Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership 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. Welcome … … to the Westmorland Dales website. 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: Reveal the area’s hidden heritage. Conserve what makes the area special. Engage people in enjoying and benefitting from their heritage. Sustain the benefits of the scheme in the long-term. 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 The Westmorland Dales is a beautiful area of Cumbria lying to the north of the Howgill Fells and located 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) Contact information Friends of the Lake District Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7SS Main Telephone: 01539 720788 Email: [email protected] Yorkshire Dales National Park AuthorityYoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 3EL Main Telephone: 01969 652300 Email: [email protected] Home About the Scheme Partners Funders The WDLPS Team Projects Connecting Heritage Cultural Heritage Natural Heritage Resources News Archive Newsletter Archive Film and Sound Archive Westmorland Dales Map Geology and Fossil Educational Resources Heritage Talks Archive Geology Resources Poetry Archive Volunteering Opportunities Archaeological Dig Uncovers a Thousand New Features The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme was created to help reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales and its ambition runs deep. To discover more about the history of the area it’s funding a number of projects aimed at interpreting the areas rich archaeological heritage much of which has remained undiscovered, unrecorded and under threat. A major archaeological survey on Great Asby Scar near Orton has already been completed and work has started on a number of 'keyhole' excavations on nearby Little Asby Common. Read a full summary of the archaeology work and its findings> Hannah Kingsbury, Cultural Heritage Officer with the Partnership Scheme said, “We knew there was great archaeological potential in the upland landscape of Great Asby Scar. Detailed surveys on neighbouring Little Asby common had already revealed that much of the area’s heritage had been overlooked and certainly unrecorded compared to the rest of the National Park. “Before our survey there were just 59 known sites on this area of upland but thanks to the efforts, largely down to our enthusiastic group of volunteers, we have now recorded 1,218 features.” Following the work at Great Asby, 15 ‘keyhole’ trenches have been excavated in the first of two seasons of work being carried out on nearby Little Asby Common, land owned by Friends of the Lake District. The keyhole trenches have already begun to build on the historical knowledge of the site. Archaeologists have gathered organic material including charcoal which will be carbon 14 dated to give a more precise understanding of the periods of occupation. A chert arrow-head was found on the penultimate day of excavations, and indications suggest it dates to the early Bronze Age (around 2300BC). The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme aims to unlock and reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales, enabling more people to connect with, enjoy and benefit from this inspirational landscape. Thanks to National Lottery players it has been supported by a grant from the Heritage Fund. Manage Cookie Preferences