Dales and Fel Painted 899 Described

Pr e face TH I S book is a companion volume to that entitled ’ Yorkshire Coast and Moorland Scenes , which was 1 90 published in 4 . i It describes a t ract of country that is more full of noble and imposing scenery than the north of eastern corner the county, although it has none - of the advantages of a coast line . Beyond this , the area covered by the present volume is larger on e than that of the earlier , and the historic events connected with its great over-lords and their castles , with the numerous monasteries and so u ancient towns , are f ll of thrilling interest that it has only been possible to sample here and there the vast stores of romance that exist in some hundreds of volumes of early and modern writings . GORDON HOME . PSOM E , A r il 1 906. p , C o n t e n t s CHAPTER I TH E D A LE CO UNTRY A S A W H O LE CH AP TER II RIC H MO N D CHAPTER III SWA LE DA LE CHAPTER IV WENSLEY DA LE CHAPTER V RI P O N A N D FO UNTA I N S A BBEY CHAPTER VI KN A RESB O RO UG H AN D H AR R O G ATE CHAPTER V II WH AR FEDA LE CHAPTER V III KI PT O N MA LH A A N D G O R A LE S , M, D CHAPTER IX S ETTLE A N D T H E IN G LETO N FELLs I N D EX L i st o f Illu st r at i o n s 1 Fou a n s e . nt i Abb y 2 R h mon d Cas e rom t h e R e r . ic tl f iv 3 R h m on d rom t h e We s . ic f t Swale dale i n t h e Early Au t u m n 5 Down h o m e Moor a o e Swa e da e . l , b v l l Mu r on a orm A rn oon 6. k e St y fte Tw h i n t h e Bu e r- u s Pass 7. ilig t tt t b 8 H ardraw For e . c Ru d V w a o e We n s da 9. A gge ie b v le y le 1 a o e an H ou se at s r 0. A J c b A k igg 1 1 s ar h For e . Ay g t c 1 2 Bo on Cas e We n s e da e . lt tl , l y l 1 3 V e w u We n s e da e rom Le urn Sh aw . i p l y l f yb l 1 4 R on M n s e r rom t h e S ou h . ip i t f t 1 5 Kn are sborou h . g 1 6 Bo on A e Wh ar e da e . lt bb y, f l 1 H ubbe rh olm e Ch u r h 7. c 1 8 Th e Cour ard of S on Cas e . ty kipt tl 1 Gorda e S ar 9. l c 20 S e e . ttl THE DALE C OUNTRY AS A WHOLE CHAPTER I D E SCRIBE S TH E DAL E C OUN TRY AS A WH O LE WH EN in the early years of life on e learns for the first time the name of that range of mountains of forming the backbone England , the youthful scholar looks forward to seeing in later years the prolonged series of lofty hill s known as the ‘ Pennine ’ - - Range . His imagination pictures Pen y ghent and Ingleborough as great peaks , seldom free from a l mantle of clouds , for are they not cal ed moun ’ of do tains the Pennine Range , and they not appear in almost as large type in the school geography as Snowdon and Ben Nevis But as the scholar grows so older and more able to travel , does the Pennine Range recede from his vision , until it becomes almost as remote as those crater- strewn mountains in the Moon which have a name so similar . This elusiveness on the part of a natural feature so essentially static as a mountain range is at t ribu table to the total disregard of the name of this 3 1 —2 4~ YORKSHIRE DA LES AND FELLS particular chain of hills . In the same way as the ’ term ‘ Cumbrian Hills is exchanged for the popular ’ so i s of n Lake District, a large section the Pen ine Range paradoxically known as the Yorkshire ’ Dales . It is because the hills are so big that the valleys t o are deep , and it is owing the great watersheds that these long and narrow dales are be au tifie d by some of the most c0piou s and picturesque rivers of on e in England . In spite this , however, when of climbs any the fells over feet , and looks n on over the mou tainous ridges every side , one as n o or sees , a rule , peak isolated height of any ’ description t o attract one s attention . Instead of the rounded or angular projections from the horizon that are usually associated with a mountainous district , there are great expanses of brown table land that form themselves into long parallel lines of in the distance , and give a sense wild desolation in some ways more striking than the peaks of Scotland or Wales . The thick formations of mill stone grit and limestone that rest u pon the shale or have generally avoided crumpling distortion , and thus give the mountain views the appearance of having had all the upper surfaces rolled flat when they were in a plastic condition . Denudation and THE MOORLA ND SCENERY 5 the action of ice in the glacial epochs have worn through the hard upper stratum , and formed the L it t on dale long and narrow dales and in , Wharfe dale , Wensleydale , and many other parts , one may plainly se e the perpendicular wall of rock sharply defining the upper edges of the valleys . The softer rocks below generall y take a gentle s10pe from the base of the hard gritstone t o the river-side pastures of below . At the edges the dales , where waterfalls — pou r over the wall of limestone as at H ardraw — of Scar, near Hawes the action water is plainly for on e se e demonstrated , can the rapidity with n which the shale crumbles , leavi g the harder rocks overhanging above . Unlike the moors of the north -eastern parts of n ot . Yorkshire , the fells are prolific in heather It i s t o —or possible pass through Wensleydale , indeed , — most of the dales without seeing any heather at all . On the broad plateaux between the dales there are stretches of moor partially covered with ling ; but in most instances the fells and moors are grown over at their higher levels with bent -ochri sh and coarse grass , generally of a browny colour, broken here and there by an outcrop of l imestone that shows gray against the swarthy vegetation . YORKSHIRE DA LES AND FELLS — In the upper portions of the dales e ven in the - — narrow river side pastures the fences are of stone , turned a very dark colour by exposure, and every where ou the slopes of the hills a wide network of these enclosures can be seen traversing even the most precipitous ascents . Where the dales widen ou t of towards the fat plains the Vale of York , quickset hedges intermingle with the gaunt stone , and as on e gets further eastwards the green hedge becomes triumphant . The stiles that are the fashion in the stone-fence districts make quite an in teresting t o study strangers , for, wood being an expensive luxury, and stone being extremely cheap , every of thing is formed the more enduring material . - on e Instead of a trap gate, generally finds an execs si ve l y narrow opening in the fences , only just giving for Space the thickness of the average knee, and n thus preventi g the passage of the smallest lamb . Some stiles are constructed with a large flat stone n on e projecti g from each side, slightly in front so can and overlapping the other, that one only pass through by making a very careful S -shaped movement . More common are the projecting stones , making a flight of precarious steps on each side of the wall . Except in their lowest and least mountainous THE STONE ROOFS 7 t par s , where they are subject to the influences of the plains , the dales are entirely innocent of red tiles and haystacks . The roofs of churches , cottages , barns and mansions , are always of the local stone , that weathers t o beautiful shades of green and gray, and prevents the works of man from jarring with the great sweeping hillsides . Then, instead - of the familiar gray brown haystack , one sees in almost every meadow a neatly-built stone house with an upper story. The lower part is generally used as a shelter for cattle , while above is stored hay or straw . By this system a huge amount of d unnecessary carting is avoided , and where roa s are few and generally of exceeding steepness a saving of this nature is a benefit easily understood .

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