Snaizeholme

Last updated

Snaizeholme
Snaizeholme Beck (7085).jpg
Snaizeholme Beck, looking southwards up the valley
Floor elevation878 feet (267.7 m) [1]
Length3 miles (4.8 km)North/south
Area1,390 acres (561 ha)
Geology
TypeGlacial
Geography
CountryEngland
State/Province Yorkshire and the Humber
Coordinates 54°15′43″N2°16′08″W / 54.262°N 2.269°W / 54.262; -2.269
RiverSnaizeholme Beck

Snaizeholme is a small side valley of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP), North Yorkshire, England. The valley is noted for its red squirrel reserve, the only place within the North Yorkshire part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park where red squirrels are known to live, and a tree re-wilding project.

Contents

Along with Ribblehead further to the west, the upper slopes of Snaizeholme are known to be one of the wettest places within the YDNP. Rainfall on Snaizeholme Fell (at 1,900 feet (579 m) is a mean average of 77 inches (1,957 mm) per year.

History

It is thought that during the Anglian stage of glaciation, ice pushing south from the main Wensleydale stem, created the bowl shaped nature of the upper valley. [2] The amphitheatre nature of the valley is consistent with an ice-stream pushing southwards towards Grove Head and into Wharfedale. [3] The settlement of the Norse people in Wensleydale lent their language to the name of the valley; Sneis meaning twig led to the name being translated as the water-meadow with twigs. [4] It was first recorded in 1280 as Snaysum or Snaysome, when the vaccary (a name for the cattle farms in upland regions of the Pennines) was listed as £6 per year (equivalent to £7,000in 2023). [5] [6] In the seventeenth century, a survey listed the valley as being either Snaisholme or Snailsholme, which was in the township of Hawes with a population of nine, eight house, 30 outhouses and 268 acres (108 ha) of meadow lands. [7] A directory from 1893 shows that most people (if not all) in the dale were farmers and their families. [8]

The valley is in a rough north/south direction, extending to 3 miles (4.8 km) in length, and covering an area of 1,390 acres (561 ha). [9] Snaizeholme Beck drains the valley northwards into Widdale Beck, both tributaries of the River Ure. Snaizeholme Beck flows for 4.2 miles (6.7 km) and drains an area of 2,790 acres (1,131 ha). [10] The beck is fed by 21 streams, all of which total a complete length of 26 miles (42 km), [11] and between 1970 and 2020, the average flow out of the beck into Widdale Beck is 7.1 cubic feet per second (0.2 m3/s). [12] The valley extends from a low of 878 feet (267.7 m) to the top of Snaizeholme Fell which is 1,793 feet (547 m). [13] [14]

The valley was originally part of the Forest of Wensleydale; however, farming practices have left most of the valley without tree cover. [15] [11] In 2021, the woodland trust proposed a scheme which would involve planting birch, rowan, oak, willow and Scots Pine trees across 550 acres (220 ha) of land within Snaizeholme valley. At that time, less than 5% of the Yorkshire Dales had woodland cover, with only 1% consisting of ancient woodland, the type most beneficial to wildlife. [16] The proposal was to encourage the squirrel habitat, but also to attract otters, kingfishers, herons and grey wagtails into the valley. [17] The trees will enable carbon to be captured, and will slow the flow of water, therefore reducing the risk of flooding. [18]

The planting of the first 100,000 saplings began in spring 2023, with a further £8 million needed to be raised to see the project through to a successful conclusion. [11] [19] Besides the planting of trees, the project aims to restore 279 acres (113 ha) of blanket bog peatland, 247 acres (100 ha) of limestone pavement, and 191 acres (77 ha) of the open valley bottom. [20] The geography of the dale has been assessed as 13% woodland, 86% grassland, and 1% bog or heath. [21] The land is mostly carboniferous limestone, with shales and coal measures deeper down, and an isolated pocket of millstone grit to the south-east of the dale where it rises up to the peaks. [22] [23]

