Motorhome travel: Wildlife spotting in the Yorkshire Dales

In what was becoming an epic tour of the northwest of England in search of its wildlife highlights, we skipped across the M6 to explore the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We started at Ingleton – and any self-respecting walker visiting Ingleton has to climb Ingleborough. We caught the bus to Clapham so that we could climb Ingleborough from one side and come back down the other.

Our first glimpse of wildlife

Around Clapham we enjoyed a grey wagtail on the stream; in the rushy pastures there were brown hares and, flying back and forth to the woods, was a mistle thrush carrying piles of hay for a nest. As we passed Ingleborough Caves we entered a classic dry valley. At the edge of the tree line, near the incredible gorge at Trow Gill, we watched two male redstarts, a willow warbler and a blackcap singing. Above the gorge the ground levels out for a short spell and here we saw a green hairstreak butterfly. The birds at this altitude were mostly meadow pipits and skylarks.

A little further and we had left the limestone behind. As we passed the famous sinkhole of Gaping Gill we were on gritstone with its associated boggy landscape. Here we listened in awe to the sound of a curlew and a snipe ‘drumming’, a sound which the bird makes by vibrating its tail feathers.

As we climbed higher the terrain became rockier. We saw several male wheatears singing to proclaim their seemingly barren territory and a buzzard drifted overhead. We were glad to be staying at Stacksteads; this lovely site has a private leisure centre with large windows giving views of Ingleborough, so we relaxed in the whirlpool bath, sauna and pool looking at the mountain we’d just conquered.

Yorkshire's nature reserves

On leaving Ingleton we took the road to Hawes, stopping for a look around the two National Nature Reserves at Southerscales and Ribblehead Quarry. Of the two it is the first, partway up Ingleborough, which offers the better views and an immense limestone pavement with such character as I have never seen before. The clints are separated by deep, craggy grikes, some of which have early purple orchids, ferns or even trees growing out of them. The least common flower, to me, was hairy rockcress.

Ribblehead Quarry is less beautiful, but arguably more productive for flowers and wildlife. There’s parking on the opposite side of the railway line to Ribblehead Station. In the quarry we saw two pairs of breeding lapwing and one pair of ringed plovers. Also here are good colonies of bird’s-eye primrose and, on the limestone pavement, we found mossy saxifrage growing around the ancient settlements.

In Hawes we stayed at Bainbridge Ings Caravan and Campsite, set in an area of buttercup meadows and barns with footpaths leading to Burtersett and Hawes. The barns are a special feature of the Dales and they have been around long enough to be adopted by a lot of wildlife. Birds such as swallows, house martins, stock doves, wheatears and house sparrows commonly use them for nesting.

Searching for red squirrels in Yorkshire

Wensleydale is famous for one very well-known dairy product generously promoted by Wallace and Gromit, but the main reason for us staying in Hawes wasn’t to eat cheese, I wanted to see red squirrels. In terms of mainland England this is very much the frontline between the red and grey squirrels and we are lucky that one couple, Hugh and Jane Kemp, made their home in Mirk Pot Farm in Snaizeholme, near Hawes, about 40 years ago.

They grew coniferous trees, which eventually attracted red squirrels. They cared for the squirrels and, in time, they created a wonderful trail through their land for people to enjoy these endearing creatures. I don’t like to have high expectations when it comes to wildlife but, as soon as we arrived, we saw a red squirrel in the garden of Mirk Pot. As we walked onto the 2½ mile trail, we were effectively mobbed by them! As well as the squirrels, we also saw cuckoo, curlew, stock dove, siskin and a lovely spotted flycatcher in a clearing.

Woodland in the Yorkshire Dales

Woodland is a rare commodity in the Dales, occupying only 1.5% of the land. We walked beside the River Ure and up to Shaw Gill Wood. Those bits of native deciduous woodland that do survive are really attractive in the spring, with wild garlic growing in profusion beside the stream in the wood.

Having had a long and dry spell, the water level in the Ure was low. This exposed large pebble beaches on the inside of each meander where we saw dipper, grey and pied wagtail, common sandpiper and ringed plover. The low sandy banks on the outside of each meander had dozens of holes from sand martins, which continually flew low over the river looking for insects. 

From Wensleydale we took the short journey north to Swaledale, stopping at Buttertubs on the way. Buttertubs is a selection of large and peculiarly shaped sinkholes in the limestone. Whilst we were there it was calm and I could hear birds calling from all around. The first I picked out was a golden plover, its plaintive ‘kew’ calls coming from Long Scar to the east. Red grouse shouted ‘go-back, go-back’ as if annoyed by something and curlews did their magical thing. More interesting was a blackbird-type song from the area above Buttertubs; this was a ring ouzel, sometimes known as a mountain blackbird.

Exploring stunning Swaledale

We continued to our next site at Usha Gap Camping and Caravan Park, near Muker, a village renowned for its upland hay meadows, which are rich in wildflowers and form a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Many of the fields have the characteristic stone-slab footpaths leading through them, allowing visitors easy access.

In comparison to Wensleydale, Swaledale is narrower with a more upland feel. Photographically, Swaledale is a tremendous place with beautiful contours and wonderfully sinuous dry stone walls. It has even more iconic barns than Wensleydale. From Usha Gap we drove down Swaledale to stay near Reeth, a really attractive market village arranged around a green with plenty of pubs and tearooms.

Our site at Nun Cote Nook (a few miles east of Reeth) offered good access onto Fremington Edge, where we spent a day walking. Walking through the heather in early June was entertaining. Red grouse had their young and they were still in groups, but impossible to see. Every now and then we would disturb a family. The young would explode into the air, flying short distances – all they were capable of – in every direction. Also on the heather we saw lots of golden plovers and, though I had expected to see ring ouzels on the scree of Fremington Edge, expectation led to disappointment.

On to Cumbria...

After the Yorkshire Dales we planned to visit Cumbria so, for our final stop, we headed back west up Swaledale to stay in Keld for a couple of nights at Rukin’s Park Lodge Camping Site. Several farms, including Park Lodge Farm on which Rukin’s Campsite is situated, are working to improve the habitat for black grouse in the area.

I always feel the telling question to ask after a visit is, ‘Would I go back again?’ The answer is, ‘Yes!’ I particularly enjoyed exploring the limestone countryside around Ingleborough and I thought Swaledale in early June was stunning. Unexpectedly coming across black grouse was amazing, but the one outstanding wildlife moment was being mobbed by red squirrels at Snaizeholme. It is rare moments like that which remind you why it’s important to cherish our wonderful wildlife.

The full feature was originally published in the July 2018 issue of MMM magazine. Want to read inspiring motorhome travel features every month? Subscribe to MMM magazine here.