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The Yorkshire Dales
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You may view the information for ALL the towns and villages
in The Yorkshire Dales (the page may be very large)
or
You can view your
preferred location from the list on the left.
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Occupying a lonely position in
the Dales, Arncliffe, or ‘eagle cliff’, sparked
the imagination of Charles Kingsley, inspiring him
to pen his famous fantasy ‘The Water Babies’.
The restored 12th century church stands by a
bridge over the river Skirfare and nearby are the
more remote villages of Litton and Halton Gill.
The TV soap opera ‘Emmerdale’ was originally set
here, taking its title from ‘Amerdale’, a previous
name for Littondale. |
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Arncliffe -
Photo:
Gordon Hatton
CCL |
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Askrigg - Photo:
Gordon Hatton
CCL |
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Just over 20 miles from
Richmond in picturesque Wensleydale, the market
town of Askrigg (or ash ridge) is famous as the
setting for the much-loved television series ‘All
Creatures Great and Small’ about a fictitious
country vet, James Herriott.
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The series was based on the
novels of a real-life veterinary surgeon, Alf
Wright, who worked in Thirsk.
Cringley House
doubled as Herriott’s home in the BBC series.
Beyond lies internationally important bog and
heathland.
A short walk leads to the waterfall of Mill Gill
Force. |
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Gill Force Askrigg -
Photo:
Chris Cox
CCL |
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Austwick from Oxenber -
Photo:
Mike Clarke
CCL |
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Close to the village of
Clapham, Austwick sits among some of the finest
limestone scenery in North Yorkshire.
Huge grit boulders brought here by a glacier over
12,000 years ago now stand on stone pedestals.
Thanks to an old legend, the village is known as
‘Cuckoo Town’ and models of the bird can be seen
each year at an annual outdoor market.
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A short journey from this
pretty village takes the visitor to one of the
most remarkable attractions in the Dales –
Aysgarth Falls on the River Ure in Wensleydale.
Three beautiful waterfalls are set within
magnificent woodland, a scene immortalised for the
cinema by Kevin Costner in his movie ‘Robin Hood
Prince of Thieves’. |
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Aysgarth Upper Falls -
Photo:
Edward Nicholl
CCL |
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Bolton Castle near Aysgarth -
Photo:
Steve Partridge
CCL |
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The remains of 14th century
Castle Bolton lie nearby.
Mary Queen of Scots was held captive in the castle
for six months.
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Steeped in history, the
village of Bainbridge once stood at the heart of
the immense Forest of Wensleydale and a hunting
horn is still blown each evening as part of a
700-year tradition to guide travellers to safety. |
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River Bain Bainbridge -
Photo:
Hugh Mortimer
CCL |
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Stocks in Bainbridge -
Photo:
Chris Heaton
CCL |
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Although a set of stocks await
those who might transgress such hospitality.
Nearby Brough Hill was once crowned with a Roman
fort.
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History abounds in this small
town which has had a market since the 13th
century.
The local church, which also dates back to the
13th century, is one of the finest in North
Yorkshire. |
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St. Gregory's Church Bedale -
Photo:
Bill Henderson
CCL |
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Cross & Castle Snape Bedale -
Photo:
Gordon Hatton
CCL |
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Snape Castle has medieval
origins and was once home to Catherine Parr, the
last wife of Henry V111.
Nearby is Crakehall Watermill and the glorious,
85-acre Thorp Perrow Aboretum.
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The beautiful ruins of 12th
century Bolton Abbey mix with waterfalls and
meadows to provide an atmospheric setting, which
inspired the great 19th century artist Turner to
capture it on canvas.
The nave of the priory has been turned into the
parish church while the grounds are part of a
magnificent estate owned by the Duke and Duchess
of Devonshire. |
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Bolton Abbey ruins -
Photo:
David Bennbennick
CCL |
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Barden Tower Bolton Abbey -
Photo:
rozinante
CCL |
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Wordsworth based his poem ‘The
White Doe of Rylstone’ (1815) on a local legend.