The road into the Snaizeholme stretches up from Widdale, but peters out in the middle of the valley, so the dale is only accessible by vehicle from the north. [14] On the high ground of the eastern side of the dale is the Cam Road, an old Roman Road that was once part of the Richmond to Lancaster Turnpike, and now forms part of the route of the route of the Pennine Way. [24] The road through the valley was traditionally another route used by drovers out of Hawes and they would get to Cam Road between Dodd Fell (to the east) and Snaizeholme Fell, (to the west). [25] Even though the River Ure was part of the long border between the old county divisions of the West and North Ridings, Snaizeholme has always been in the either the North Riding or North Yorkshire. [26] [27] Historically it was in the wapentake of Hang West in the parish of Aysgarth; it is now in the parish of Hawes. [28]

The annual ultramarathon The Fellsman , runs through the dale. [29] [30]

Rainfall

The dale is noted as being one of the wettest places within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, averaging between 69.7 inches (1,771 mm) and 79 inches (2,000 mm) of rainfall per year. [31] [11] The mean average calculated between 1968 and 2012 was 77 inches (1,957 mm). [32] Most of the water that falls on the western and northern side of Dodd Fell, drains down to the River Ure through Snaizeholme. [33] An extreme rainfall event in May 1959 sent floods down the valley into the River Ure, which trapped a man up to his waist in floodwater and washed away sheep and lambs. [34] [35] Flooding also occurred on 31 January 1995, when Low Houses recorded rainfall of 5.39 inches (136.8 mm) in 24 hours. [36] In the floods of February 2020, the gauge at the lower end of the valley recorded a rainfall of 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in 48 hours, which was 80% of the long-term average. [37]

Annual rainfall statistics for three weather stations in Snaizeholme
YearLow House rainfall [lower-alpha 1] Mirk Pot Farm rainfall [lower-alpha 2] Top Snaizeholme rainfall [lower-alpha 3] Ref
19681,633 millimetres (64.3 in)1,782 millimetres (70.2 in)2,093 millimetres (82.4 in) [38]
19731,161 millimetres (45.7 in)1,352 millimetres (53.2 in)1,589 millimetres (62.6 in) [39]
19781,471 millimetres (57.9 in)1,538 millimetres (60.6 in)(no data) [40]
19831,551 millimetres (61.1 in)(data spoiled)2,015 millimetres (79.3 in) [41]
19881,985 millimetres (78.1 in)(no data)2,085 millimetres (82.1 in) [42]
19931,823 millimetres (71.8 in)(no data)(no data) [43]
19951,500 millimetres (59 in)(no data)(no data) [44]
  1. Located at gridref SD832878, and at a height of 899 feet (274 m)
  2. Located at gridref SD828870, and at a height of 1,024 feet (312 m)
  3. Located at gridref SD830834, and at a height of 1,900 feet (579 m)

Red squirrel reserve

Red Squirrel in Snaizeholme Red Squirrel - Flickr - cazalegg (3).jpg
Red Squirrel in Snaizeholme

The reserve for red squirrels at Snaizeholme (SD828863) is one of 17 dotted around Northern England, [45] [46] and is the only location within North Yorkshire part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park where squirrels are known to exist. The Cumbrian part of the YDNP is also home to red squirrels. [47] [48] The squirrels first arrived in the dale c.2002 (probably from Cumbria) as a result of a couple buying Mirk Pot Farm in 1967 and starting a Christmas tree plantation and other forestry schemes which enabled a good habitat for the squirrels. [49] The conservation and reserve status has been so successful, that red squirrels have been spotted in gardens in Hawes, the nearest town, and Bainbridge further down the valley. [50] The creation of new woodland, including deciduous trees, has also benefitted other wildlife, with bird species increased from thirty types to seventy, and water voles and pine martens spotted in the valley. [51]

Access to the reserve is either a 10-mile (16 km) circular walk from Hawes, or being dropped off at the bottom of the wooded plantation by the Little White Bus (a small but dedicated bus service that serves the local community. [52]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Dales</span> Upland area of the Pennines in Northern England

The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or dales, in the Pennines, an upland range in England. They are mostly located in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into Cumbria and Lancashire; they are entirely within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire. The majority of the dales are within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, created in 1954. The exception is the area around Nidderdale, which forms the separate Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wensleydale</span> Upper valley of the River Ure in North Yorkshire, England

Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The dale is named after the village of Wensley, formerly the valley's market town. The principal river of the valley is the Ure, which is the source of the alternative name Yoredale. The majority of the dale is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park; the part below East Witton is within the national landscape of Nidderdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aysgarth Falls</span> Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England

Aysgarth Falls are a triple flight of waterfalls, surrounded by woodland and farmland, carved out by the River Ure over an almost one-mile (two-kilometre) stretch on its descent to mid-Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales of England, near the village Aysgarth. The falls are quite spectacular after heavy rainfall as thousands of gallons of water cascade over the series of broad limestone steps, which are divided into three stages: Upper Force, Middle Force and Lower Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ure</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. The old name for the valley was Yoredale after the river that runs through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawes</span> Market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Hawes is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a tourist attraction in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appersett</span> Hamlet in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England

Appersett is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England one mile (1.6 km) west of Hawes. It lies on the A684 road and an unclassified road runs alongside Widdale Beck to connect with the B6255 road between Hawes and Ingleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedbusk</span> Hamlet in North Yorkshire, England

Sedbusk is a hamlet near Hawes and Hardraw Force within the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is 1 mile (1.5 km) north of the town of Hawes across the River Ure. Sedbusk is in the civil parish of High Abbotside along with Hardraw and Simonstone. The name of the hamlet derives from the Old Norse Saetr buskr, which means 'the bush by the shieling'. In 1280, it was recorded as setebuskste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burtersett</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Burtersett is a small village in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east from Hawes and Gayle. The village is known for its former quarrying industry and being the seat of the Hillary family, with one strand of the family emigrating to New Zealand and raising Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous mountaineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coverdale, North Yorkshire</span> Valley of the Yorkshire Dales, England

Coverdale is a dale in the far east of the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from the River Cover, a tributary of the River Ure. The dale runs south-west from the eastern end of Wensleydale to the dale head at a pass, known as Park Rash Pass, between Great Whernside to the south and Buckden Pike to the north. It is accessible by a single track road, which runs the length of the dale and over the pass to Kettlewell in Wharfedale. The name is taken from that of the River Cover, which is of Brittonic origin. Ekwall suggested that it might mean "hollow stream", but more recently Andrew Breeze has argued that it is cognate with Welsh gofer "streamlet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotter Force</span> Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England

Cotter Force is a small waterfall on Cotterdale Beck, a minor tributary of the River Ure, near the mouth of Cotterdale, a side dale in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishopdale Beck</span> Stream in North Yorkshire, England

Bishopdale Beck is a major tributary of the River Ure in North Yorkshire, England. The beck flows down Bishopdale, a side valley of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Widdale</span> Small valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Widdale is a small side dale on the south side of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. The dale lies to the east of Great Knoutberry Hill and is bounded on the west by Dentdale, south by Sleddale and north by Mossdale. It is drained by Widdale and Snaizeholme Becks which feed the waters north into the River Ure at Appersett. The name Widdale means 'The Wooded Valley' in Old Norse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleet Moss</span> Upland area of the Yorkshire Dales, England

Fleet Moss is an upland area separating Wharfedale from Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. The area is 1,850 ft (560 m) above sea level. Fleet Moss is noted for its peat blanket bog, which has been dated to the Neolithic period. The area is ombrotrophic; this means it needs rain, hail snow and fog for its nutrients. Fleet Moss is known as the most eroded blanket bog in all of Yorkshire; because of its observable damage, it is known colloquially as The Somme, and as such, is visible from space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crummackdale</span> A valley in North Yorkshire, England

Crummackdale,, is a small valley north of the village of Austwick in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. The Valley is drained by Austwick Beck, which flows into the River Wenning, which in turn heads westwards to empty into the Irish Sea. Crummackdale is a narrow south west facing dale, at the south west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wether Fell</span> Peak in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Wether Fell, also known as Drumaldrace, is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in North Yorkshire, England. Wether Fell is mountain that divides Wensleydale in the north and Upper Wharfedale in the south. Its summit is 614 metres (2,014 ft). A Roman Road, the Cam High Road, passes along the southern edge of the summit reaching 1,900 feet (580 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cauldron Falls (North Yorkshire)</span> Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England

