Small but beautiful..

It’s amazing to me still how such a small little island that I am blessed to call home has such a varied and beautiful landscape.

It’s not only the landscape that varies but the cultures,dialects and customs too as people settle into their own “tribes” and make their mark across the landscape.

If you ever get the chance to visit the Yorkshire Dales then I recommend it. Each dale has its own unique character. This week we stayed in Wensleydale (famous for its cheese..think Wallace & Gromit) and visited Malhamdale and walked the Malham Trail famous for its limestone features of Malham Cove, Scarsdale Crag, Janet’s Foss.

Swalesdale was reached by the beautiful “Buttertubs Pass” a road used in many Top Gear shows and in the UK stage of the Tour de France and as you descend into the Dale you notice all the stone barns in each beautiful meadow. We don’t see many grass meadows now where I live as they succumb to the concrete jungle so it was lovely to walk through the wild flowers.

Churches and chapels..each tiny village has at least one or two churches. John Wesley the famous methodist travelled the Dales preaching and the evidence of his mission still lives on. The dales are also home of the Quakers. There are lots of Methodist churches, meeting houses and ancient churches. We visited two Norman churches over a 1000 years old which were breathtaking. Such history.

Castles..they have quite a few of those too. This is Castle Bolton where Queen Mary of Scots was imprisoned for a year. It’s partially ruined now but set up high on the hills and is still an impressive sight.

Food and drink..the dales has some beautiful local delicacies. I’m a bit of a cheese lover so was very happy to munch my way around the 20 or so cheeses on offer at the Wensleydale creamery. There is also the local breweries, Black Sheep, Theakstons and you are never far from a welcoming pub…they even built one in the highest and most remote spot in England…the Tan Hill inn.

So goodbye Yorkshire Dales you’ve been beautiful.