News Archives 2018

17 December 2018

This is Friends of the Dales response to the call of evidence by the  Glover Review of England’s National Parks and AONBs, submitted today.

11 December 2018

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan 2019-2024 – the single most important document for a National Park – has now been published. Friends of the Dales contributed to the developemnt of the plan and will play a role in holding to account those bodies who are responsible for its delivery. The plan can be found here: YDNP Management Plan

6 December 2018

Local press coverage of a crtical National Park Authority planning meeting on 11th December to consider controversial applications to convert barns, incluing comments from Friends of the Dales. See Richmondshire Today

20 November 2018 Trustee Nancy Stedman spoke at a well attended joint meeting with North Craven Heritage Trust at Langcliffe last week. Nancy has been researching the impact of converting agricultural barns in the Dales to local occupancy housing or holiday lets in the light of recent changes to National Park policy. You can view Nancy’s presention as a PDF download below.

8 November 2018

Next year we’ll be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the legislation that created national parks in England and Wales. If you are interested in social and political history, you might enjoy reading two original Reports (Dower and Hobhouse) which led to the 1949 Act (National Parks and Access to the Countryside) –  downloadable below.

31 October 2018 

Dalesbus Winter Timetable – download it below.

15 October 2018

Press coverage of the car congestion issue at Malham in the Craven Herald

2 October 2018 

If you use or support rural buses you might be interested in the campaign being run by Friends of Dalesbus to encourage the Department of Transport to award each National Park in England £100,000 per year under a proposed National Park Sustainable Transport Fund. This campaign is supported by local MPs Alex Sobel (Leeds North West) and John Grogan (Keighley). 

2 October 2018

We are very disappointed that National Parks and AONBs are NOT being excluded from Government plans for possible locations to store nuclear waste underground. We support the efforts of Campaign for National Parks, and many kindred organisations, to persuade MPs to exclude these precious landscapes from the National Policy Statement when they debate it in the Autumn. Read news coverage here.

1 October 2018

We had a briliant turnout of over 50 members and guests at our AGM on Saturday 22 September at Langcliffe near Settle. Lots of good comments, ideas and cake too! The Accounts were approved and a full Board of Trustees elected, with our Chairman Mark Corner undertaking the role for a further one year.

6 August 2018

We encourage members and others to feedback on our work, the stories about our events, and articles in our membership magazine the Yorkshire Dales Review. 

1 July 2018

On one of the hotest days of the year so far – we reached the summit of Sharp Haw, near Skipton, for our walk in partnership with Skipton Golf Club. 

16 June 2018

Rain didn’t stop play! We had a brilliant guided walk in the stunning hay meadows near Muker and along the River Swale valley with expert botantist Anne Readshaw – with glorious views from our picnic spot at the ruined Crackpot Hall.

7 June 2018

We’ve updated our Privacy Policy

11 April 2018

Jerry Pearlman’s obituary written by Kate Ashbrook in The Guardian

4 April 2018

John Grogan, MP for Keighley, calls for updated plans and changes to National Park authorities to improve public access. See his comments on the CNP website.

29 March 2018

The Government announce £2million funding for restoration of historic farm buildings in 5 national Parks including YDNP. A great opportunity to keep some of our iconic field barns in use. See DEFRA

28 March 2018

Earlier this month (once the snow had gone!) a group led by Sheila Gordon met outside Skipton Castle to mark and celebrate the completion of a project to waymark the route of Lady Anne’s Way. There was a short address where sponsors and anyone who had helped in the project were thanked and this was followed by a very enjoyable five mile walk along part of the route (complete with new waymarks) before looping back to Skipton via the Leeds/Liverpool canal. Read more about the route and story behind Lady Anne’s Way

27 March 2018

Article in the Craven Herald on the new season’s DalesBus services.

24 March 2018

We enjoyed a wonderful event on Saturday, led by Chris Grogan. In the morning Chris took the group on a fine walk from Austwick, incorporating  part of the Dales High Way route – including  a stop at Wash Dub (photo). In the afternoon Chris gave a fascinating talk about the creation, by Chris and her husband Tony, of the Dales High Way – a 90 mile route from Saltaire to Appleby. Many thanks to Chris and Tony and to everyone who joined us for the day. A grand day out indeed!

22 March 2018

Nice article about Friends of the Dales in this month’s Cumbria Magazine.

21 March 2018

At the unveiling this morning at Settle station of a plaque in memory of Bill Mitchell who was an “Enthusiast and supporter of this line” (Settle to Carlisle). Bill, well known Dalesman and author, was a past President of the Yorkshire Dales Society.

19 March 2018

‘Why Don’t We Just…’ article by FOTD chair Mark Corner about 2nd homes in the Dales in this week’s Big Issue North.

