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Speak Sheep

Sheep farming has a peculiar language all of its own. Here are the meanings to some of the words you may hear.

Clip: the wool from a flock

Crimp: the natural wave formation in wool. The closer the crimps, the finer the wool

Ewe: a female sheep capable of producing lambs. Often called yow in the Yorkshire Dales

Dags: dried dung stuck to the wool of a sheep, which may lead to fly-strike

Dagging: lovely job of cleaning off the dags

Dipping: immersing sheep in a plunge or shower dip to kill external parasites

Driving/droving: walking animals from one place to another. In the Dales we have several old Drovers' lanes.

Fleece: the wool covering the sheep, which can be sheared off each year, unlike sheepskin which you only get once from each sheep...

Flock: a group of sheep

Fly strike: infestation of the wool, skin and eventually flesh, with blowfly or botfly maggots

Greasy wool: wool that's been shorn from the sheep but not washed or cleaned

Lamb: young sheep up to year old

Lanolin: wool is full of this thick greasy substance, secreted by the sheep's skin (sometimes called wool fat). It's the foundation of many good beauty products and creams

Mutton: meat of an older ewe, usually over two years

Raddle: If you see colour on the backside of ewes, that pigment was marked using a raddle, strapped to the chest of the ram to show which ones have been mated by which tup

Ram: adult male sheep

Riggwelter: sheep that's fallen onto its back and can't get up. Also name of a Black Sheep Brewery beer - wonder why?!

Shearling: sheep before its first shearing

Tup: adult male sheep. Tupping: mating

Keld community welcoming visitors

Keld. It’s well-known for its wonderful waterfalls - Wain Wath, East Gill, Catrake and Kisdon Force. Countless walkers pass through this part of Swaledale, thanks to the beautiful setting and fact that Keld is where the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast cross.

Many visitors are also finding it has something else as well, a special essence that city dwellers may struggle to find closer to home: a strong sense of community. Sometimes that means that locals are a bit clannish, less ready to share their place with outsiders. That’s definitely not the case in Keld where locals are doing everything they can to make sure visitors feel thoroughly welcome.

Keld isn’t a big place, t's quite isolated and subject to 'proper weather' in Winter. It was once home to around 6000 souls at the height of the lead-mining industry but that's long since changed. Keld Public Hall and Reading Room, dated 1926 was once where locals met to read papers, put on plays and dances. Those times are long gone. The Public Hall was woefully underfunded, with no obvious source of income for the costs of power, insurance and repairs. A local B&B owner, Jacqui, came up with a handy solution that also benefits visitors.

In the Winter, Keld Lodge and the Rukins’ tea rooms are closed. But walkers still visit. Jacqui got used to bedraggled, cold, wet, thirsty and hungry visitors knocking on the door of Butt House B&B in the fervent hope that she might be able to help them find somewhere to eat or drink.

Her suggestion for the other members of the committee of the Public Hall was simple: a quick lick of paint for the Reading Room, and ask locals to donate some tea, coffee, milk, juice and cake. They agreed, added an honesty box and some old towels for wet dogs and opened the doors.

The visitors book shows just how welcome walkers find this refuge on a cold winters day. They’re full of praise too for Doreen Whitehead’s famous cakes. The locals all pull together to make cakes, clean up and wash dirty tea towels. At the end of the Winter they were able to tally up the total and pay for much needed repairs. A grant from the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) meant they could also buy a log burner for an added welcome. They don’t compete with other local businesses – they close as soon as the other tea room re-opens in Spring. They now have an ongoing programme of refurbishments and are even happier to see cold, bedraggled, thirsty walkers!

This isn’t the only community project in Keld. Many visitors will have already been to Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre where there are really interesting and informative displays about Keld and surrounding area. There's also a lovely room upstairs for events and gatherings.

In February 2017, a group of about 12 Keld and Angram residents cleared a derelict area behind Keld chapel. With advice from YDNP they planted suitable grasses and trees, and opened the Community Orchard in May 2017. It’s cared for by local volunteers, and visitors are welcome to go in and enjoy the peace or sit on one of the benches made by volunteer Derek Bowhay to enjoy the stunning views.

