A brief history of the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales National Park was established in 1954 and now attracts in excess of nine million visitors each year to the region. There are approximately 60,000 people working and living in the Yorkshire Dales and the local economy is heavily dependant on farming, although tourism does provide a lot of additional contribution and continues to grow each year.

The many original features of the Yorkshire Dales National Park were created during the Ice Age when melting glaciers eroded the landscape. This is one of the reasons there are so many stunning sites with spectacular scenery and unusual features. Hence there are many areas where visitors can explore, lots of hills and uplands to roam, and caves and crags to investigate.

The Yorkshire Dales are steeped in history and throughout the ages many civilisations came to the region in an attempt to conquer. This included The Danes, The Norseman and The Angles as well as The Romans who also built many of the first roads. Castles were built which led to the forming of some of the major settlements we know today. They have all left their mark in the Dales and some of the sites have revealed many interesting architectural finds over the years. The remains of many castles and abbeys are still around today and they continue to provide a popular attraction for visitors to the Dales.

Farmers today still graze their sheep in the many green valleys where the grass is lush and inviting. High up on the fells the hardy Swaledale sheep are farmed, and cheese is still manufactured in the region; monks who lived in the abbeys were the first to make cheese in Wensleydale.

Today the Yorkshire Dales National Park is a bustling thriving community living off the land and increasingly relying on tourism. The rich history through the ages combined with modern forward thinking professional management by The National Parks Authority, makes the region a wonderful place to visit, come and have a look you will not be disappointed.