Higher/Int 2 GeographyRural Land Resources

Yorkshire Dales

Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales are part of the Pennines- a chain of hills that runs N/S down the ‘backbone’ of northern England.

Yorkshire Dales

The geology of this area is very distinctive, with thick limestone sandwiched between impermeable rock called Millstone Grit.

In the south of the Dales, the limestone is exposed at the surface over a large area, and displays typical karst features.

Yorkshire DalesIn this unit you will look at the:• Social and Economic opportunities in the Dales• Limitations of the landscape• Conflicts in the Dales• Solutions to these conflicts• The effectiveness of these solutions

Established in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has outstanding scenery, a range of wildlife habitats and a rich cultural heritage.

Covering an area of 1,762 square kilometres (680 square miles), the National Park is located in the north of England, and straddles the central Pennines in the counties of North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Yorkshire Dales

The limitations of the area are numerous and the few economic activities possible often conflict with tourism, which is a major contributor to both the social and economic success of the Dales: tourism is highly important - £100 million is spent in and around the National Park.

We will be studying the tiny village of Malham, where conflicts between conserving and exploiting the spectacular scenery are particularly well demonstrated.

Yorkshire Dales

Malham is a small, picturesque village in the Pennines, at the southern base of the Yorkshire Dales, surrounded by dry-stone walls, with a stream running through the middle of the village.100 years ago, Malham was a place of mills and mines. Nowadays, hill farms and tourism are the main activities.

Yorkshire Dales

Gaping Gill

Gordale Scar

Gordale Scar is a gorge with re-emergent stream.

Malham Cove

This now-dry prehistoric waterfall is the main attraction of the area: thousands of visitors come each year to walk around it, on it and over it.

Malham Moor

Battlefield Cavern

Yorkshire Dales

Three land uses which are particularly important in the

Yorkshire Dales are farming, mining and

quarrying, and recreation.

Farming in the Yorkshire Dales is characterised by:• Sheep grazing on the uplands • Cattle fed from hay meadows in the valley floors • A landscape of dry stone walls and stone barns

However, the traditional system is under threat, due to falling meat prices and increased competition from more intensive units both in this country and abroad.

Within a National Park, it is important to maintain the traditional system and landscape and various methods are used:• EU price support for farmers rearing cattle and sheep • UK government grants to farmers who farm in a traditional way • Payments for repair and conservation of barns and walls • Help with farm diversification, so that farmers can get income from other sources

Farming in the Yorkshire Dales

Mining

Mining and quarrying will take place in a National Park if the rocks are in sufficient demand. In the Yorkshire Dales, around 4.5 million tonnes of rock are quarried each year. The main rocks quarried are carboniferous limestone and gritstone.

Most of the rock is used in the construction industry - half as roadstone and a further quarter as aggregate. The quarries have a substantial impact on the environment and their operation is opposed by many people.

QuarryingQuarrying is an important activity in the Yorkshire Dales, because:• Limestone has a variety of uses - aggregate for the construction industry, flux for the steel industry, building stone, agricultural lime. • Millstone grit is used for various surfacing applications - roads, footpaths, airport runways • The quarrying industry employs 7% of the working population of the Dales and contributes £6 million a year to the local economy.

Some people object to quarrying in the Dales because:• Limestone and the grits are non-renewable resources. • Most of the stone (85 per cent) is transported by heavy goods vehicles on roads which are often busy with tourist and other local traffic. • Quarries produce noise and dust, and can pollute water supplies. • Quarries can leave a scarred landscape when they are finally abandoned.

RecreationVisitors have been coming to the Yorkshire Dales since the 18th century, when writers and artists sought out the dramatic landscapes. The growth of the rail network in the 19th century brought increased numbers, but the most dramatic growth came in the late 20th century as a result of the rise in car ownership: more than 90% of today's visitors come by car.

People visit the Yorkshire Dales to:• Admire the distinctive scenery and landscape, such as Malham Cove, Goredale Scar and the waterfalls at Aysgarth and Ingleton • Walk and climb • Visit limestone caves - for example, the White Scar Caves • Potholing • Enjoy peace and quiet • Visit specific built attractions, like castles and museums

What are Land Use Conflicts?

Land use conflicts arise when users of the land do not agree on how it should be used: it takes at least two ‘sides’ to have a conflict.

Conflicts in the Yorkshire Dales

• Tourist traffic creates congestion in the village, and impedes local people carrying out their everyday activities.

• The demand for car parking exceeds the number of spaces provided, resulting in parking on grass verges.

• Footpaths have been eroded, particularly in the areas around Malham Cove and Gordale Scar.

• Litter detracts from the appearance of the area and can harm livestock and wildlife.

• Tourists sometimes wander over cultivated land, worry sheep and damage walls.

• House prices in the village increase, partly because of incomers wishing to live in the village, and partly because there's a demand for second homes.

• Young people are forced to move away because of the increase in house prices.

• The limestone pavements suffer from wear and tear, and from the removal of stone.

Solutions and their effectiveness• Removing litter bins, in the hope that visitors will take litter home.

• Surfacing busy paths and building steps up the side of Malham Cove, to prevent further erosion – in some cases this has been successful as the paths were raised to discourage people from stepping off them.

• Promoting the use of public transport such as Postbus passenger services and a Dales Bike Bus, which can carry 24 bikes.

• An experimental traffic management scheme was introduced in the early 1990s but this was unsuccessful and had to be abandoned as traders complained of loss of trade.

• A new train service has been opened to reduce road traffic and has reduced 23% of heavy lorry movements, however, road transport is still vital so tarpaulin sheets are used to stop the materials escaping.

• Swinden quarry had rebuilt the area building a nature reserve and a lake on the site.

• Introducing legislation and a warden service to protect limestone pavements.

• Publishing a Dales Visitor Guide which advises visitors on environmentally positive behaviour – this has improved the situation but is not a total success.