Joy of small things

We talk a lot about the beauty of the huge sweeping landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales, the hills, the valleys, the rivers. There are facebook groups teeming with incredible images of fields, drystone walls and barns. With beauty abundant on such a grand scale, we sometimes forget about the joy to be found in smaller treasures. The tiny details that nature hides from us in plain sight, up until we take time to look closer.

I'm writing this standing up. It's either that or lying down. The pain in my back is too intense to sit down today.

And yet I'm feeling happy, optimistic, upbeat.

It was such an effort to let the dogs (three springers) out into the garden this morning, but as soon as I breathed the clear morning air, heard the birdsong and saw the dogs happily racing outside, I smiled.

Walking slower than I normally do, I noticed the incredible green of the lichen on the hedge. I once tried to mix paints to replicate the colour - impossible. It changes frequently, as the sun moves. Then there was the wonderful texture of the star moss growing on the apple tree, made fluorescent by the early morning dew.

As I looked closer, I noticed the different colours and patterns made by the lichen and the peeling bark, was amazed to see just how many seemingly inert branches were covered in tiny buds. The half-hearted nests long abandoned in the hedge, the gnarled, tangled exposed roots of the hawthorn, the dew on the spider's web.

I normally rush everything I do. There are so many things I'm interested in, things I want to do I'm rubbish at slowing down, pausing and just sitting. Several people have pointed out that the reason my photos are always so bad is because I press the trigger as I'm moving on to look at the next thing.

My dad was the master of just sitting and looking, noticing beauty even in the mundane. He was dismissive of people who see a wonderful sight and instantly reach for their cameras to mark the moment, "they look, but they don't see". I remember him pointing out the exquisite markings on a butterfly, still loving the wonder of nature even when he was very ill.

This morning there were moments in the garden as I watched the sun rise, heard the birds sing, smiled at the dogs racing around as if they'd never seen the garden before, that I completely forgot the pain of a trapped nerve. The tiny details of nature achieved something the painkillers failed to do. Taking a few moments to really see, there's such joy to be found in the small things. And this time the pictures are blurry because my old phone isn't great for close-ups, not because I was in too much of a rush... I just wish my dad could sit and see them with me.

Lambing

Who doesn't love the sight of lambs in the Yorkshire Dales fields? It's such an optimistic sight - new life, happy active lambs playing in the Spring sunshine, their protective mothers never far away. There's an air of carefree times to come, as Spring turns into Summer. But behind this lovely sight is a lot of work and worry for farmers.

You're most likely to see lambs in Dales' fields from February to April. Most lambs are born outside without any help. Some farmers will bring ewes into barns or fields closer to the farm to help them lamb, particularly if the weather is bad or they are first time mothers.

Some sheep breeds, such as Swaledales are better mothers than others, even in adverse weather conditions.

Lambs are bred in early Spring when the weather is less harsh. In Spring time the grass is starting to grow again so there’s plenty to eat.

When we see cute lambs gambolling about the hillsides we often don’t acknowledge that for farmers lambing means huge responsibility and exhaustion. They have endless early mornings and late nights (if they get to bed at all), watching and helping ewes to lamb, making sure they bond, and the lambs are fed. If the weather is bad, the job is even harder.

The first few hours are vital, so farmers need to check on them so frequently. The initial colostrum milk carries essential antibodies and nutrition. Some lambs may need to be brought inside for feeding. In cold weather it’s important to keep up their energy levels with sufficient nutrition, and some ewes may be less good at suckling their lambs.

A strong elastic band is fixed around the base of the tail, which withers and falls off. This keeps their bottoms clean and free from disease. New born lambs are particularly susceptible to wet weather and may need extra protection: this is why you sometimes see them in plastic coats!

Please keep your dogs on a lead

After all this hard work, we really need to ask you to make sure you have your dogs on leads. Many say their dogs would never worry sheep. That may be true - my spaniels wouldn't chase sheep but they do chase rabbits and if they happened to be a field full of sheep while chasing rabbits, they'd freak the sheep. A pregnant ewe can abort due to shock, or get separated from her lambs in a panic. A farmer seeing that sight might well believe their sheep were in danger and they'd have every right to shoot my dogs.

By law if a dog causes damage by injuring or killing livestock, the keeper of the dog is liable for the damage. The law provides statutory defence to farmers who injure a dog in order to protect their livestock, if the dog is not under control.

