Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is a national park in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. It was designated as such in 1954 and has a size of 1769 square kilometres. It has many mountains and small villages, such as Whernside and Malham respectively.
Geography
The area has many mountains, hills, and cave systems and is mainly made up of carboniferous limestone, which is responsible for many of the outstanding scenic points of interest.
Tourism
Tourism is a problem in the Yorkshire Dales, with over eight million visitors every year. A 1987 survey showed that around 70 miles of paths in the area were damaged due to trampling, and on warm days the small villages in the area, such as Malham, become seriously overcrowded.
The majority of visitors come to sightsee, with 75% visiting to drive around and 65% walking around. This indicates that most people visiting are there to take in the beauty of the surroundings. 26% also partake in nature trails and spotting wildlife. 45% visit an information centre while 35% visit a castle or other historic site. 94% of visitors travel in a private mode of transport, with 90% using a car. The remaining 6% travelled using public transport.
Media
The Dales has its' own radio station, Fresh Radio, which is broadcasted from Skipton and Richmond.
Possible expansion
In 2011 an expansion of the park was proposed, which would make it contiguous with the Lake District and increase the size by 25%.