Out and About: Yorkshire Dales National Park

05Jun
by Cherryl

Yorkshire is fortunate enough to have three national parks to its name, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales. Come to think of it, The Peak District and Lake District are not too far away either….that’s a lot of national parks in the north of the UK.

Yorkshire Dales

I had a lovely day out  in the Yorkshire Dales recently, so it’s only right that I share some of my snaps and insights before they get lost in the memory card abyss.

As you’d expect, being in the heart of the countryside, the Dales offer peace, nature, fresh air, beautiful landscapes, valleys and rural villages. The more northern parts offer more remote moorland.

‘Preserve and protect’ – that’s the tagline underpinning the way of life in the Dales, with great efforts to try and keep it as close to it’s natural rhythms and form as possible. Vikings, Romans and Anglo Saxons are known to have lived and roamed the Yorkshire Dales.

Back in those days, a journey from London to York would have taken around two weeks by horse and carriage, until the canal networks began.

The Yorkshire Dales were shaped and formed by melting glacier ice, glacial valleys, left over from the ice age.

The Yorkshire Dales trademark dry stone walls have given many vehicles a good beating apparently – very tough! These walls last around 100 years before the need replacing.

Danger

Due to bad weather, you’ll find some roads in the Dales are closed over December/January, but it’s not just bad weather you need to worry about!

We all know that country roads can be hazardous for drivers – for a number of reasons, but did you know, that a major danger is a pheasant! Yes the feathered kind, that holds an unfortunate reputation for being a really ‘stupid bird with no sense’. Why? Because they literally put themselves in the line of danger with no attempt to avert – you might say they have a death wish.

Apparently pheasants just run out into oncoming traffic and if you knock one over – ‘no you can’t’  take them home and eat the meat if you kill one, that’s illegal, just in case you were getting any bright ideas!

Thankfully no pheasants were harmed in the making of this clip:

https://cherrylsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Pheasant-Yorkshire-Dales-Cherrylsblog.com-.mp4?_=1

Sweet tooth?

It is claimed that the oldest sweet shop in the world in Nidderdale – opened in 1827. It felt very nostalgic and retro in there – and they even have an old fashioned till the makes a big ‘ding’ sound when it opens/closes. I didn’t buy any sweets though, I bought some biscuits instead since I wanted a nice colourful tin to keep afterwards.

Nidderdale

Anyone else have a maze in their garden?

Wensleydale in Hawes

With a modest population of under 900 people, Wensleydale is known to be the largest and most scenic of all the dales in the national park.

The creamery is also a very popular tourist attraction, where you can see dairy products being made and sample some of it’s famous cheeses.

Stuck in traffic!

https://cherrylsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Traffic-in-Wensleydale-Cherrylsblog.com-.mp4?_=2

 

Spotted: vintage car

🤔

There were quite a few antique type shops in this village, including this one.

With a proper Yorkshire title, love that!

The lady running the shop explained that everything in it is courtesy of her husband’s magpie behaviour. From the day she met him he was always bringing random things home – she said one day he went out to buy some chickens and came home with two donkeys!!! Just a typical day.

Anyway, the accumulation of ‘things’ eventually turned into a business idea and they opened this shop. And of course her husband still continues to gather interesting finds to bring home and to the shop.

Everyone brings joy to this office….😆

Sheep are said to be very intelligent animals

February to May is lambing season, and by all accounts – it’s been a very good lambing year this year – there were lots of lambs in the fields.

Below are bits of organic wool from nearby sheep – must have blown over in the breeze!

Some of the cows in the Dales have been nicknamed ‘Oreo Cows’ (aka Belted Galloways) – these are from Ireland and have a stripy look that reminds people of the biscuits:

https://cherrylsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Oreo-Cows-Yorkshire-Dales-Cherrylsblog.com_.mp4?_=3

 

kettlewell

Kettlewell is known for being peaceful, quite – and not too touristy.

Bloomin’ lovely!

St Mary’s Church, Kettlewell

A few other random nuggets of Yorkshire Dales info:

  • Approximately 60,000 people live in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
  • McDonalds, Starbucks, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the like are forbidden in the Dales – again, in the name of preserving and protecting the natural appearance and landscape of the park. I heard that the Co-Op Supermarket has a presence somewhere though
  • In the same vein, you won’t see any wind turbines in the Dales
  • “There is a species of bat (the brown long eared bat) seen in the Dales that has ears three quarters the length of it’s head and body”

A lot of people get lost hiking in the hills. Mobile phone signals are not reliable and if you are venturing out alone you’re advised to carry maps and a compass.

