Читать книгу Walking in the Yorkshire Dales: North and East. Howgills, Mallerstang, Swaledale, Wensleydale, Coverdale and Nidderdale онлайн

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Higher up the valley, the pastures are not as rich, and cattle are bred for meat, being sold on for fattening before finally going to the butcher. Traditionally cattle were sent out to graze riverside meadows in spring before being moved onto higher pastures. During summer, the meadows were left to produce hay, the herd being brought back after the harvest to graze the late growth. Individual field barns – or laithes – removed the need to cart the hay, and meant that cattle could over-winter in the fields rather than be brought back to the farm.

Managing the meadows in this way allowed them to develop a rich herbage of spring and summer flowers, which in turn encouraged a diversity of both insects and birds. In some areas, particularly Swaledale, they are still a delight to behold, but such practices do not sit well alongside pressures to improve productivity. Reseeding and the use of fertilisers and herbicides might double the yield of grass, but the wild flowers that once grew there all but disappear within a season. Many farmers are trying to redress the balance between efficiency and environmental conservation, but the overriding concern must still be a need to earn an income.