Trains to the Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is a landscape that has long been a home to a great variety of wildlife, a haven for natural reconnection away from modern life, and an inspiration for great art. Hopping aboard a CrossCountry train for a weekend getaway (or longer!) offers an exciting opportunity to explore the rugged dales and the natural beauty they have to offer.
Getting to the Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales National Park, established in 1954, covers an enormous area of 841 square miles. With so much to explore, there are several routes you could take to start your adventure.
- Leeds station puts you at the precipice of the national park, making it an ideal destination. It is also well-connected, so offers you plenty of options both for your journey to Leeds and for onward travel.
- Although Darlington is technically in County Durham, the expansive nature of the Yorkshire Dales means that it is within 20 miles of the national park. For easy travel from Scotland as well as Southern England, travelling to Darlington is a simple and effective route.
- Perhaps you’re on a lengthier trip around natural beauty spots across England, and you’re coming from the Lake District. Easy interchanges with CrossCountry routes are available when travelling out of Carlisle and Penrith.
About the Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is a site of exceptional beauty, as well as being a diverse landscape that offers thriving habitats for a number of wildlife species. Combined with the quintessentially English villages and tearooms you’ll find dotted around the Dales, this is what makes the Yorkshire Dales such a desirable holiday spot for Brits and tourists alike.
Renowned for the varied environments, the Yorkshire Dales has a healthy stock of moorland, grassland, wetland, freshwater, forest, and even urban habitats that each offer a home to wildlife. The National Park is passionate about investing in the landscape and the biodiversity it houses. They work hard with local farmers and landowners to ensure restoration and conservation work maintains the Dales for generations to come.
Things To Do in the Yorkshire Dales
From such a diverse natural environment, you won’t be surprised to learn that there are plenty of outdoor activities to get stuck into on your visit to the Yorkshire Dales. The Dales boast jaw-dropping waterfalls like Aysgarth Falls, which is the perfect end-point on a hike through the countryside and make for fantastic inspiration if you’re an artist or poet looking for a creative excursion. Another unique feature of the Yorkshire Dales is the cave system - the longest in the country! Going underground offers a special insight into the landscape, as you see it from below, and makes for adventurous holidaying.
Aside from the natural offerings of the Yorkshire Dales, there are countless quaint villages to visit for an afternoon tea or a spot of boutique shopping. If you’re a history buff hoping to expand your knowledge of national history, you could visit Ribblehead viaduct, Bolton Castle, Fountains Abbey, or Pendragon Castle - the site of Arthurian legend itself.
Whether you’re a keen wildlife watcher or a history-buff, there’s plenty to take in on a visit to the Yorkshire Dales.
