LITMIR.BIZ

      Amongst the cottongrass on the slopes of Dodd Fell Hill (Walk 35)

      Long before Wallace and his indefatigable companion, Grommit, revealed their attachment to Wensleydale cheese, dairy farming in the lower dales had been an important element in the local economy. Before the arrival of the railway, milk itself could only be used to supply local demand, but the coming of the railway meant that cheese and butter made on farms could be ‘exported’ for sale in distant towns, even as far away as London. Cheese is still produced in a small factory at Hawes, and although the milk trains no longer run, road tankers make the daily round of farms to supply the bottling and processing plants.

      Higher up the valley, the pastures are not as rich, and cattle are bred for meat, being sold on for fattening before finally going to the butcher. Traditionally cattle were sent out to graze riverside meadows in spring before being moved onto higher pastures. During summer, the meadows were left to produce hay, the herd being brought back after the harvest to graze the late growth. Individual field barns – or laithes – removed the need to cart the hay, and meant that cattle could over-winter in the fields rather than be brought back to the farm.

      Managing the meadows in this way allowed them to develop a rich herbage of spring and summer flowers, which in turn encouraged a diversity of both insects and birds. In some areas, particularly Swaledale, they are still a delight to behold, but such practices do not sit well alongside pressures to improve productivity. Reseeding and the use of fertilisers and herbicides might double the yield of grass, but the wild flowers that once grew there all but disappear within a season. Many farmers are trying to redress the balance between efficiency and environmental conservation, but the overriding concern must still be a need to earn an income.

PLANTS AND WILDLIFE

      Despite human influences, the environment of the Dales supports a great diversity of habitats, whose individual characteristics are broadly governed by altitude and underlying geology.

      Much of the upland is underlain by grits and other impervious rocks, and covered by wet blanket bog, where grass, sphagnum and purple moor grass pervade, with heather, bilberry and heath rush dominating where the ground is drier. Many of the better-drained upland heaths are actively managed as grouse moors, where the old growth of heather is periodically burnt off to encourage young shoots. The moors are perhaps at their most attractive during late summer, when the heather blazes in a rich swathe of purple. The limestone grasslands on the other hand are best in spring, when an amazing variety of small flowers, such as buttercup, vetch, rock rose, cranesbill and campion, speckle colour across the landscape. Small patches of woodland are also most appealing in springtime, when bluebells, ramsons and wood anemones abound.

      While the limestone pavements themselves are almost devoid of vegetation, the deeper clefts between the clints offer soil, moisture and protection from grazing. Ferns are amongst the most common plants here, but very occasionally a hawthorn might just escape the attentions of sheep and reach maturity. On the floors of the dales, unimproved hay meadows contain a rich mixture of grasses, as well as an abundance of flowers, and are at their best around June. And even if you do not venture off the lanes, you will be charmed by the mass of flowers that sprout from the crevices of walls and underneath hedgerows.

      Such an abundance of flowers supports many insects, of which butterflies and moths are most likely to attract attention. The relatively cool climate of the uplands precludes an abundance of species, but amongst those commonly seen are tortoiseshell, peacock, green-veined white, common blue and green hairstreak.

      Birds are the most obvious wildlife throughout the dales, and even the most unobservant birdwatcher cannot help noticing them from the highest fells to the depths of the vales. Red grouse, golden plover and curlew are common across the moors, with merlin and even peregrines hunting for food. Skylarks hover high above the upland pastures, and lapwing, snipe and fieldfare are all to be found. The woodlands, too, harbour many small songbirds, and you will often hear – if not actually spot – a woodpecker. Streams and rivers attract dippers and wagtails as well as sandpipers and oystercatchers.

      Apart from the rabbit, which seems to appear just about everywhere where there is grass, and the grey squirrel, which is earning for itself an increasingly bad press, other mammals are more timid and less easy to spot, although, be assured, they are very much present. Roe deer, hare, fox and badger are amongst the larger animals likely to be encountered, and occasionally the native red squirrel might be seen in woodland. The woodmouse, vole and mole are common but shy, and there are several species of bat, which are most in evidence at dusk. Frogs, toads, lizards and even adders also live in the national park.

      With such a tremendous variety of landscape within a relatively small area, the Dales offers some of the most satisfying walking to be had in the whole of the country. Its thousands of miles of pathways, tracks and quiet lanes offer endless possibilities for personal exploration, whether it be in gentle riverside strolls or demanding upland treks. The area is criss-crossed by several long-distance trails, such as the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast, and is also home to the Yorkshire ‘Three Peaks Challenge’, the 23-mile (37km) ascent of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough completed in less than 12 hours. But equally, the charming villages and hamlets strung along the valley bottoms make ideal bases for both short and full-day walks. There are also many opportunities to combine a walk with a visit to one of the local attractions, such as the Wensleydale Dairy at Hawes or the museum at Reeth, or perhaps the spectacular show cave at Stump Cross, but the greatest appeal for many who come here is undoubtedly the intrinsic natural beauty of the countryside.