Cauldron Falls, is a series of waterfalls on Walden Beck in the village of West Burton, North Yorkshire, England. It is known as Cauldron Falls due to the swirls in the plunge pools beneath the cascades of the waterfall. The beck continues on underneath a packhorse bridge where there is another cascade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorcock Inn, Hawes</span> Pub in the Yorkshire Dales, England

The Moorcock Inn is a public house near the watershed between the rivers Clough and Ure, in Upper Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England. It is adjacent to the junction of the A684 road and the B6259 road and near Garsdale railway station on the Settle–Carlisle line. The history of the inn can be traced back to the 1740s but it has been called The Moorcock only since 1840. The pub is near some long-distance paths and is popular with walkers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunds, North Yorkshire</span> Hamlet in North Yorkshire, England

Lunds is a hamlet in North Yorkshire, England, near to the watershed of the Eden and Ure rivers. It is on the border between Cumbria and North Yorkshire, and was at one time allocated to the West Riding, but has been traditionally treated as being in the North Riding, now North Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel-le-Dale (valley)</span> Valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Chapel-le-Dale is west-facing valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The U-shaped valley of Chapel-le-Dale is one of the few which drain westwards towards the Irish Sea, however, the river that flows through the valley has several names with the Environment Agency and the Ordnance Survey listing it as the River Doe. However, some older texts insist the name of the watercourse through the dale is the River Greta, which runs from a point below the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, and onwards past Ingleton. The dale is sparsely populated with only one settlement, the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, which has a small chapel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleddale</span> Valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Sleddale is a short, narrow valley to the south of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. The waters draining down the valley feed into the River Ure and form part of the Humber Catchment. The valley has only one settlement, Gayle, although Hawes lies at the mouth of the beck where it runs into the River Ure. The dale is characterised by upland farming and historical mine workings, and is between the slopes of Dodd Fell to the west, and Wether Fell to the east.

