Coverdale

This is Coverdale; a tributary valley, south of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. It isn't one of the best known of the dales, probably because it has no major settlement and the road is still of a class which makes it suitable for locals rather than visitor traffic. This means that the dale is relatively quiet and unspoiled.

Coverdale links Middleham in Wensleydale, one of the smallest Yorkshire towns, complete with castle and now famous for its racehorses, with to Kettlewell in Wharfdale, with its stone cottages, narrow streets and annual scarecrow festival. The dale has a few settlements, including a place called Horse House where I overnighted many years ago whilst on a walking holiday in the area. None of the settlements is bigger than a village and the landscape is dominated by fields containing sheep.

The very best way to enjoy the Dales is on foot, preferably whilst wearing a pair of sturdy hiking boots, but a drive through the Dale to reach home at the end of a long and enjoyable day is still a treat to be savoured and stored in the memory to brighten darker days.