The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme finished in early 2024 with projects successfully delivered by a wide range of project partners, community groups and individuals. Over the coming months, we’ll be updating this site to highlight what’s been achieved, so please keep checking back.
The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme aimed to unlock and reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales, enabling more people to connect with, enjoy and benefit from this inspirational landscape. Specifically, its objectives were to:
This was achieved through a programme of projects developed and delivered through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, and mainly funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It ran over a five-year period from March 2019 to February 2024.
Here you can discover what makes the area so special, find out about the scheme’s projects, and view and download resources produced.
The Westmorland Dales is a beautiful area of Cumbria lying north of the Howgill Fells and within the north-west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It stretches from Tebay in the south-west to Kirkby Stephen in the east and to Maulds Meaburn in the north-west. At its heart are the limestone fells above Orton and Asby, rich in natural and cultural heritage, and with magnificent views to the Pennines, the Howgills and the Lakeland fells. It drains into the Lune river catchment to the south and the Eden river catchment to the north. Relatively overlooked compared with its better-known neighbours, our projects have aimed to reveal its heritage for more to enjoy without detracting from its unique qualities. (Click on map for larger image)
The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme has developed a range of free resource and guides that it is now offering to local tourism businesses, residents and visitors to the Westmorland Dales. Read more
Filmmaker Jon Chappel captures the sites and sounds of an Aeolian sound installation sited atop an ancient ‘drumlin’ at Bowber Head Nature Reserve in Ravenstonedale in a short film released this week. Read more
Students from Kendal College Agriculture Course took part in drystone walling training over six days under tuition from expert wallers Josh Shields, Stephen Lord and David Law in the heart of the Westmorland Dales near Ravenstonedale. Read more
Our Little Asby through the Keyhole project drew to a close with an online event to celebrate what has been achieved. Andy Phelps from Oxford Archaeology, who have led the project on our behalf, summarised the work undertaken across two seasons of excavations and the main findings from prehistoric to post-medieval times. Read more
A wonderful social evening for Fell Pony Breeders young and old at Tebay Club with friends and all of you that are passionate about the Cumbrian Fell Pony. Read more
One of the ways we achieved this was by running a small grants scheme from 2020 - 2023 called 'Love Your Landscape'. It has enabled local communities and organisations to deliver their own projects to help us meet these aims. Read more
Enjoy a free Aeolian Sound Experience and Heritage Celebration at Bowber Head Nature Reserve in Ravenstonedale; an installation of 20 sound sculptures on top of this Glacial Hill or Drumlin Read more
We were blessed with glorious weather as we celebrated the Westmorland Dales Scheme's achievements at Shap Wells. As the scheme draws to a close it was a great opportunity to bring people together and to share the story of our changing landscape. Read more
The character and qualities of landscapes are valued for many reasons. It may be their distinctive character, nature and wildlife, recreation or a connection with the past. Complete our survey and help us to build up a picture about what you value Read more
A brand new film is celebrating the work of our ‘Brass, Drums and Trains’ project. Over one year, the project has been celebrating the age of steam, bringing musical performers and audiences together alongside real-life steam trains at Stainmore Railway. Read more
A fabulous array of woolly workshops with talented textiles experts have taken place this spring with the aim of promoting and preserving wool based heritage skills. Read more
Every child from seven primary schools across the Westmorland Dales has received a set of printed booklets featuring three local legends, delivered by staff from the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme in assemblies and classes over recent weeks Read more