Outdoors & Landscapes

Do you have a favourite waterfall? We should almost be grateful to the rain, since it makes them so spectacular... Here are a few waterfalls you may already love? Which others do you like to visit?

- Stainforth Foss/Force: a picturesque waterfall where Atlantic salmon gather each Autumn and leap the falls on their way upstream to spawn

- Janet’s Foss: a small and pretty waterfall near Malham

- Ingleton waterfalls: a trail takes in a series of lovely waterfalls

- Catrigg Force: a hidden gem located i…

Ever noticed random humpty-dumpty little hills in the Yorkshire Dales or the remains of curious stone buildings scattered in remote areas?

Wandering through the peaceful Yorkshire Dales, it's hard to imagine that the area was once a much more industrial landscape, with extensive lead mines. There are lead ore deposits between Nidderdale and Wharfedale and in Arkengarthdale, Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Moulded blocks of lead have been found in the Yorkshire Dales dating back as far as Roman times, w…

7 reasons why Hawes is a great starting point for a visit to the Yorkshire Dales.

1. It's a sizeable market town and yet every single shop is still independently owned. It makes a great base for further exploration of the Dales.

2. Hawes' most famous attraction is Wensleydale Creamery where you can see Wensleydale cheese being made and of course sample the finished product.

3. The Dales Countryside Museum shares the stories of Dales people and places. Run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Author…

You may recognise this place? It's a tiny hamlet packed with interest, right in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. Perhaps you've seen it on TV, or walked through it?

It's Yockenthwaite, which features as Helen Alderson's family home in the TV series of James Herriot's All Creatures Great & Small. It's by the river Wharfe in lovely Langstrothdale.

There are some beautiful walks through Yockenthwaite, including the Dales Way, and other shorter routes towards Cray or onwards to the historic and very…

I quite often tell visitors this fact and they don't believe me, until they start to look closer... we have some of the greenest grass here in the Yorkshire Dales... ​It's thanks to a unique combination of soil, limestone, the light, wind, rain, sheep droppings and other Yorkshire Dales magic.

Large swathes of land remain relatively undisturbed so they're rarely crushed and trampled underfoot. None of the grass is mown too low - usually, it's the sheep doing the mowing.

Dales grass stays green alm…

What links wet feet, The Cure, Wordsworth, Scottish Raiders and the Yorkshire Dales? Have you been to this place and stayed dry?

Is it possible to cross the 60 stepping stones across the River Wharfe without smiling and then cheering as you arrive (possibly) dry-footed at the other side?

Those who choose the less risky route on the nearby foot bridge can't help but look down and smile at the stepping stone crossers, usually with a wry 'they're mad' shake of the head.

It's incredible to realise the …

Mooker, Muck-er, mew-ker... However you say it, Muker* in Swaledale is a tiny place, much-loved and especially popular with walkers and photographers. Muker is beautiful all year round but it's particularly wonderful in June when the wildflower meadows are in full flower. Make sure you stick to the paths - there are flagstoned paths in some of the fields so you can get closer to admire the myriad varieties of wildflowers.

Over recent years the hay meadows have become even more precious. Farmers a…

Imagine digging Britain’s longest canal by hand. At 127.25 miles long, the Leeds Liverpool Canal took thousands of navvies 46 years to build, starting in 1770, using just picks and shovels.

It became an important trading route connecting the industrial towns to the port of Liverpool and the through-route for goods from America. So while it was primarily used to transport coal and limestone, the barges also carried everything from beans and brandy through to calico, clog soles and gunpowder.

No won…

Are you worth your salt? A ‘salt of the earth’ character or do you ‘take things with a pinch of salt’? Read on to find out why we use those expressions…

Salt has had a huge impact on our diets, language and even the landscape. The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are both criss-crossed by ancient paths and pannier-ways, once used to transport salt from the Yorkshire and Cumbrian coast.

Salt’s been used for thousands of years. A 6000 year-old Neolithic saltworks was recently found near Whitby.…

You've heard of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks but what about the Dales 30? Love to walk and tick places off your list? Jonathan Smith at Where2Walk is keen to show the beauty of the Dales' Hewitts: The Dales 30. They're all hills of at least 2000 feet, with a drop of 100 feet on all sides so you're certain of amazing vistas. Many are lesser-known routes so you'll have a wonderful 'King of the Castle' feeling when you reach the top. Here's the list - which do you already know?

1. Whernside

2. Ingleborough

3…