Littondale is a dale in the

non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government. The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the

River Skirfare River Skirfare is a small river in North Yorkshire, England, that flows through Littondale and ends where it joins the larger River Wharfe. The source is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup. The name is of Old N ...

which is fed by many small gills and becks. The dale, first recorded by name as ''Littundale'' in 1198, is one of the few dales named from its main settlement rather than its river (

Wensleydale Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The Dale (landform), dale is named after the village of Wensley, North Yorkshire, Wensley, formerly the valley's market tow ...

is the best known example). Historically the dale was also known as Amerdale. The village of Arncliffe was the original setting for the TV series ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'', which is believed to take its name from Amerdale.

Geography

Littondale is a side dale to the west of

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...

and follows the

. The nature of the dale and its characteristic smooth form was the result of many ice ages, especially the one 20,000 years ago. As the glacier for that age receded it left retreat moraine, an example of which can be found at Skirfare Bridge. Like neighbouring Wharfedale, Littondale comprises mainly

Great Scar Limestone The Great Scar Limestone Group is a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphical group (stratigraphy), term referring to a succession of generally fossiliferous rock stratum, strata which occur in the Pennines in northern England and in the Isle of Ma ...

and Yoredale rock. The dale has a number of

shake holes A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

and sink-holes that lead to cave systems such as at Boreham Cave. At the head of the dale is

Pen-y-ghent Pen-y-ghent or Penyghent is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is the lowest of Yorkshire's Three Peaks at ; the other two being Ingleborough and Whernside. It lies east of Horton in Ribblesdale. It has a number of interesting geolo ...

, one of the

Yorkshire Three Peaks The mountains of Whernside (), Ingleborough () and Pen-y-ghent () are collectively known as the Three Peaks. The peaks, which form part of the Pennines, Pennine range, encircle the head of the valley of the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales ...

. A narrow road leads up the dale from the B6160 near

Kilnsey Kilnsey is a small village in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the B6160 road, between the villages of Grassington and Kettlewell, near Arncliffe and just across the River Wharfe from Conistone. The village is north of Skip ...

as far as Foxup. Two minor roads lead out of the dale to the south and west, one from Arncliffe to

Malham Malham is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. In the ''Domesday Book'', the name is given as Malgun, meaning "settlement by the gravelly places". Until 1974 it was part of the Settle Rural District, in the ...

and one from Halton Gill past Pen-y-Ghent to Stainforth in

Ribblesdale Ribblesdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the Dale (landform), dale or upper valley of the River Ribble in North Yorkshire. Towns and villages in Ribblesdale (downstream, from north to south) include Selside, North Yorkshire, ...

. Littondale is home to

Scoska Wood Scoska Wood is an IUCN protected area categories#Category IV – habitat or species management area, IUCN Category IV – habitat or species management area, a British national nature reserve (United Kingdom), national nature reserve (NNR), and ...

National Nature Reserve.

History

Littondale is rich in Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements, and has been a sheltered fertile valley for 5,000 years or more. Anglian cultivation terraces (lynchets) can be seen in the valley. After the Conquest, the Normans turned it into a hunting chase before the land was granted to the monks of

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...

in the 13th century, and became extensively used for sheep farming. All of Littondale was historically in the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Arncliffe in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

. In 1866 it was divided into the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton and Halton Gill, and in 1974 became part of the new county of North Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Craven, it is now administered by the unitary

North Yorkshire Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the council has been a unitary authority, being a county coun ...

Settlements

Hawkswick is the first settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Middle English ''Hauk'' meaning someone who trained Hawks and ''wick'', meaning ''dairy farm''. Arncliffe is the second, and largest, settlement reached travelling from the B6160, lies at the confluence of Cowside Beck and the River Skirfare. The name derives from the Old English, ''earna-clif'', meaning ''eagles cliff''. It is now a conservation area and is centred on its village green and has one public house. The church was built in the 16th and 18th centuries to replace the stone 11th century building, which probably superseded a wooden Anglo-Saxon church. Litton is the third settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name has the meaning ''village on a roaring stream''. Halton Gill is the fourth settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ''haugh'' meaning ''Valley'' and ''tun'' meaning farm. Gill is a derivation of the Olde Norse 'gil', meaning ''ravine'', therefore the whole name means ''valley farm by the ravine''. Foxup is the last settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name means ''fox valley''.

Governance

Littondale lies within the Mid Craven electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council. The county councillor in 2020 is Gill Quinn of the Conservative Party. Littondale lies within the Craven District Council ward of Upper Wharfedale and as of 2020 is represented by Sue Metcalfe of the Conservative Party. There are four civil parishes in Littondale. Arncliffe has a parish council. Hawkswick, Litton and Halton Gill have

parish meeting A parish meeting is a meeting all the electors in a civil parish in England are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of a parish council, with ...

s but no parish councils.

Gallery

Littondale - geograph.org.uk - 591156.jpg, Littondale. Seen from above Hawkswick on the path from Kettlewell. View down Littondale - geograph.org.uk - 189412.jpg, View down Littondale View up Littondale - geograph.org.uk - 10824.jpg, View up Littondale. Looking north-westwards from footpath corner at MR: SD916739. View up Littondale - geograph.org.uk - 1372553.jpg, View up Littondale. Looking up dale from the Monks Road in a north-westerly direction. Stone pillar, Littondale - geograph.org.uk - 1776824.jpg, Stone pillar, Littondale near Hawkswick Bridge. Littondale (N Yorkshire) - geograph.org.uk - 432719.jpg, Littondale (North Yorkshire). View from near the Hawkswick to Malham footpath. Hawkswick.jpg, Hawkswick Arncliffe - geograph.org.uk - 125093.jpg, Arncliffe The Queen's Arms - geograph.org.uk - 379937.jpg, The Queen's Arms, Litton Halton Gill Signs - geograph.org.uk - 302804.jpg, Halton Gill Foxup Beck - geograph.org.uk - 314631.jpg, Foxup

References

External links

{{Yorkshire Dales Valleys of North Yorkshire Yorkshire Dales