A walking paradise in the Yorkshire Dales

On September 23, 2010, in Guides, Tips, Walking, by admin
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If you’re a big fan of scenic country walks and exploring quaint, friendly towns, then the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding area are perfect for your next hiking trip. With mile upon mile of gorgeous scenery, including national parkland; the Yorkshire Dales – or the Dales as they’re also affectionately known – has plenty to offer even the most avid walker, hiker or biker.

Located across North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria, the Dales are easy enough to get to from all over the country. The North East of England is accessible by rail, bus or car and is conveniently located in such a place that it’s just a few hours’ journey from many populous locations in the UK.

If you’re thinking about exploring the Yorkshire Dales, you’ll definitely want to make your way towards the national park at its centre. Just fifty miles away from Manchester, with Darlington to the east, Kendal to the west and Bradford and Leeds to the south, the Yorkshire Dales National Park is 680 square miles of rolling countryside.

But that’s not all. Contained within the large expanse of the park are also five visitor centres, which are located in several of its major destinations; a museum which makes the most of its building’s past, which used to be a railway station; Bolton Castle; several waterfalls including Cautley Spout waterfall and the Kisdon Force waterfall and much, much more.

Fans of geology will marvel at the extensive collection of rock types to be found in the Dales, including majestic-looking formations that create some of the area’s mysterious underground caves. And if you’re just interested in checking out some beautiful countryside while you head out on an invigorating walk, the national park has plenty of routes for you to take, including long and short distance, easy and difficult routes.

There’s just so much to choose from that you could find yourself wishing you’d planned to stay much longer than originally thought!

Even outside of the national park, the Dales are superb for exploring and discovering, whether by foot, bike or car. The area receives an impressive number of tourists during the summer months and it’s not hard to see why. This means hotels and hostels can book out quickly, though, so make sure you get ahead of the pack and book into Clapham, Horton, Sedbergh or Harrogate hotels in good time so you’re not disappointed – and don’t forget to pack your walking boots!

About the Author

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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Badger Cull Approved

On September 16, 2010, in news, by admin
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The Coalition Government today entered into one of the countryside’s greatest controversies by giving the go-ahead for the culling of tens of thousands of badgers based on hotly debated “facts” about the spread of TB to cattle.

Badgers have been blamed by farmers for spreading bovine TB, which has lead to the slaughter of some 36,000 animals as year, particularly in the West County. But other experts from organisations like the RSPCA claim that this is the wrong way round: it is the cattle which spread the disease to badgers.

This caused a massive controversy and the Labour government, which abandoned plans for mass culls in England – although they went ahead in Wales – and instead launched a major research programme into the possibilities of vaccinating badgers against the disease.

Today, the environment department Defra reversed that decision, giving farmers the right to cull badgers on their land which could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of one of Britain’s favourite mammals, Brock the Badger, star of hundreds of childrens’ stories.

Although this has not been stated publicly, cost is probably one of the main causes of this volte-face. The costs of slaughtering TB affected cattle is said to run at £90,000 a year, a figure that could triple in the next few years as the disease spreads: it has already been reported as far north as Derbyshire.

Further information can be seen from the department for environment, food and rural affairs.

What impact will this have on the Countryside of the Yorkshire dales?  Give us your views.

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