The Yorkshire Dales National Park is located in northwest England north of Manchester and Leeds. It features limestone cliffs, grykes which are cracks in the limestone with clints being the rock between cracks, swallow holes which are funnel-shaped openings where water sinks underground, and resurgences where underground water reemerges. Dry valleys were formed by glaciers and show exposed limestone without vegetation. Tourism is important to the area with visitors enjoying hiking, art, and photography while being respectful of the natural environment.

1. Features of Yorkshire Dales National Park By Helen Lee

2. Where to find us: The Yorkshire Dales National Park is situated in the north west of England, north of Manchester and Leeds. From bbc.co.uk

3. Some common landscape features: This is known as a limestone scar, it is simply a cliff made out of limestone. This photo shows Malham Cove. A clint is the rock which is left behind when the cracks (grykes) are eroded. Grykes are the spaces between clints, and water sinks through these as limestone is impermeable (it won’t soak up water). Picture from beenthere-donethat.org.uk

4. Swallow holes A swallow hole is a funnel-shaped hole which leads water underground. Over time, it gets bigger and bigger as the water erodes the hole. This one is commonly called ‘The Buttertubs’ as it is thought to resemble a butter tub (it’s between Wensleydale and Swaledale). Picture from millerman96.freeserve.co.uk

5. Resurgence The resurgence is the point where water from underground flows back to the surface. This is the resurgence of Fell Beck, which is the biggest cavern in Britain. A cavern is the underground cave formed by meltwater over millions of years. Picture from homepage.ntlworld.com

6. Dry Valleys Dry valleys were originally carved out by glaciers around 10,000 years ago in the last severe ice age. As limestone is an impermeable rock, water cannot sink through it, so the rock is left exposed to create beautiful scenery. This photo shows Watlowes Valley, above Malham Cove. From jbutler.org.uk Another site to see is Goredale Scar. This was formed by the limestone being well eroded into a sill. This means that the bottom of the scar was eroded by the water of Goredale Beck in particular. From Yorkshire-dales.com

7. Uses of the Park Tourism is inevitable in a place like the Yorkshire Dales; many restaurants, hotels and tours are available for you to enjoy. Two groups of people in particular who come here are artists and walkers/hikers, who really enjoy the scenery. Because of this, we ask you that whatever your reason for visiting, please be considerate and dispose of your rubbish carefully. You should also stick to designated paths and stay with your tour guide (if you have one), so that you do not disturb any artists or photographers trying to capture a peaceful scene.