• Roadside verge
    A 'Living Verge' full of biodiversity

We are the leading voice campaigning for a sustainable future for the Yorkshire Dales.

Join our charity to help keep this inspirational but fragile landscape special and vibrant for years to come.


Visit our Policies page to read our Statement on Climate Breakdown


Latest News

  • Call to MPs and Party Leaders
    With 2024 marking the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, along with the promise of Westminster election, Campaign for National Parks (CNP), backed by all the National Park Societies of England (of which Friends of the Dales is one), have written to all party leaders in England to … Read more
  • Yorkshire Dales Nature Recovery Plan
    We were pleased to see the draft Nature Recovery Plan presented to the National Park Authority at their meeting in September. We have written to David Butterworth, CEO to compliment his staff for their hard work in putting this important document together. We’ve also highlighted areas where the draft plan could be strengthened, for example … Read more
  • Need for a properly funded Dales National Park bus service*
    Say it is Sunday and you decide to visit the Yorkshire Dales National Park. After a week of hard work you are looking forward to fresh air, quiet, a bracing walk and that uplift of being out in nature. You’ll catch the bus – but you discover that DalesBus is the only service available to … Read more
  • October is Free Wills Month
    October is Free Wills Month, which means that members of the public aged 55 and over have the opportunity to have their simple Wills written or updated free of charge, using participating solicitors in locations across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. If you, like us, love the Yorkshire Dales then we ask you to please … Read more
  • Barn Conversion Proposals Threaten National Parks
    We strongly oppose the proposals to relax planning rules for the conversion of existing agricultural buildings, especially barns, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. With its hundreds of field barns making a unique contribution to the special and historic landscapes of the national park, these proposals would inevitably negatively impact sustainability objectives and have an adverse impact on … Read more

Our Work

Campaign

We have more than 40 years experience in taking direct action on issues of critical importance to the Dales. These include affordable housing, rural bus services, biodiversity, green lanes, pollution, farming, landscape conservation – plus many others!


Protect

We are advocates for the Dales, lobbying government and intervening where appropriate. We monitor significant planning applications and comment on many each year – supporting those we believe are right for the Dales. We also host events to raise awareness of issues, such as the pollution caused by using plastic tree guards and the degradation of our peatlands.


Enjoy

We run a variety of walks, digital talks and volunteer events throughout the year which are free for all to attend and a great way to meet others passionate about conservation issues. Getting out in to nature is also beneficial to mental health and wellbeing.

DalesBus

Sustainable transport is one of our aims for the Dales, which is why we set up DalesBus. Run by our social enterprise company Dales & Bowland CIC, volunteers organise, fundraise and publicise the services, with the buses run by bus companies or community providers. For timetables – see DalesBus

DalesBus runs on Sundays and bank holidays throughout the summer (with some in the winter) across the Yorkshire Dales, linking into bus and train services across the region. Perfect for enjoying the Dales in an environmentally friendly way!

Capturing the Past

The ‘land army’ at Horton in Ribblesdale during World War II

Capturing the Past is the project we set up to train people and groups from across the Yorkshire Dales to catalogue and digitise their own local history archives. The current collection of more than 25 archives is freely available to the public through our dedicated Yorkshire Dales Community Archives website.

This project was initially funded through Stories in Stone, a programme of conservation and community projects concentrated in the Ingleborough area. The scheme was developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership and is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. To discuss adding your archive to the site, visit Yorkshire Dales Community Archive.