articles/Nature/twodaysinthedales-page1

Two Days in the Dales - part 1 of 1 2

by Paul Gallagher Published 01/10/2011

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is one of the places in very close reach to me but one which I hardly ever visit. It is difficult to put a finger on why that is, but it may have something to do with the amount of times I have got lost whilst driving through it! After all it does cover an area of 1,800 square kilometres with a vast 1,500 kilometres of footpaths and 620 kilometres of bridleways. The roads through its core are mainly small (B) roads that wind and turn, up hill and down dale.

This year I was determined to visit the area and force myself to see more of the place and also make more photographs of it. I was further reminded of this by our editor reporting to me that he was the official 'support vehicle' to his wife and friend who had undertaken the coast-to-coast walking challenge that passes through a large portion of the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see also the review of Joe Cornish's latest film in the 'Books' section of this issue).

Having studied the geology of the area at university, I knew what it had to offer. The Dales is a vast area of limestone that presents itself as some of the most impressive 'limestone pavements' in the world. As well as this there are valleys in which the water collects then passes through the limestone and creates fantastic river systems and some of the most impressive waterfalls (called Forces or Fosses) I have experienced to date in one small geographic area.

During my few days there I basically split the area into north and south. The north of the Dales has some of the prettiest waterfalls I have photographed, many of which are located around the area of Swaledale and the little collection in the immediate vicinity of the beautiful village of Keld are really something to behold. If you are ever in the area be sure to visit Wain Wath Force just outside the village, which is a series of small falls that run gracefully over plates of descending limestone, stained a yellowy-orange colour by the peat-laden water that cascades over them.

Directly from the Keld village car park you can take the small narrow path that begins in the centre of the village and descends towards into Kidson Force. You will arrive in a deep, narrow, river-cut valley that is lined with dense deciduous woodland and a series of falls that will please the landscape photographer for days if left to it! From here I travelled to Thwaite and passed the dale-side barns that are almost cliched by the amount of times they have been photographed to depict the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Having made my way over the wonderfully named 'Buttertubs Pass' I arrived at the tiny settlement of Hardraw, made famous by the stunning Hardraw Force with its impressive 100-foot drop from an arc-like cliff-top and which is actually set within the grounds of the ancient Green Dragon Inn.

• Two Days in the Dales page 1
  
• Two Days in the Dales page 2
  

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