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

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The additional areas increased the park's size by almost a quarter to 2178km² (841 square miles) to make it the country's third largest, with the Nidderdale AONB adding a further 600km² (233 square miles). Somewhat less than half of this is actively managed as agricultural land, while the rest consists largely of open country and moorland. Historic land use, geography and climate mitigate against extensive areas of woodland, and little more than 3% is covered by trees, the largest single area being the coniferous plantations encircling the higher reaches of Langstrothdale.

Because of the geology, extensive bodies of water are also notable by their absence, and in fact only two natural lakes of significance occur in the whole of the Dales – Malham Tarn and Semer Water. However, the gritstone valleys in the south and east harbour a number of man-made reservoirs, built to sustain the industrial towns of West Yorkshire.

The park's resident population is around 20,000 – less than 30 people per square mile. But this figure is swelled by an estimated 3.3 million a day, and half a million overnight visitors each year, increasing the resident population by, on average, almost a half. And while most people live in one of the three small towns lying wholly within its boundaries – Sedbergh, Hawes and Grassington – few of even the remotest dales are totally devoid of habitation. Picturesque villages and hamlets are scattered along the major valleys, with small steadings to be found everywhere, right up into the highest reaches. This all might seem like rather a lot of people, but wander away from the main centres, even on a bank holiday weekend, and you can spend a day on the tops with hardly a soul about.