References

  1. "27047 - Snaizeholme Beck at Low Houses". nrfa.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2023. Catchment Info tab
  2. Waltham, Tony (2007). The Yorkshire Dales : landscape and geology. Ramsbury: Crowood. p. 71. ISBN   9781861269720.
  3. Clayton, Keith M. (1966). "The origin of the landforms of the Malham area". Fields Studies Journal. 2 (3). Shrewsbury: FSC: 368. ISSN   0428-304X.
  4. Gunn, Peter (1984). The Yorkshire Dales : landscape with figures. London: Century Pub. p. 64. ISBN   0712603700.
  5. Smith, A. H. (1979) [1928]. The Place Names of the North Riding of Yorkshire. English Place Name Society. p. 267. OCLC   19714705.
  6. Brown, William, ed. (1892). Yorkshire inquisitions of the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. Worksop: Yorkshire Archaeological Society. p. 225. OCLC   48697846.
  7. Willan, Thomas Stuart; Crossley, Ely Wilkinson, eds. (2013). Three Seventeenth-Century Yorkshire Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 109. 119. ISBN   978-1-108-05961-9.
  8. Kelly's Directory of N & E Ridings of Yorkshire, 1893. London: Kellys Directories. 1893. p. 101. OCLC   1131686665.
  9. Scholes, Ron (2011). Yorkshire Dales. Ashbourne: Horizon Press. p. 108. ISBN   9781843065081.
  10. "Snaizeholme Beck from Source to Widdale Beck | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Wood, Alexandra (17 April 2023). "Huge native woodland takes root near trail". The Yorkshire Post. p. 7. ISSN   0963-1496.
  12. "Trends data". nrfa.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  13. "Snaizeholme Fell". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  14. 1 2 Lennie 2005, p. 46.
  15. Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester: Phillimore. p. 16. ISBN   9781860770883.
  16. Halpin, Danny (16 April 2023). "Conservationists set to begin creating England's largest native woodland". The Independent. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. Rudgard, Olivia (26 May 2021). "Reforesting sows seeds of red squirrel revival". The Daily Telegraph. No. 51, 639. p. 8. ISSN   0307-1235.
  18. "Yorkshire Dales tree plan to recreate long-lost forest". BBC News. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  19. "The Times view on reforesting the Yorkshire Dales: Green Land" . The Times. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  20. Gleeson, Janet (21 April 2023). "Planting uderway for huge woodland in Wensleydale". Darlington & Stockton Times. No. 2023–16. p. 6. ISSN   2516-5348.
  21. Marsh & Hannaford 2008, p. 56.
  22. Dakyns, J. R.; Goodchild, J. G.; Fox-Strangways, C. (1890). The geology of the country around Ingleborough, with parts of Wensleydale and Wharfedale (Explanation of quarter-sheet 97 S.W., new series, sheet 50). London: HMSO. p. 69. OCLC   941029534.
  23. Marsh & Hannaford 2008, p. 62.
  24. "OL2" (Map). Yorkshire Dales – Southern & Western Area. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN   978-0-319-26331-0.
  25. Bonser, Kenneth J. (1970). The drovers : who they were and how they went : an epic of the English countryside. London: Macmillan. p. 164. ISBN   0333103017.
  26. "View map: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey, 34/88 – A (includes: Bainbridge; Buckden; Hawes; Horton in Ribblesdale) – Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain, 1945–1969". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  27. Rhea, Nicholas (22 July 2014). "River was the Ridings border". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  28. "Snaizeholme :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  29. "Route Overview – The Fellsman". fellsman.org.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  30. Butcher, Ellis (1 May 2013). "I ran the roof of the Yorkshire Dales and won! Sedbergh man's joy at race win". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  31. Marsh & Hannaford 2008, p. 54.
  32. Wheeler, Dennis (July 2013). "Regional weather and climates of the British Isles – Part 4: North East England and Yorkshire". Weather. 68 (7): 186. doi:10.1002/wea.2081.
  33. Lennie 2005, p. 44.
  34. "RIVER KENT AND SOUTH LAKES: A CHRONOLOGY OF FLASH FLOODING" (PDF). jbatrust.org. p. 69. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  35. Lennie 2005, p. 65.
  36. Marsh, T. J. (1996). Hydrological data United Kingdom : 1995 yearbook : an account of rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels and river water quality January to December 1995. Wallingford: Institute of Hydrology. p. 23. ISBN   0-948540-78-8.
  37. "Flood Investigation Report February 2020" (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk. p. 23. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  38. "British rainfall 1968". British Rainfall. 108. London: HMSO: 10. 1974. ISBN   0-11-400279-7. OCLC   655832175.
  39. Monthly and annual totals for rainfall 1973. London: HMSO. 1981. p. 5. ISBN   0-86180-047-8.
  40. Monthly and annual totals for rainfall 1978. London: HMSO. 1983. p. 5. ISBN   0-86180-143-1.
  41. Monthly and annual totals for rainfall 1983. Bracknell: Meteorological Office. 1985. p. 4. ISBN   0-86180-205-5.
  42. Rainfall 1988. Bracknell: Meteorological Office. 1989. p. 16. ISBN   0-86180-259-4.
  43. Marsh, T. J. (1994). Hydrological data 1993 yearbook. Wallingford: Natural Environment Research Council. p. 101. ISBN   0-948-540-66-4.
  44. Marsh, T. J. (1996). Hydrological data United Kingdom : 1995 yearbook : an account of rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels and river water quality January to December 1995. Wallingford: Institute of Hydrology. p. 103. ISBN   0-948540-78-8.
  45. "Go nuts for red squirrels in the Yorkshire Dales National Park" (PDF). yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  46. "Snaizeholme Red Squirrel Trail". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  47. Greenbank, Tony (19 January 2019). "Red squirrels and the people ensuring they keep a foothold in Yorkshire" . infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  48. "Red Squirrel". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  49. Charlton, Peter, ed. (21 January 2012). "Hugh Kemp – Forester (obituary)". The Yorkshire Post. p. 12. ISSN   0963-1496.
  50. Mitchinson, James (3 January 2022). "Red squirrel refuge reopens after Storm Arwen toppled trees". The Yorkshire Post. p. 6. ISSN   0963-1496.
  51. Mead, Harry (19 September 2008). "The story of an exposed hill farm's transformation into a wildlife sanctuary". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  52. Somerville, Christopher (5 September 2009). "Christopher Somerville Goes On The Trail Of Yorkshire's Red Squirrels". The Financial Times. p. 35. ISSN   0307-1766.

Sources