Follow the story of a traditional Dales sheep farm

If you'd like to follow the story of a traditional Yorkshire Dales upland sheep farm breeding Swaledales, take a look at Glenda Calvert's blog.

Embsay to Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

In the mood for a little nostalgia, a gentle day trip in beautiful countryside? All aboard for the Embsay to Bolton Abbey Steam Railway! Run by an incredible team of very committed volunteers, this preserved heritage railway makes for a really special day out, travelling in time.

Everyone gets excited as they hear the thrilling hiss of the engine, turns up their noses in delight at the smell of the steam. Volunteers make sure everyone's safely on board and settled in one of the beautifully restored Edwardian and Victorian carriages.

On some trains you can even travel in Queen Victoria's original saloon, accompanied by some of Queen Victoria's favourite delicacies with a glass of champagne.

The route is only five miles long, chugging through the Dales countryside between Embsay and Bolton Abbey station. If you want to see the trains in motion and take pictures you can stop off en route at Holywell Halt. From Bolton Abbey station, it's a leisurely mile and a half walk to the Abbey ruins and Bolton Abbey Estate.

The railway is volunteer-run and doesn't receive any grants towards its running costs so they have to be enterprising to cover the costs of services and their ongoing restoration programme. You can book meals on board as part of their services and special events, ranging from cooked breakfasts, ploughman's lunches, beautifully presented afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, curries, wine and cheese tastings. Events include Santa Specials, a 1940s weekend, and Halloween Specials.

If you'd like to treat someone, you could buy them the chance to do something really different: a Signal Box Experience, controlling the locos and trains; and the Footplate Experience. The Footplate Experience sounds incredible - it offers the opportunity to run over the full line and pull a complete service train, with spaces on the train for your family!

It's best to book in advance. Steam trains run on Sundays in Winters, then more frequently during the rest of the year until daily in August. See the full timetable here.

Brimham Rocks

Brimham Rocks are the kind of natural curiosity that delight young and old visitors alike. Once discovered, many ask ‘why haven’t we been here before?’.

They’re slightly hidden on a minor road near Summerbridge in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and make a perfect natural playground and picnic spot. The site is large enough to provide entertainment for several hours, with plenty of spot for children to run and play hide and seek among the rocks.

The Millstone Grit stones have a coarse surface, making them a great starting point for young climbers but watch out on rainy days when they can be quite slippy. Roger and the Rottentrolls was filmed here so you may spot some of the locations from the children’s TV series. The views from the rocks on a clear day also make it worth a visit, particularly if you’re seeking a picnic site.

The rocks are the result of over 350 million years of erosion. Around 380 million years ago a huge delta river deposit the Millstone Grit which was eventually shaped by ice, water, and sand deposits in wind, creating the curious collection of interesting shaped rocks that visitors now love.

Over the years the various formations and shapes have been given names, and stories attach to some of them. There are numerous Rocking Stones, Druid’s Kissing Chair, Wishing Rock, Pulpit Rock, Cannon Rocks. Some are said to resemble animals - the Crocodiles, Polar Bears, Elephant, Turtle, Rat, Owl and Camel’s Head.

In the 1950s it seems to have been a popular pastime to ask bachelors to walk through a narrow cleft called the Needle, for the amusement of assembled women (simpler times...). Children now delight in weaselling their way through the tight spaces and discovering the nooks and crannies.

Brimham is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It's quite unusual to find three different varieties of heather in one area – ling, bell, and cross-leaved heath. Numerous bird boxes have been erected around the site, which attract blue and great tits, pied flycatchers, nuthatches, redstarts, spotted flycatchers and owls.

The National Trust has a regular programme of events at Brimham Rocks, with guided walks looking at its geology and history, and adventure days organised with the Harrogate Climbing Centre.

What's in a Dales name?

Keld (meaning a spring) by Guy Carpenter

We use place names without thinking about them. With thousands of years of history and Roman, Celts, Saxon, Viking, Norman and other settlers, it’s no surprise that place names give us an insight into how they've evolved.

I still remember my history teacher, Mr. Milner telling me this over forty years ago, and thinking he'd just given us the key to a secret code! You don't need to know that many words to get a good handle on who lived here before us and why.

First came the Brigantes, a Celtic tribe. Some of the names from this time remain, sounding a bit Welsh perhaps.

