The Yorkshire Dales are well known for the rich beauty of their landscapes. Dales villages are surrounded by lush, dark green pastures, criss-crossed by limestone dry stone walling and characterised by lonely limestone field barns. The dry stone walls take account of neither gently sloping meadows nor steep valley flanks, bounding ancient fields as they have done for centuries.

Many are the waterfalls cascading over limestone ridges. Countless gallons of water thunder through dramatic gorges. Relentless scouring of the landscape, begun by glaciers and meltwater over a period of one and a half million years continues today as rainwater and winds play their part.