North Yorkshire

Lore & Background

The centre of the county contains a wide plain, called the Vale of Mowbray in the north and Vale of York in the south. The North York Moors uplands lie to the east, and south of them the Vale of Pickering is separated from the main plain by the Howardian Hills. Further east, the county has a coastline on the North Sea. The west of the county contains the Yorkshire Dales, an extensive upland area which contains the source of the River Ouse/Ure and many of its tributaries, which together drain most of the county before reaching the Humber estuary in the south. The Dales also contain the county's highest point, Whernside, at 736 m. The geology of North Yorkshire is closely reflected in its landscape. Within the county are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales, two of eleven areas in England and Wales to be designated national parks. The highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 736 m. A distinctive hill to the far north east of the county is Roseberry Topping. North Yorkshire contains several major rivers. The River Tees is the most northerly, forming part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham in its lower reaches and flowing east through Teesdale before reaching the North Sea near Redcar. The Yorkshire Dales are the source of many of the county's major rivers, including the Aire, Lune, Ribble, Swale, Ure, and Wharfe. The Aire, Swale, and Wharfe are tributaries of the Ure/Ouse, which at 208 km long is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river is called the Ure until it meets Ouse Gill beck just below the village of Great Ouseburn, where it becomes the Ouse and flows south before exiting the county near Goole and entering the Humber estuary. The North York Moors are the catchment for a number of rivers: the Leven which flows north into the Tees between Yarm and Ingleby Barwick; the Esk flows east directly into the North Sea at Whitby as well as the Rye (which later becomes the Derwent at Malton) flows south into the River Ouse at Goole. The county is less than 10 miles from Morecambe Bay at its closest point.

Reader's Guide

North Yorkshire contains a small section of green belt in the south of the county, which surrounds the neighbouring metropolitan area of Leeds along the North and West Yorkshire borders. It extends to the east to cover small communities such as Huby, Kirkby Overblow, and Follifoot before covering the gap between the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough, helping to keep those towns separate. The belt extends into the western area of the former Selby district, reaching as far as Tadcaster and Balne. The belt was first drawn up from the 1950s. The city of York has an independent surrounding belt area affording protections to several outlying settlements such as Haxby and Dunnington, and it too extends into the surrounding county. North Yorkshire includes all or most of four nationally protected landscapes, and smaller parts of two more protected landscapes. The Yorkshire Dales National Park adjoins the South and West Yorkshire Green Belt in the south and extends across the county into Cumbria and Lancashire in the north and west. The North York Moors National Park, the Nidderdale National Landscape (adjoining the green belt in the south and the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the west) and the Howardian Hills National Landscape are wholly within the county. Part of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and a small part of the North Pennines National Landscape, are also within the county. North Yorkshire has a temperate oceanic climate, like most of the UK. There are large climate variations within the county. The upper Pennines border on a Subarctic climate. Overall, with the county being situated in the east, it receives below-average rainfall for the UK. Inside North Yorkshire, the upper Dales of the Pennines are one of the wettest parts of England, where in contrast the driest parts of the Vale of Mowbray are some of the driest areas in the UK. Summer temperatures are above average, at 22 °C. Highs can regularly reach up to 28 °C, with over 30 °C reached in heat waves. Winter temperatures are below average, with average lows of 1 °C. Snow and fog can be expected depending on location. The source does not provide a specific statistic for snow lying days in the North York Moors and Pennines. Sunshine is most plentiful on the coast, receiving an average of 1,650 hours a year. It reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines receiving 1,250 hours a

Did You Know?

• The county is the largest in England by land area.
• The highest point is Whernside, at 736 m on the Cumbrian border.
• The River Ure/Ouse is 208 km long and is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom.
• The county is less than 10 miles from Morecambe Bay at its closest point.