Barns cannot be knocked down – in the spirit of preserving the natural beauty and landscape of the Dales. They can however, be restored or converted into holiday homes, or simply left derelict

I heard that there were fire alerts for the North Yorkshire Moors as early as April this year, and there had already been quite a few fires, which you don’t normally see until July – but due to a lack of rain and the ground being consistently dry this spring – the fires started (not sure about the Dales).

Deforestation in some parts of the Yorkshire Dales is helped by high acidity in the area – many trees never grew back.

https://cherrylsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Yorkshire-Dales-Clip-Cherrylsblog.com_.mp4?_=4

Have a lovely week ahead, whatever you’re up to 🤗 🔆

27 thoughts on “Out and About: Yorkshire Dales National Park”

  1. Linda K – Vancouver – I'm an amateur photographer who loves to travel near and far, hike, bike and garden.

    Linda K

    So gorgeous! Another place high on my list of must sees next time we visit England. We get the All Creatures series here and the views of the landscapes are beyond beautiful. All those quaint villages with shops and pubs! I love that they exclude big brand stores there! We don’t need anymore of those.

    Reply
    1. Cherryl – UK – This and that, an all rounder!! If it amuses, entertains, inspires or proves useful to just one person then it's doing its job! God bless x 💛🔆🌴🎨🌼✈️

      Cherryl

      It’s a delightful contrast to other parts of the UK, and we absolutely do not need any more big brands – more nature and independent business’ pls ….that said, so many big brand stores are closing down up and down the UK, one after the other, so there’s certainly a shift taking place with that.

      Reply

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  4. Clazz - An Orcadian Abroad – Orkney, Scotland – A Scottish island girl in search of the world's adventures. Join me around the world on my blog and on Facebook (@anorcadianabroad), Twitter (@orcadianabroad) & Instagram (@anorcadianabroad)!

    Clazz - An Orcadian Abroad

    Lovely photos!! You had me at Wensleydale cheese – the one with cranberries is my favourite! Yum yum. Yorkshire is one area I’d like to see more of, I’ve loved every visit so far.

    Reply
  6. katelon – I had been a wellness trainer, therapist, consultant and coach for 40 years, trained in 16 therapies from massage and reflexology to hypnotherapy and NLP, to past life regression and various spiritual therapies. I did my work in person and long distance. I also offered workshops to companies in wellness, stress release, diversity, team building, communication and more. My deepest dream is to create wellness centers all over the world, for not only individual wellness but environmental, family, business, community, and international wellness, along with connecting us with other light citizens of the Universe. I envision a world of peace, harmony and cooperation. I am available as a consultant to work with the creation of wellness centers and eco-villages and often refer others to various wellness centers and resorts in the area of their preference. My present focus is on daily sessions, with a work partner, to shut down the dark control structure and timeline and help usher in a new timeline of Oneness, abundance, peace, and a world that supports the greater good for all, including the planet. It is time to be free of the enslavement and war against this planet and humanity.

    katelon

    What a lovely place. I love your personal tidbits shared, along with photos and descriptions!

    Thanks for following my blog and introducing me to yours.

    Reply
  7. cindy knoke – https://cindyknoke.com/ I retired early after 27 years as a psychotherapist/mental health director (Cindy Barton LCSW) and moved to the outer limits of no-wheres-ville to a home I call "The Holler." My closest neighbors are coyotes (packs and packs of them and they are HUNGRY), rattlers (lots and lots of them and they are MEAN), and free range cows/bulls (the bulls aren't too friendly either!) Forget cell phones. They don't work out here. Forget GPS, it misdirects. It's best not to wander too much out here, the people (and their dogs) are kinda twitchy. To reach The Holler you turn right at the reeking chicken farm, down a bunch of pot-holed semi-streets/dirt roads, past the abandoned refrigerators and occupied old RV’s and then things get kinda dicey. My friends usual reaction to the trip to The Holler is, “You’ve got to be kidding!” Or, “Next time let’s meet half way.” This is our little bit of heavenly Appalachia right here in rural California. I blog about traveling, photography, Holler happenings, and anything else that strikes my fancy. Stop by the blog and take a peek. It’s safe. I promise. Cheers, Cindy~ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    cindy knoke

    Love everything, especially the MG, and the “Beware of Cat.”

