A breathtaking landscape and attractive small towns and villages draw many visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A huge variety of people, landscapes and wildlife can be found within its boundaries, from churches that acted as places of rest on long routes, pubs that doubled up as courthouses and Neolithic discoveries in the new extension of the park, to the longest, deepest and oddest caves in the region and rare flora and fauna – there’s plenty to discover. A–Z of the Yorkshire Dales reveals the history behind the area, its streets and buildings, businesses and the people connected with it. Alongside the famous historical connections are unusual characters, tucked-away places and unique events that are less well known. Fully illustrated throughout, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in this spectacular corner of England.

'A new book unearths little-known facts about some of the unique aspects of the Dales – from Dent’s terrible knitters to the supposed ‘Yorkshire Yeti’.' * The Yorkshire Post *

Mike Appleton has been a journalist, editor, author and media professional since 1998. He has received critical acclaim for his publications. Born in St Helens, but now living in Lancashire, he made regular trips to the Yorkshire Dales with his father and those early days bore an obsession with area and its people, resulting in his book Yorkshire's Three Peaks. He’s an active caver and walker, spending as much time as he can in the Yorkshire Dales, writing and photographing its unique landscape.