The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers a stretch of the Pennine hills in northern England — a landscape of broad green valleys (the dales), limestone pavements, waterfalls, and stone-walled fields dotted with sheep. It is one of the most popular walking destinations in England, easily accessible from Leeds, Manchester, or the A1, and filled with small market towns that offer good pubs and reasonably priced accommodation.
The main dales — Wensleydale, Swaledale, Ribblesdale — each have their own character. Wensleydale is gentle and pastoral, Swaledale wilder and more remote, Ribblesdale dramatic with the famous Three Peaks walk. The Settle-Carlisle railway runs through the park and is one of the most scenic train rides in England, crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct high above the valley floor.