An example is anywhere with pen in the name, meaning ‘hill’. For example, Penhill, (so good they named it twice?!) and Pen-y-ghent.

Anglo Saxon was the next influence. Look out for names ending in ham or ton (eventually leading to town) which meant a farmstead. The name before –ton or –ham was often either the name of a person who owned that land, geographic feature or a trade carried on there. Masham was the farmstead owned by the Saxon chief, Massa so it was Massa’s ham. This is why it’s pronounced Mass-ham not Mash-em! Skipton originally meant sheep farm! It’s hard to imagine that once woods and forests covered much of the Dales. Ley meant ‘clearing in the woods’ e.g. Wensley.

The Vikings contributed to our language in a really significant way. They gave us suffixes like thwaite meaning ‘clearing’, keld meaning ‘spring’, foss or force for ‘waterfall’, and gill or ghyll meaning ‘ravine’.

Many landscape features still use names from the time of the Danelaw:

Beck – stream
Cam – bank or ridge
Carr – wetland
Fell - mountain
Garth – enclosed grass paddock by a farmstead
Ling – heather
Mire – a pool e.g Redmire would have been a reed pool
Moss – boggy land
Nab – outcrop
Scar – steep rock face
Sett or seat – upland fields, often summer pastures
Syke – gully
Tarn – upland lake
Thorpe - settlement
Whin – thorny bushes

You may have noticed some more fanciful French-sounding names like Jervaulx which came from the Norman. Richmond was originally a strong hill, Richemont, which makes sense when you see the castle!

In the Dales we’re used to the importance of rivers in naming places – most dales are named after their river e.g. Wharfedale, Ribblesdale. A valley is called a dale, although in some areas you might see words like dean instead, and the valley bottom was called… bottom! Lots of place names end in ford, as in a shallow river crossing. Kirk was the Scandinavian word for church. Kirkby would have meant church by…

Maybe now when you look at the map or drive around the Dales, you'll also see it through the eyes of those ancient settlers. They're long gone, but the names remain.

Kettlewell

Kettlewell is much loved and visited, partly thanks to the Calendar Girls: it was used as the location for the village of Knapely so you'll probably recognise the distinctive bridge with the traditional black and white sign posts.

I think of Kettlewell as the 'criss cross village'. Several walking and cycling routes such as the Dales Way criss cross the village, as do the small bridges across the beck.

In the surrounding fields many dry stone walls create their own criss cross patterns, converging in the surrounding fields, along with the grassed terraces, worm away by successive generations of sheep. Kettlewell's original name along the lines of 'Cetel Wella' apparently means a babbling beck, which is apt, particularly on a Spring morning.

Many walkers come for the challenge of nearby Great Whernside (2,310ft) and Buckden Pike (2,303 ft) and Old Cote Moor Top. The National Trust suggests a walk over some their land following the ridge between Wharfedale and Littondale, with fantastic fellside views.

If you prefer a gentler wander around the village, look out for the photogenic Cam Gill Beck, some ancient buildings (some dating back to the mid 1600s), the village stocks and the Kettlewell weather stone.

In St. Mary's church try to spot Robert Thompson's carved mouse and beaver carved by one of the Mouseman's pupils. Children used to tie up the lychgate during weddings until the groom gave them money to untie it. I'm not sure if this tradition persists but seems like an enterprising idea...

We really enjoy the cakes and lunches in Zarina's cosy tea rooms.

If you prefer something stronger, there are several pubs in the village, including the Racehorses Hotel with a sun terrace overlooking the river, the King's Head where chef patron Michael Pighills is now at the helm creating excellent food, and Blue Bell which welcomes dogs.

Jervaulx Abbey

Many businesses describe themselves as 'family-run' but few families are quite as involved in running different aspects of their business as the Burdons who run Jervaulx Abbey.

Carol, Ian, Anna and Gayle are all active participants in making this a very special place to visit and enjoy.

If you were to ask all the families living within 10 miles of Jervaulx if you could look at their photes, a high proportion of pictures would probably include the abbey ruins and tea rooms. It's perfect for every stage of life. A safe visit for toddlers who're just embarking on life on two legs, while the adults wander and maybe enjoy the odd moment's peace in the tranquil surroundings.