12th March 2018

Campaign for National Parks has published today ‘National Parks for all: Making car-free travel easier’, which sets out recommendations about how to improve the options for travelling to and around National Parks sustainably. We have contributed to the report and support its recommendations. See the summary and full report here: CNP

11th March 2018

We sadly inform members of the death of our trustee and friend Jerry Pearlman who passed away peacefully at home on Friday 9th March. His funeral was held on Sunday 11th March. Jerry was a founding member of the Yorkshire Dales Society, its solicitor, and a very active trustee. He had a particular interest in championing access to the countryside. We will publish an obituary in our next Yorkshire Dales Review. Our condolences go to his wife Bernice and family. Jerry will be sadly missed by us all.

9th March 2018

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is now consulting on the draft Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan (2019-2024). This is a very important document that will shape our National Park in the short and medium term. We will be responding to the consultation. If members have comments, we would be happy to incorporate them in our response as appropriate. Alternatively, we would encourage members to respond directly. The plan and supporting documentation can be found here: YDNPA

8th March 2018

We were delighted to attend and speak at the Destination Dales Tourism Forum, held in Hawes today. Great to see the innovations happening within our tourism sector and network with many accomodation and attraction businesses, several already Business members of Friends of the Dales. Delighted that Corn Mill Tearoom  and Bedale Tourist Information Centre   became Business Members on the day. Welcome!

5th March 2018

Our letter to the Yorkshire Post expressing disappointment at Richmondshire District Council’s rejection of the proposal to progress further consideration of the 2nd homes tax matter. See Yorkshire Post

27th February 2018

Very disappointing news that Richmondshire Council has voted against progressing the proposal to have discussions with government about the possibility of increasing council tax on 2nd homes as part of a set of initiatives to attract younger people to the National Park. See Richmondshire Today<< 

5th March 2018

Interesting article ‘The wheels of the bus of social justice’ by Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley on CNP’s blog in which she argues that accessible public transport in the Dales is a matter of social justice. See CNP

Nice article in the ‘Who do you think you are?’ magazine about our Capturing the Past community digital archiving project.

17th February 2018

Operation Owl’ – a welcome initiative from North Yorkshire Police to address the horrible crime of raptor persecution, a growing issue in the Dales. See the video here RSPB (distressing in parts) and the police notification NYP. Please help if you can.

16th February 2018

BBC analysis indicates Britain’s bus coverage has hit a 28-year low. Report includes the Western Dales Bus company. See BBC

13th February 2018

The Yorkshire Post’s investigation of the issues facing the Dales focuses today on public transport, including our own Dalesbus. See Leader Comment, and Report.

10th February 2018

‘Crisis in the Dales’ series of articles in The Yorkshire Post. See Front Page , Editorial, Interview with YDNPA CEO, Essay, Report.

30th January 2018

Malham and Gordale Scar walk was voted 3rd in ITV’s “Britain’s Favourite Walks: Top 100”. There were 7 overall in the Dales, incluidng the Forest of Bowland and Nidderdale. Not bad! See the details here: OS

23rd January 2018

The ride2stride 2018 programme is now available, see ride2stride. We are leading five events at this fantastic Settle-Carlisle walking festival which runs from 1st to 7th of May. Come and join us!

22nd January 2018

Congratulations to FOTD trustee Kyle Blue for winning the “National Park Hero Award”, organised by National Parks UK, in recognition of his role in helping to secure the extension of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. See YDNPA

15th January 2018

Great support for DalesBus (a FOTD subsidiary) from MP John Grogan. See report here Craven Herald. Also welcome help from Campaign for National Parks, see CNP.

11th January 2018

The government published its 25 Year Environment Plan today. See DEFRA. Regarding National Parks, the plan states that “over the next 25 years we want to make sure they are not only conserved but enhanced.” The government is to commission a review of National Parks and AONBs to see how designated areas cover their responsibilities, how they are financed, and whether there is scope for expansion. The plan also confirms that the 8-Point Plan for National Parks 2016-2020 remains a committment and more focus will be given to attracting young people to visit our National Parks.

10th January 2018

A report from Richmondshire Today that Gayle Mill is to close. Sad news. We visited the mill, see photo, as part of our FOTD 2017 AGM, as reported in our Yorkshire Dales Review magazine published today. Read the story here Richmondshire Today

9th January 2018

Article in the Craven Herald about FOTD member and farmer Neil Heseltine and his membership of the new Nature Friendly Farming Network. See Craven Herald. There is an interview with Neil in our latest Yorkshire Dales Review discussing how nature friendly farming can go hand in hand with commercial success. The magazine will be dropping on members’ door mats later this week.

4th January 2018

Farming in the Dales: encouraging policy direction of travel set out by Michael Gove in his speech on ‘Farming for the next generation’, advocating public payment to farmers based on rewarding environmental protection and improved public access. He explicitly recognised the vital role that smaller farms play in rural communities and the challenges faced by upland farming. He said “how can we support… upland sheep farmers, whose profit margins are more likely to be small but whose contribution to rural life and the maintenance of iconic landscapes is immense”. See the speech here: DEFRA