{"id":15035,"date":"2022-03-29T18:12:19","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T16:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=111729"},"modified":"2022-03-29T18:24:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T16:24:20","slug":"10-great-wildlife-walks-in-the-yorkshire-dales","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/10-great-wildlife-walks-in-the-yorkshire-dales\/","title":{"rendered":"10 great wildlife walks in the Yorkshire Dales"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Alice Tuffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 29 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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With nearly 50,000 hectares of nationally and internationally important habitats, the <\/span>Yorkshire Dales National Park<\/span><\/a> is a fantastic place to spot a wide range of wildlife. In fact, thanks to its diversity of natural environments \u2013 from lakes, woodlands and wildflower meadows to areas of limestone \u2013 it\u2019s home to over 100 species that are declining elsewhere in the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the Yorkshire Dales, 42% of the national park is grouse moor, featuring biodiverse upland heath and bogs with high levels of peat and carbon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can spot red squirrels in woodland areas in autumn, northern brown argus butterflies in wildflower meadows in summer and white-clawed crayfish in waterways. Plus, it\u2019s worth keeping a lookout for the many species to have been reintroduced to the Yorkshire Dales in recent years, such as <\/span>hazel dormice<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10 wildlife walks across the Yorkshire Dales<\/h2>\n

Aysgarth woods and waterfalls<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

1.5 miles \/ 2.5km | 45 mins + | moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

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The River Ure flows over the Lower Falls of Aysgarth Falls, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Aysgarth Falls in the east of the Yorkshire Dales is an exciting landmark and a rich habitat for wildlife. It\u2019s a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), where you can spot brown trout jumping for mayflies and stoneflies on summer evenings and dark brown dippers diving for morsels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This short walk begins at the nearby visitor centre, where you can park and use the toilets. You\u2019ll pass by the Middle Falls viewing point, and there\u2019s an optional detour to visit Lower Falls too. Before you loop back through Freeholders\u2019 Wood, you\u2019ll get distant views of the well-preserved medieval Castle Bolton.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Walking through the woodland, look out for birds and roe deer as well as dormice, which were reintroduced to the area in 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more wildlife-spotting opportunities, combine your walk with a trip to Coverdale\u2019s <\/span>Braithwaite Hall<\/span><\/a>, the nearby woods and river, which is 20 minutes away by car. You\u2019ll get free entry if you have <\/span>National Trust membership<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n