The Dales, landscape and weather

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is situated in Northern England and forms a part of the Pennine range of hills, which are widely known as the "backbone of England". The area is characterised by upland areas known generally as "fells" and the dales themselves, valleys cut into the hills by glaciers in the last ice age and more recently by streams and rivers (known widely as "becks" in Yorkshire).

The landscape has been influenced for hundreds of years by human actions. The most obvious of these have been the clearance of the primeval forests which used to cover the entire region, and the building of distinctive dry stone walls to mark field boundaries. The superposition of these human actions on the Dales has created a unique landscape, sometimes conventionally beautiful and sometimes wild and bleak. Daleswalk holidays sample the best of all that the Dales have to offer.

The climate of the Dales is somewhat variable. Good weather is not guaranteed in the summer, but spells of beautifully sunny weather can occur at any time of the year. As an upland area the region has a fair amount of rainfall, but the conditions are generally changeable and an initially unpromising morning can give way to a warm and sunny afternoon. At Daleswalk we do not take any pleasure in heading into high exposed areas in bad weather conditions, and the day's route will be varied or changed in the event of inclement weather. There are always lowland alternatives, and in particular rivers and waterfalls can be spectacular sites during or after rainfall.

An atmospheric shot of Attermire Scars near Settle, Yorkshire Dales
Photo courtesy of Phil Reddell – thanks Phil!

Malham Cove at sunset
Photo by Mark Butler www.yorkshiredalesphotography.co.uk