Two miles from the village is the ruin of 15th
century Barden Tower above an old humpbacked
bridge.
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This Wharfedale village, which
lies at the entrance to Langstrothdale, started
life as a group of humble huts used by foresters
to help them control a wildwood forest on behalf
of their Norman employers. |
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Buck Inn Buckden -
Photo:
Andy Beecroft
CCL |
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Sheep on Buckden Out Moor -
Photo:
Alex Cameron
CCL |
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But in the 18th century it
suddenly prospered thanks to lead mining.
It still looks splendid and its many natural
attractions include Buckden Pike, which soars to
more than 2000ft.
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Often described as the
prettiest village in the whole of England,
Burnsall lies on the banks of the River Wharfe
beneath Barden Moor.
Nearby are cultivated terraces created over 1,000
years ago.
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St. Wilfrid's Church Burnsall -
Photo:
Stephen Craven
CCL |
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Burnsall Bridge - Photo:
John Illingworth
CCL |
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St Wilfrid’s Church dates from
the 12th century and Burnsall Bridge - restored by
the philanthropist Sir William Craven in the 16th
century - is one of the most beautiful bridges in
the Dales.
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This delightful town with its
tinkling brook and pretty church is best known for
its military camp established before the First
World War at the suggestion of Lord Baden-Powell. |
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Catterick Village - Photo:
Oliver Dixon
CCL |
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St. Annes Church Catterick -
Photo:
Alison Stamp
CCL |
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Nearby are the remains of
another army camp – the Roman’s Cataractonium,
proving it had previously witnessed war.
Indeed, during the 7th century a band of British
warriors were decimated at the Battle of Catterick
by Anglo-Saxons.
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A picturesque stream runs
amiably through this small village, adding a
bygone quality to an already-charming destination.
The Old Manor House dates to 1701 but was
transformed during the 19th century into a
recreation centre for local people.
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Clapham Manor House -
Photo:
John Illingworth
CCL |
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Sword of Damocles Ingleborough Cave Clapham - Photo:
Val Vannet
CCL |
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From Clapham a path leads to Ingleborough Hall and
reaches Ingleborough Cave with its spectacular
passageways.
A mile further on is Gaping Gill, the outlet of
this cave system and North Yorkshire’s most
dramatic pothole.
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Gaping Gill Clapham - Photo:
Bob Smith
CCL |
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The area used to be part of an Iron Age
kingdom known as Brigantia.
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Embsay Station -
Photo:
Richard Thomson
CCL |
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A railway station in this
small village is the location of the famous Embsay
and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, which was
originally opened in 1888 to link Skipton and
Ilkley.
Trains run on the four-and-a- half-mile track to
Bolton Abbey.
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An Augustinian priory was
founded here in 1130 but the monks soon moved to
Bolton Priory.
Nearby is rugged Embsay Crag and Embsay Moor. |
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Embsay Crag - Photo:
Chris Heaton
CCL |
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Grassington -
Photo:
Dr. Neil Clifton
CCL |
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This is the premier village in
Upper Wharfedale and one of the National Park’s
tourist hotspots.
Although it was once a key centre for lead mining
it has retained a bucolic charm and boasts a
medieval bridge spanning the river and a cobbled
market square.
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Grassington Moor possesses
fascinating reminders of the lead mining industry
while Lea Green has prehistoric and medieval field
systems as well as other features.
The village is also home to the Upper Wharfedale
Folk Museum. |
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Grassington Bridge - Photo:
Chris Heaton
CCL |
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Stump Cross Caverns Greenhow -
Photo:
Paul Allison
CCL |
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Visitors flock here to see one
of the biggest attractions of the Dales, the
500,000-year-old Stump Cross Caverns and their
wondrous collections of stalagmites and
stalactites.
A visitor centre displays many remains of animals
that have been found here.