    Reply
  8. Cherryl – UK – This and that, an all rounder!! If it amuses, entertains, inspires or proves useful to just one person then it's doing its job! God bless x 💛🔆🌴🎨🌼✈️

    Cherryl

    Yes, the pheasants are beautiful birds, despite their risky behaviour, perhaps they’re just ‘overly confident’ lol, it was interesting to hear about this. I’d love to visit the Lake District again, I had a holiday there as a young child but can’t really remember much of it.

    Aww bless you Ellie, I’m chuffed you enjoy the blog – it’s doing something right then lol ✨ 🙏

    Please take it easy, I hope you’re feeling better 💛 there’s no need to apologise, reading blogs shouldn’t feel like a duty and leaving comments isn’t a must – I’m not the best at keeping up with posts myself, I follow a high number of blogs so it’s not always realistic, esp when some people post multiple time per week, but I do try and have a regular blog binge and play catch up – sometimes it’s more enjoyable that way as well….I’m binging today! 🤗 x
    Take care

    Reply
  9. Ellie Carpenter – United Kingdom – Writing my memoirs, musings, a little fiction and a lot of poetry as a way of exploring and making the most of my life ... ... Having had a break from writing my blog for more than three years, I decided to return to write my memoirs, some day-to-day observations, views and feelings. My passion is non-fiction poetry. I have a disability and use an electric powerchair called Alfie and let nothing get in the way of living life to the full. I believe that you can never do a kindness too soon and should give credit where credit is due. A smile or a kind word could make the difference between a good or bad day for a person - we never know what's going on for another soul. Those little things, perhaps, practised daily like a mantra, could mean so much to someone else. Thank you for visiting my blog and reading a little more about me. Please, make yourself at home here. You are very welcome. Ellie x 😊

    Ellie Thompson

    What a glorious place you live in, Cherryl. Coming from a city, I’m quite envious. I love all the photos in your posts – they really bring to life all the places I’m never likely to be able to visit. Reading this is just like going along on a road trip with you. I’m so glad to have seen all your images – they really bring your writing and beautiful descriptions to life. The sweet shop is lovely, so quaint. I love all the jars of old-fashioned sweets, just like we had when I was very young. I’ve learned something I didn’t know about pheasants having read this. I had no idea they were ‘lacking some mental capacity.’ I don’t drive, but I’d hate to have a collision with one of them. They’re rather beautiful, though. I’d be heartbroken, as I love wildlife of all sorts and would hate to kill anything, even unintentionally. Mind you, I’m sure the same goes for most people. I’ve only been up your way once, and that was about 25 years ago when I went with my ex-husband to the Lake District. I remember how gorgeous it was, but sadly, little else.

    Sorry it’s taken me so long to be able to read this post – I haven’t been well for the last few days and have got all behind in reading others’ posts. I so enjoy yours as it’s like a breath of fresh air. Thanks for sharing, Cherryl. Xx 💐

    Reply

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  11. Sheila Landry Designs – Meteghan River, Nova Scotia, Canada – I am an artist and designer of decorative painting patterns, woodworking patterns, needlework and embroidery kits and patterns, and original artwork. My Painting and Wood Surfaces for Decorative Painting is at my "Tole Painting Designs" Website My partner Keith Fenton and I sell our scroll saw patterns at our Scroll Saw Pattern website: "Sheila Landry Designs" My needlework patterns and supplies are available at my Etsy shop: "The Stitching Kitty"

    Sheila Landry Designs

    I certainly enjoy your posts. They are like history lessons and scenic tours all rolled into one. I wait until I can relax and enjoy reading them and going through the photos. What beautiful villages and countryside you have shown! Thanks for that! 🙂

    Reply
  15. shazza – My name is Shazza and I live in a small town in North west England with my boyfriend and our black lab Hugo and black cat Slinky. I work in a supermarket full time and in my spare time i enjoy reading,film,food( mostly eating it,I am a terrible cook!),taking photos,travel,camping,wildlife,spending time with my mates and hunting in car boots and charity shops for vintage teacups.This blog is hopefully going to be a collection of my fave things and musings on life,the universe and everything.Xx

    shazza

    The Yorkshire Dales are especially beautiful and you have captured them very well. I once spent Christmas in a cottage in Kettlewell, was very relaxing. 🙂

    Reply

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  18. Awakening Wonders – Everyday life is filled with wondrous things and embraceable moments, but only if we allow ourselves to be fully awakened. I invite you to join me as I share passionate life adventures and ramblings that awaken my spirit. I look forward to awakening your senses to the simple, joyous wonders that are all around us. I feel that we are destined to become soulful adventurers!

    Awakening Wonders

    What a beautiful place for a grand adventure. And I loved your written commentary through out!

    Reply

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