Yorkshire Dales National Park
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yorkshiredales.org.uk
Yorkshire Dales National Park
@yorkshiredales.org.uk
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The Dales has many moods; wild, windswept, calm, peaceful, with valleys of hay meadows, dry stone walls and barns. One of the country’s most picturesque places. The official National Park Authority BlueSkySocial account
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yorkshiredales.org.uk
Check out our Access Hub. It's a one-stop online resource providing accessibility information to help people with a wide range of disabilities plan their visits to the National Park.

👉 https://accesshub.yorkshiredales.org.uk/

#YorkshireDales #AccessForAll #Accessibility
A small group of people travels along a wide gravel path. Two individuals are using mobility scooters: one in the foreground wearing a light blue top and another farther ahead using a larger powered wheelchair with a high backrest and a jacket draped over it. A person on foot wearing a grey jacket and yellow trousers walks slightly ahead on the left. On the right, another person is carrying folded walking poles and a backpack. The path leads toward dramatic grey limestone cliffs in the distance
December 9, 2025 at 1:15 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
The #YorkshireDales National Park really is limestone country ❄️

Limestone is a hard sedimentary rock formed when remains of sea creatures dropped onto the sea floor. It contains fossils like corals and shells.

📌 Ribblehead
📸 Kev Lockwood Photography

#ChristmasCalendar
December 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Did you know that reducing light pollution doesn’t just make stargazing magical, it also helps wildlife thrive? 🦉

Artificial light disrupts natural rhythms for birds, bats, insects, and even plants. By keeping our skies dark, we’re giving nature the night it needs to rest and recover

📸 Paul Clark
December 8, 2025 at 5:25 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
🌌 5 years ago, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors National Park were officially designated as International Dark Sky Reserves - two of the best places in the world to experience the magic of a truly star-filled night.

📸 - Paul Clark
December 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Welcome to week two of our digital Christmas calendar 📅❄️

This week we are celebrating Limestone!

The National Park contains 72% of England’s limestone pavement – most famously Malham Cove.

📌 Malham Cove
📷 Neil Pennington

#yorkshiredales #ChristmasCalendar
December 8, 2025 at 9:26 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
🌠 Dark skies aren’t just beautiful, they’re essential! When we lose the stars to light pollution, we lose more than a view. We disrupt ecosystems, confuse migrating birds, and harm nocturnal wildlife.

Let’s keep the stars shining - for wildlife, for nature, and for us 🙏

📸 Stephen Garnett
December 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
We hope you have enjoyed our week celebrating barns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Next week we 'll continue our festive calendar with views of another special quality of the National Park.

📌Aysgarth, Wensleydale
📷 Wendy McDonnell

#YorkshireDales #ChirstmasCalendar
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
🌌 Why do dark skies matter? It’s not just about seeing stars (though that’s amazing!). Dark skies are vital for nature, wildlife, and our well-being.

By reducing light pollution, we protect ecosystems, improve health, and keep the universe visible for future generations 🌍💫
December 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Happy Saturday! If you're planning to spend time in the National Park this weekend, please:

🌧 Be weather prepared
🚮 Take all your litter home
🐄 Be cattle aware while walking
🤝 Respect the life and work of people who live here

📷 Dan Kay | #YorkshireDales #StepIntoNature
December 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
It's not just sheep and cows that take shelter from the elements in these stone-built barns - many of these buildings are home special species like bats, barn owls and swallows.

📌Semer water, Raydale
📷 Wendy McDonnell

#YorkshireDales #ChristmasCalendar
December 6, 2025 at 6:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Calling all woodland owners in the #YorkshireDales National Park 🔈

We are holding a woodland management open day (FREE EVENT)
📌Cleatop Park Woodland
📅13 Jan 10am - 2pm
🍽️Lunch provided
👇Booking essential - [email protected] | 01756 751 606
December 5, 2025 at 5:55 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
A hill farmer in the National Park has credited the #FarmingInProtectedLandscapes grant programme funded by #Defra for making his farm “sustainable and profitable”. Read more 👇

https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/fipl-brings-upland-farm-into-profit/

📸 Andrew Fagg | #YorkshireDales #FiPL
December 5, 2025 at 1:55 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
The snow highlights the distinct pattern of irregular piecemeal dry-stone wall enclosures and field barns around Gunnerside resulting from centuries of small-scale farming.

📌Gunnerside, Swaledale
📷 Wendy McDonnell

#yorkshiredales #ChristmasCalendar
December 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
If you're planning to spend time in the National Park this weekend, please:

🌧 Be weather prepared
🚮 Take all your litter home
🐄 Be cattle aware while walking
🤝 Respect the life and work of people who live here

#YorkshireDales #StepIntoNature
December 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
In the Yorkshire Dales National Park, we have many names for barns 👇
Laithe
Cow'us (cow house)
Shippon
Byre

What do you call them?