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With an intriguing Norman
church and an old three-arched bridge, this Dales
village is within walking distance of majestic
views over the rolling hills of picturesque
Swaledale. |
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Grinton The Church of St. Augustine -
Photo:
Bill Henderson
CCL |
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Marrick Priory near Grinton -
Photo:
Ken Crosby
CCL |
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During the Middle Ages the
dead were brought in wicker biers to Grinton from
all parts of the dale to be laid to rest at its
large church known as the ‘Cathedral of the
Dales’.
Nearby stands the ruin of 12th century Marrick
Priory, a former house for Benedictine nuns.
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At 800 feet above sea level,
Hawes is the highest market town in Yorkshire and
Upper Wensleydale’s most important settlement.
Noted for its regular sales of sheep and cattle,
the town is surrounded by dramatic limestone fells
and at one time was a key centre for both lead
mining and limestone quarrying. |
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Hawes - Photo:
Richard Slessor
CCL |
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Hawes - Photo:
Ken Walton
CCL |
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In the 21st century it is more
famous for the manufacture of crumbly Wensleydale
cheese - the favourite snack of those comic
northern characters Wallace and Gromitt. |
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Exhibitions at the Dales
Countryside Museum are genuine crowd-pleasers and
not far from here is the delicate Cotter Force
waterfall.
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Cotter Force Hawes -
Photo:
Stephen Charles
CCL |
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Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station -
Photo:
Wilson Adams
CCL |
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Although the remains of old quarry workings dot
the sides of nearby fells, this village is one of
the most inspiring in the Dales.
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It lies beside the famous Settle-Carlisle railway
line and is overshadowed by the so-called Three
Peaks of Whernside, Pen-y Ghent and Ingleborough
while huge potholes such as Hunt Pot and Hull Pot
lurk menacingly beneath the landscape.
It’s no wonder that geologists are drawn here to
study local rock formations.
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Pen-y-Ghent Horton-in-Ribblesdale -
Photo:
Michael Parry
CCL |
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Ribblehead Viaduct Horton-in-Ribblesdale - Photo:
Richard Slessor
CCL
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One of the biggest local attractions, however, is
man made - the spectacular Ribblehead Viaduct has
24 arches and rises more than 160 feet. |
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This small village with its National Trust museum
nestles in Upper Wharfedale at the entrance to
Langstrothdale and boasts a small church with a
rare medieval rood screen.
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St. Michael & All Angels Church Hubberholme -
Photo:
Chris Eccleston
CCL |
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A nosey sheep near Hubberholme -
Photo:
Steve Partridge
CCL |
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Above and beyond the village are a handful of
summits topping 2,000ft, including the great
Buckden Pike.
Each year a local pub plays host to the
‘Hubberholme Parliament’ where the vicar auctions
grazing rights for a 16-acre field as part of a
tradition dating back to the 11th century. |
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A hugely popular tourist haunt, Ingleton lies
close to the distinctive glacial valley known as
Ingleborough Hill.
An astonishing limestone terrace sits at the
summit of the Hill and just below it is Gaping
Gill, a limestone cave so large it could easily
accommodate York Minster. |
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Ingleton - Photo:
Ben Gamble
CCL |
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Gaping Gill Ingleton -
Photo:
Steve Partridge
CCL |
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Water cascades 365 feet to the floor below.
Nearby is Britain’s longest show cave, White Scar,
replete with waterfalls, stalagmites and
stalactites. |
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The highest village in Swaledale, Keld has a
glorious history dating back at least to the
Viking invasions.
It is surrounded by steep and mysterious fells and
was an important centre for lead mining in the
19th century. |
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Keld - Photo:
Carl Bendelow
CCL |
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Kisdon Force near Keld -
Photo:
Gordon Hatton
CCL |
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A rambler’s paradise, Keld is where the Pennine
Way crosses the Coast to Coast footpath.
Nearby are limestone cliffs and a number of
waterfalls, including Kisdon Force, Wain Wrath
Force and Catrake Force. |
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Although this typically pretty village in Upper
Wharfedale owes its name to the Anglo Saxons, its
long history dates back at least to the Dark Ages. |
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