As they grow older, children love to play hide and seek in the beautiful Abbey ruins, while their parents chat and don't try quite as hard as they could to find them. And so it goes on. Groups of friends use it as a meeting place, gathering for a picnic or going for a walk and then enjoying the excellent cake in the tea rooms. Friends meet there for 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays. I recently saw a sprightly 90 year holding court with her family and friends in the extended tea rooms. It's now also a wedding and civil ceremony venue, so there are even more reasons why Jervaulx appears in family albums.

The french-sounding name comes from the times when Jervaulx was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of England, built in the 12th century. Its name means 'Ure valley' or 'Yoredale', the old name for Wensleydale. The monks were rich and powerful, largely from trading sheep and wool which was an important commodity in the middle ages. They bred and trained horses, a trade still carried on in nearby Middleham - Windsor of the North. The first Wensleydale Cheese was made by the monks, originally using sheep's milk. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Jervaulx was pillaged but substantial ruins remain.

Jervaulx Abbey is one of the largest privately owned Cistercian Abbeys in England and is open to the public - don't forget to pay your contribution in the Honesty Box. Owners Ian and Carol don't receive any government funding for the upkeep of this treasured historic monument in its stunning setting. Despite being injured in a car accident some years ago, Ian works hard to maintain the Abbey and the surrounding garden which is abundant in wild flowers.

The Burdon family created and developed the Tea Rooms across the road from the Abbey 25 years ago, and Gayle and Anna now run them. They're celebrating 25 years with the launch of a recipe book.

They also have an award-winning wedding cake business, "Where the Ribbon Ends" which has a studio and display of cakes within a section of the tea rooms.

Why don't you start your own family tradition and explore Jervaulx Abbey before enjoy cake or lunch in the Tea Rooms?

And don't forget your camera...

The Dalesman

For my 50th blog I'd like to pay homage to a Dales institution, the Dalesman. It's the UK's biggest selling regional consumer magazine and was started by Harry Scott 80 years ago in 1939. Originally known by the rather more longwinded title of 'The Yorkshire Dalesman: A Monthly Magazine of Dales' Life and Industry', it's changed over the years but not substantially. I've got some 1940s copies and can't say the overall feel has changed much - a real love of Yorkshire still shines through. The wonderful Yorkshire Playwright Alan Bennett said, "The Dalesman has proved to be something of a river; it just goes flowing on - and like a river it is, I hope, unstoppable."

You can often still find old copies of the Dalesman in second hand bookshops and antique shops and they're real treasures, giving an insight into the character of the area.

I was going to wax lyrical about the Dalesman magazine and why I love it but then I came across a brilliant interview broadcast by Yorkshire Television. It features wonderful playwright Alan Bennett and the Dalesman's legendary editor Bill Mitchell who was about to retire after 24 years as its editor. It also features famous contributors Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby. This programme was first broadcast in 1988 so it's dated, in the best way possible.

I love the description of a 'dales man': "he's unhappy in a crowd, happy with his own thoughts, living his own quiet thoughts, tremendously independent, truly a character. He has his own original way of looking at the world, doesn't allow anyone to influence it too greatly. He's realistic, a little taciturn (described as the art of saying nowt for a long time). He's thrifty, but hospitable." I think all that applies equally to many dales women too.

You can watch the programme here thanks to the BFI archive.

Find more places to visit in the Yorkshire Dales

Wharfedale
Grassington
Kettlewell
Burnsall
Appletreewick
Kilnsey
Bolton Abbey Estate

Swaledale & Arkengarthdale
Reeth
Richmond
Muker
Thwaite
Keld
Buttertubs
Langthwaite
Gunnerside
Crackpot Hall
Corpse Way
Swale Trail

Wensleydale
Hawes
Leyburn
Masham
Middleham
Askrigg
Wensley
Aysgarth
Carperby

Ribblesdale & Three Peaks
Settle
Settle-Carlisle Railway
Yorkshire Three Peaks
Clapham
Feizor
Hoffman
Ingleborough
Ingleton
Stainforth

Nidderdale
Pateley Bridge
Scar House Reservoir
Coldstones Cut
Fountains Abbey
Brimham Rocks

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This independent not-for-profit website was created using recommendations from Dales insiders' - people who live in, and love the Yorkshire Dales.

Copyright Susan Briggs 2021
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Image; Guy Carpenter

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