Arkengarthdale

Arkengarthdale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire, England. Running roughly north-west to south-east, it is the valley of the Arkle Beck, and is the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a subsidiary dale to Swaledale, which it joins at Reeth. The history of the dale, its people, and farming, lead mining, and local crafts is displayed and documented in the Swaledale Museum in Reeth. On its way up the dale from Reeth the unclassified road crosses many other small streams and their catchments, such as Great Punchard Gill, Roe Beck, Annaside Beck, and William Gill. It passes through several small settlements: Raw, Arkle Town, Langthwaite (where a narrow back road leads to Booze), Eskeleth and Whaw. At Eskeleth Bridge another unclassified road forks north-east (towards Barnard Castle); this also joins a minor road running along the northern side of the dale to Whaw. Beyond Whaw is the most sparsely populated upper part of Arkengarthdale, which here runs roughly west–east. This area is one of the most northerly parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Eventually the dale ends and the road reaches the Tan Hill Inn, the highest in England, just outside the Park, near the Pennine watershed. Beyond Tan Hill, the road divides again, heading westward to Brough, south to Keld and south-west to Kirkby Stephen. The moors on both sides of Arkengarthdale are used for the annual Scott Trial, a cross-country motorcycle endurance event. The Dale cuts through the eastern half of a major lead mining field and lead was extracted from the area for over a thousand years. Most of the mining structures have now disappeared leaving only the spoil heaps and the line of an 3,600-foot (1,100 m) long chimney from the site of the smelting mill. The current economy of the Dale depends on hill farming, grouse shooting and tourism. In 1989 Arkengarthdale (and Swaledale) were designated as a Barns and Walls Conservation Area.