Fact file

About the Yorkshire Dales National Park:

• The Yorkshire Dales National Park was established in 1954.
• It is one of 14 National Parks in the UK.
• 19,654 people live in the National Park (2001 Census).
• It covers 1,761.8km² (176,200 hectares).
• It contains 1,459.37km of footpaths and 622.89km of bridleways.
• Drystone walls in the National Park stretch for 8,689km and there are 1,016km of hedgerows.
• The National Park has a housing stock of 10,236 buildings, of which 15 per cent are second or holiday homes (2001 Census).
• The average house price according to the Land Registry was £241,297 in 2005.
• An average of 7.72 million day visitors and 1.39 million staying visitors come to the National Park every year.
• There are some wildflowers in the Yorkshire Dales that live nowhere else in the world.
• There is a species of bat (the brown long-eared bat) seen in the Dales that has ears that are three quarters the length of its head and body.
• There are nearly 1,500 species of moths, 100 species of nesting birds, 36 species of butterflies, 30 species of mammals and hundreds of plant species in the National Park.
• The National Park has its own Three Peaks – Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent [correct] – thousands of walkers take up the challenge each year of completing the 24.5 mile circular route in 12 hours or less.

For more information on the above or any other feature of the National Park, please see the Facts and figures page of the website.  This contains links to many useful documents about the Yorkshire Dales.  Of particular interest might be the Park Profile 2007: this summarises the statistics held in the most recent State of the Park Report.

About the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority:

• The Yorkshire Dales National Park has two main purposes:
  1. 'to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area'
     and
  2. 'to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park by the public'.
• In carrying out its purposes, the Authority has a duty 'to seek to foster the economic and social well being of local communities'.

The National Park is administered by an Authority of 22 members.  These are made up of:

• 12 appointed from the local County and District Councils
• 10 appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment (six in recognition of the national status of the area and four to represent the parishes in the National Park).
• The Authority employs approximately 140 staff who are managed by the Chief Executive.

For more information on the Authority, please see the Authority page of the website.