Enjoy nature and the changing seasons in the Yorkshire Dales

Many people find turning to nature brings instant relief from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It helps still the mind, adds perspective and never ceases to convey a sense of wonder. Researchers at the University of Essex found that after exercising outdoors, 2/3 people have improved self-esteem, 2/3 people are in a better mood and 3/4 people feel less miserable and tense!

There’s a growing number of scientific studies showing that green spaces are good for human well-being. Feeling calm and serene helps reduce stress. Research shows that anxiety can be reduced simply by looking out on to pleasant scenery and taking note of the changing seasons and small details in nature. Patients in hospitals with nature views stay in for less time and require less medication. Natural sounds such as bird song have calming effects.

Just some of the birds and wildlife you could see in the Yorkshire Dales - images © Simon Phillpotts www.wilddales.co.uk

Simple ways to enjoy nature

Go outside, sit on a hillside and whatever the weather, turn your face toward it. Feel the sun on your face or the wind bashing your cheeks for a few moments. Enjoy the simple contentment of being alive

Collect treasure. As you walk, pick up a small stick, a feature, a conker, a pebble - whatever catches your magpie eye. Keep a few precious treasures in a pot on a window sill or in a coat pocket so each time you come across them, you're instantly taken back to the place you collected them
Splash in a stream, gaze in wonder at a waterfall
Take a photo of every wildflower and type of grass you see, with the date you first see them and keep a record over a whole year. You’ll be amazed how many you can count
Make a date to climb a hill and silently watch the sunrise. Go back later to watch the sun set
Sit by a fallen log for a few minutes and count how many insects you find
Collect some cones, sticks, leafs, and create a nature table, remembering the wonder you felt as a child. Make a collage or a model out of your nature treasures
Go for a walk on a wet or snowy day and look out for animal tracks in the mud or snow

A precious habitat

The Yorkshire Dales are home to: Red & black grouse, Redshank, Curlew, Snipe, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Merlin, Yellow Wagtail, Skylark, Swaledale and Wensleydale sheep, Northern Brown Argus butterflies, Atlantic white-clawed clayfish, red squirrels and longhorn cattle.

Distinctive flora include: Bird’s Eye Primrose, Rigid Buckler Fern, Globeflower, Baneberry, Buttercups, Sweet vernal-grass, Pignut, Red fescue, Yorkshire fog, Common sorrel, Lady’s mantle, Common spotted-orchid, Bistort, Melancholy thistle, Globeflower.

Curlew by Whitfield Benson

There are nature reserves dotted throughout the Dales:

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves which you can visit include: the peaceful wetland beside scenic Semer Water, near Marsett, a haven for waders, wildfowl, and nesting birds. Brae Pasture, South House Pavement, and Southerscales are all amazing examples of our rare limestone grasslands and limestone pavement on one of our famous Three Peaks - Ingleborough. There are stunning traditional hay meadows at Leyburn Old Glebe, Wensleydale and Yellands Meadow, Muker busy with bees and butterflies in summer.

Don't miss the beautiful ancient ash woodland Grass Wood, near Grassington, and tiny Globe Flower Wood, near Malham, which bursts into life with colourful globeflowers in June. Malham Cove Peregrine Watch - see nesting peregrines! Peregrine falcons are the fastest bird in the world when hunting their prey, and a family of these beautiful birds have been nesting and raising young successfully at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales since 1993. The RSPB and YDNPA run a viewpoint at Malham from April - August.

The Yorkshire Dales Flowers of the Dales Festival is one of the highlights of the Yorkshire Dales wildlife calendar, chock full of special guided events and wildflower walks from Spring through to Autumn. With a unique combination of pretty limestone dales, species rich meadows, ancient woodlands, breathtaking heather moorland and the spectacular 'Three Peaks' area the Yorkshire Dales offers the perfect opportunity for you to discover and enjoy a fantastic variety of wildflower habitats.

Events are run by a wide range of local conservation charities, organisations and individuals, and the Festival is coordinated by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Find out just how many wildflower species there are living in one Yorkshire hay meadow, and discover the traditional medicinal uses of many of these plants!

Enjoy the changing seasons

We sometimes feel like we experience all four seasons in one day in the Yorkshire Dales! Whatever the season, the landscape changes and there are different things to see. These are just some of the highlights and ways to enjoy seeing nature at work.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park has put together a series of guides showing what to look out for at different times of the year. You can download them by clicking on the links below

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter