Yorkshire Dales
When we're in Leeds we like to go walking in the Yorkshire Dales, which is an easily-accessible and extensive area of hills and valleys in the north of England. The first picture shows one of the routes up to one of the highest points in the Dales, called Ingleborough - one of the so-called 'Three Peaks'. It isn't a real mountain-shaped 'peak', as you can see, the summit's only about 700 metres above sea level, and it's easily walkable with a good pair of shoes, but it can be quite threatening in poor weather, and you should certainly make sure you've got proper clothing to keep you warm and dry. 
Visitors from other countries often comment on the lack of trees in the landscape, and such comments used to surprise me, because it was a landscape familiar to me from a very early age, and it didn't strike me as at all unusual. But later, after I'd got to know other upland areas in Europe, I started to notice the lack of trees for myself.
Perhaps the most characteristic feature - the defining feature, in fact - of the Yorkshire Dales landscape is limestone, which underlies a large part of the region. Limestone is the light-coloured rock that you can see protruding onto the surface on the left of the photo, and on the track in the foreground. It's a permeable rock - i.e it lets water through. Water runs down through cracks in the rock, and at the same time gradually dissolves the rock and widens those cracks, so that there's very little surface water, and large parts of the area are very dry, rocky and barren-looking. There are dry valleys, dry waterfalls and all sorts of other interesting geological features. The next photo is one that I took ages ago but it's still one of my favourites - and it shows that there are some trees, after all!
The third photo shows a real curiosity - and there are lots of examples like this in the area. You can see a huge block of dark rock resting on a small limestone pedestal, and the darker rock is much, much older than the limestone. So how did it get there? Was it carried by giants? Probably people used to have such theories to explain this odd phenomenon. In fact these boulders were carried by glaciers from somewhere further north during the Ice Age. When the ice melted, they settled on the limestone surface, and since then water has eroded away the upper layers of limestone, but the bits under the boulders were protected and haven't eroded to the same extent, so they remain as pedestals supporting the boulders. There are some boulders that you can rock from side to side because they aren't very secure on their limestone supports!
There's another very significant feature of the area that you can't see from the surface. Because of the continual erosion of the rock by underground water, there's a huge network of underground caves and passages, which attract cavers in large numbers. Of course caving can be quite a dangerous activity, and in the past few days one of big local news items has been about two cavers who died underground when water levels rose quickly after heavy rain. They were experienced and properly equipped, but still, they were taken by surprise. Unfortunately these accidents happen from time to time. The cave systems are like a huge sponge, and they soak up all the rainfall. I've been in some of the big caves that are open to the general public, but apart from that I prefer to stay on the surface!
It's New Year's Eve today, so on a more cheerful note, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Jonathan
Comments
Hello Jonathan, I read about Yorkshire Dales landscape with great interest. All three pictures are good and my favourite one is a tree surrounded by rocks. In the last photo the rocks are laid in such a way that it looks like an old turtle is having a nap. I wish you and your family and all the readers a very Happy New Year. Wishse, Naheed
Hello Jonathan, I hope, this comment will reach you, because the last one didn't. I showed my husband the first photo of Ingleborough and his spontaneous comment was,without reading the text : " There aren't any trees, it is like a steppe" You write, that there are some trees after all. I think these one have to be artists in surviving.They adjusted to the surrounding. The second photo is really a nice one, so is the third one. Today it's New Year's eve and we have special rituals for this day: we pour hot lead into cold water and predict, depending on the form, something for the new year/ we give little pigs out of marzipan, or little chimney sweepers and cloverleafs as symbols for a lucky new year. After midnight we eat a New Year prezel.Of course we have a firework at midnight. What kind of rituals do you have in UK and in Poland? To you and your family a very Happy New Year! In Germany we say:" Einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr" that means, to slide without any obstacle into the New Year. See you soon, in 2008...
Hi teacher Jonathan! What a lovely description of the Yorkshire landscape. It proved again what I´ve said in my last unpublished comment about the serene attitude to the life which is obvious in your writing. I like the photo with a tree. I have some favourite trees on my walk routes too, and I have to say the landscape is much more interesting with trees and hils also. Even I can´t imagin myself to live somwhere on the flatland. Very Happy New Year!
Hi every body Happy new year 2008 ! Best wishes for all English enthusiasts and all BBC staffs in new year 2008 .The teacher Jonathan , Yorkshire dales really look wonderful , mysterious and really quiet And the photo are interesting . I always has liked walking in those quiet places and no matter if there is not any tree . I think the reason of lacking tree is the kind of it's soil , innit ?And I guess the lime don't let the trees grow well in that area . But anyway it would be a good place for intellectuals meditation .And of course if there were lots of tree , Yorkshire dales wouldn’t be a quiet place . It 's interesting to say that there is some really breathtaking caves in Iran and I advise every one who want to visit Iran , remember visiting them . "Alisadr " cave is the most beautiful and most wonderful which is in " Hamadan " city suburb and here are some more information about it that I have stolen from the net because of shortage of time : The said cave is the largest in the world, containing water and offering the use of canoes. This cave is located in the village of Alisadr, district of " Kabudrahang" , and was inaugurated in the year 1967. In the hills where the Alisadr cave is located, there are two other caves by the names of " Soo Bashi" and " Sarab" Caves. The water present in Alisadr Cave, takes its source from that of the "Sarab" Cave. The "Alisadr" Cave comprises of a number of small and large 'halls' or spaces, in a maze like fashion, connected to each other by passages. The water within the cave is extremely cold but very clear, odorless, colorless and with an ordinary taste. It comes under the calcium bicarbonate category, is nearly neutral in PH, but unfortunately polluted. The ceiling of the cave is covered with a sedimentation of pure calcium carbonate and a mixture of other chemical compounds. Thus forming stalagmites of unique beauty and design, which draws the attention of visitors. The air within the cave is light and static. To date, all the canals of this cave have not been discovered, and only approximately 2,100 m. have been recognized. Here, the height of the ceiling is between 1-35 m. the width of the canals 2 - 15 m. and the depth of the water 1 - 17 m. Within the cave, electric power, and paddling canoes (seating 4 persons) aid visitors to see parts of this cave. Have a nice holiday and bye
Hello Jonathan, It was both intersting and strange to read about the Dales. The pictures seem to have been taken in the suburbs of our own Ahwaz, quite similar. I took the opportunity to wish a very Healthy and Happy New Year for you and all BBC staff and all my blogmates. God Bless All of You.
Your pictures are very beautyfull but what you tell about caves fritened me
hi Jonathan First of all i would like to say "Happy New Year".Regarding the pictures, they are wonderful for me and i wish to spend in this enviroment just 3 days. In My country it's difficult to find this kind of valleys.so even that some people see that it lacks trees. but for me it's full of green areas and also quite enough to spend your holiday.
Hi, Jonathan. Reading your blog like watching Discovery. It's interesting! I like it! I will read your blogs one by one from today! With best wishes, Jill.
Beautiful pictures, but when i saw them, i didn't think to the lack of trees as well as other people did. I immediately thought there's no sea or any lake, maybe as the first thing i look for in a landscape photo is the water. However, best wishes to all of you, may you have an unforgettable 2008, Bruno
it reminds me some landscapes of my country ,how wonderful and brilliant are the landscapes in yorkshire dales . saludos desde Perú.
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