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The word "dale" is a very old word and means valley. The Yorkshire Dales is an area (mainly in North Yorkshire) of river valleys and gently rolling hills. To all intents and purposes the Yorkshire Dales are largely synonymous with the Yorkshire Dales National Park - an area of particular beauty, and the ideal place for a holiday, or a weekend break.

Most of the Dales are named after the rivers running through the valleys, as in Swaledale, Teesdale, Arkengarthdale (from the Arkle Beck).

As well as superb countryside, the Dales are dotted with beautiful towns, and delightful villages - some of them redolent of a bygone age - and all with a charm of their own.

The Dales are known for sheep-farming, and arts and crafts - from rope-making to glass-blowing, from cheese-making (including, of course, Wensleydale) to home-made ice-creams.

As well as walking the hills and alongside the many rivers and becks that meander through the landscape, there are many other things to see and do, including caving, horse-riding, canoeing, mountain biking, or visiting places such as Ripon, Richmond, and Harrogate which lie on the edge of the Dales.

Interesting fact: the German equivalent to the word "dale" is "Tal" - and the word Neanderthal comes from Neandertal - or Neander dale - where the bones of Neanderthals were first found.

In addition to Yorkshire Dales tourist information, check the latest Yorkshire Dales events on the Hello Yorkshire blog, and if you need public transport information for the Yorkshire Dales, check out www.dalesbus.org.

 

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Things to see and do:

White Scar Cave, Ingleton

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Gardens, Ripon

Newby Hall & Gardens, Skelton-on-Ure

Three Counties Cave

Ripon Racecourse

Country Harvest

Balloon Flights

Bolton Abbey, Wharfedale

Bradford Industrial Museum

Brimham Rocks, Summerbridge

Brönte Parsonage, Haworth

Brymor Ice Cream Parlour, Jervaulx High Farm

Pennine Boat Trips of Skipton

Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley

Craven Museum, Skipton

Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes

Dales Visitor Centre, Grassington

Easby Abbey, Richmond

East Riddlesden Hall

Embsay-Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Focus on Felt, Hardraw

Forbidden Corner, Middleham

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond

Green Howards Museum, Richmond

Hazel Brow Farm Visitor Centre (Low Row, near Reeth)

Hazel Smith Gallery, Reeth

Hesketh Farm Park, Bolton Abbey

Ilkley Moor

Ingleborough Cave, Clapham

Jervaulx Abbey

Keighley Worth Valley Railway

Kilnsey Crag, Wharfedale

Kilnsey Park

Kilnsey Trekking & Riding Centre

Knaresborough Castle & Courthouse Museum

Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Skipton

Leeds-Settle-Carlisle Railway Line, Garsdale

Lightwater Valley

Malham Cove & Tarn

Markenfield Hall, Ripon

Mart Theatre, Skipton

Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally

Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate

Mother Shipton's Cave, Knaresborough

National Media Museum, Bradford

Norton Conyers, Wath, Ripon

Pateley Bridge

Pump Room, Harrogate

Reeth Dales Centre Studios

RHS Harlow Carr Gardens, Harrogate

Ribblehead Viaduct

Richmond Castle, Richmond

Richmondshire Museum, Richmond

Ripon Canal and Marina

Ripon Minster

Royal Baths, Harrogate

Saltaire Model Village

Settle Carlisle Railway

Skipton Castle

Skipton Little Theatre

Skipton Woods

St Robert's Cave, Knaresborough

Stef's Models, Reeth

Stump Cross Caverns, Greenhow

Swaledale Folk Museum, Reeth

Swaledale Woollens ( Muker, Kiplin)

The Cat Pottery, West Burton

The Gallery, Masham

The Hawes Ropemaker, Hawes

Theakstons Brewery, Masham

Thornborough Henges, Thorborough

Thorp Perrow Arboretum, Thorp Perrow, Bedale

Three Peaks: Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside

Upper Wharfedale Folk Museum, Grassington

Uredale Glass, Masham

Valley Gardens, Harrogate

Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes

Wensleydale Pottery, Hawes