Yorkshire Dales - which will you visit?
When we talk about the Yorkshire Dales, where do we really mean? No one agrees how many there are or where they are. The word 'dale' is old English, probably originating from the German word Tal or Nordic Dal, and essentially means a valley. Most of the Yorkshire Dales are named after their river e.g. River Swale = Swaledale.
So where do we mean when talk about the Yorkshire Dales? Get ready to be confused...
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is one part of the area, a huge expanse of land, covering almost 2180 square kilometres. Then there's the Nidderdale National Landscape, and all the other dales... Plenty of Dales wander outside these two areas with some uncertain boundaries, so the 'Yorkshire Dales' is a quite a fluid term...
There are also dales that are in Yorkshire (such as Rosedale, Glaisdale in the North York Moors National Park) but that are not 'Yorkshire Dales' - you can see why it gets complicated!
Here we're focusing on the dales in and around the Yorkshire Dales National Park such as Swaledale, Wensleydale, Wharfedale, Ribblesdal, Malhamdale and plenty of other lesser known dales. There are anything between 30 and 50 - discover some of them in the blogs below.
Wensleydale
Home of the famous cheese, attractive market towns and villages, Wensleydale is probably the best known of the Yorkshire Dales, but still has plenty of lesser known places to discover. Find out more
Wharfedale
Wharfedale runs from the north at Cray down to the south of the Yorkshire Dales National Park boundary and Skipton. It encompasses limestone hills, moorland, waterfalls, rivers and ancient woodland. Steep hills and rocky crags make Wharfedale popular with walkers. Explore Wharfedale
Ribblesdale
Ribblesdale is packed with the 'big names' of Yorkshire Dales attractions and activities. Many first-time visitors to the Yorkshire Dales come specially for the challenge of Yorkshire's Three Peaks - Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.
It's also easy to find spaces where you'll see very few people. Find the best places for you
Swaledale
James Herriot said of Swaledale 'On the empty moors, with the curlews crying, I have been able to find peace and tranquillity. It is a land of pure air, rocky streams and hidden waterfalls' and it's still true today. Discover Swaledale
Nidderdale
Nidderdale National Landscape (previously Nidderdale AONB) remains oddly unknown to many, so there are plenty of quiet corners to explore.
Nidderdale runs along River Nidd from Great Whernside towards the Vale of York, a wild gritstone landscape and moorland to the west and a pastoral landscape to the east. Explore Nidderdale
Sedbergh & Dentdale
Dentdale nestles between the Pennines to the east and the Howgill fells to the west, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Sedbergh is known as England's Book Town. Discover Dentdale & Sedbergh
