoral farmland traced by drystone walls and stone field barns, rising to open fells above.

The geology is what gives the Dales their distinctive character. Pale Carboniferous limestone produces features such as the curving cliff and pavement at Malham Cove, the deep gorge of Gordale Scar, and underground cave systems at Ingleborough and Stump Cross. The Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside form a classic long-distance walking challenge crossing the western dales.

The region is also rich in cultural heritage, from the ruins of Bolton Priory and Jervaulx Abbey to working market towns such as Hawes, home of Wensleydale cheese, Grassington and Settle. The famous Settle to Carlisle railway sweeps across the high ground via the Ribblehead Viaduct, offering one of the most scenic train journeys in Britain and an excellent way to reach the heart of the Dales without a car.