📌 Hawes, Wensleydale
📷 Wendy McDonnell

#Yorkshiredales #ChristmasCalendar
December 4, 2025 at 4:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Dairying has been at the heart of the Wensleydale economy since records began. The legacy of this dairying heritage is all around, perhaps most noticeably in the abundance of barns - locally known as cow houses.

📷 Wendy McDonnell

#yorkshiredales #ChristmasCalendar
December 3, 2025 at 4:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Barn fact: Did you know there are over 6000 barns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park - over 1,044 of these field barns are in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.

We count 14 barns in this photo of a small section of Swaledale alone.

📌 Swaledale
📷 Wendy McDonnell

#yorkshiredales #ChristmasCalendar
December 2, 2025 at 4:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
We are counting down to Christmas with our festive digital calendar, celebrating the Yorkshire Dales National Park and highlighting the qualities that make this place so special ✨

Each week we will be focusing on a different special quality - starting with BARNS!

📷 Wendy McDonnell
December 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Each morning we open a window to the Dales and share some of our favourite views, like this of Stainforth Foss in Ribblesdale.

📸 Wendy McDonnell | #YorkshireDales #StepIntoNature
November 30, 2025 at 5:55 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
She's been coming for over 20 years and she's back again! Come meet Mother Christmas on Saturday 6 December at Dales Countryside Museum! Booking is required (below), with time slots available from 10:30am – 3:30pm.

https://ow.ly/2wvt50XvGme

#YorkshireDales #Christmas
November 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Morning, happy Saturday! If you're planning to spend time in the National Park this weekend, please:

🌧 Be weather prepared
🚮 Take all your litter home
🐄 Be cattle aware while walking
🤝 Respect the life and work of people who live here

📸 Park Rash by Ken Readshaw
November 29, 2025 at 5:50 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Morning, and happy Friday! If you're after some weekend inspiration there are stunningly beautiful river walks to experience right across the National Park, including this one. Recognise it?

📸 Wendy McDonnell | #YorkshireDales #Weekend
A scenic winter landscape featuring a gently flowing river in the foreground, reflecting the bare branches of nearby trees. The riverbank is lined with sparse, golden-brown grasses and patches of frost. Beyond the river, rolling green fields are lightly dusted with snow, creating a contrast between green and white. Leafless trees dot the fields, and a wooden fence is visible on the left side near a small structure. In the background, low hills stretch across the horizon, also covered with a thin layer of snow. The sky above is bright blue with scattered fluffy white clouds, suggesting a crisp, clear winter day.
November 28, 2025 at 9:39 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Ancient dry-stone walls and field barns are defining features of the Dales landscape - shaped over thousands of years by people and nature. This view is from the edge of Grass Woods (Grassington) looking in the direction of Conistone.

📸 Ken Readshaw | #YorkshireDales
A scenic rural landscape featuring gently sloping hills divided by multiple dry stone walls forming irregular, terraced fields. The foreground and midground display lush green grass, while the upper hills transition into muted brown tones with patches of exposed rock. Two small, traditional stone barns with pitched roofs are scattered among the fields, blending into the natural setting. Several leafless trees stand along the terraces, and a few white sheep graze on the grass. The sky above is overcast, casting soft, diffused light across the scene, creating a calm and pastoral atmosphere.
November 27, 2025 at 9:53 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
For waterfall Wednesday we're sharing this view of Cautley Spout. Situated in the Howgill Fells, on the western edge of the National Park, it's the highest - above ground - cascade waterfall in England.
📸 Christopher Werrett | #WaterfallWednesday #YorkshireDales
A narrow waterfall cascades down a steep rocky slope in a mountainous landscape. The water flows in thin streams over jagged, dark grey rocks, partially covered with moss and vegetation. Surrounding the waterfall are dense clusters of green trees and shrubs, contrasting with the golden-brown grassy hills that dominate the upper and lower parts of the scene. Scattered rocks and boulders are visible on the slopes, and the terrain appears rugged and uneven.
November 26, 2025 at 9:05 AM
yorkshiredales.org.uk
Troller's Gill has inspired several folk tales through the ages, including one about a magical dog called the Barguest that turns you to stone with one look from its huge eyes 👀

📸 Christopher Werrett

#YorkshireDales #TuesdayThoughts #StepIntoNature
A narrow rocky gorge with steep cliffs on both sides, partially covered in green moss and grass. The ground is strewn with uneven rocks and stones, forming a dry stream bed. In the background, a lush green valley opens up with rolling grassy hills and scattered trees, including a prominent leafy tree in the centre. Sunlight illuminates the scene, casting shadows on the rock faces, and the sky above is clear and bright blue, suggesting a sunny day in a rural or mountainous landscape.
November 25, 2025 at 9:18 AM