The highly informative text breaks much new ground, as instanced in several chapters taking a detailed look at 'green' issues. These include the need for long-distance walking and cycling routes, now enormously popular and coming to the fore in 2014 with Le Grand Depart.
National Park Authority success stories such as the saving of traditional hay meadows receive special attention. The farming theme is taken up in a fascinating chapter by 'guest author' Anthony Bradley, a working farmer, who looks constructively at the issue of maximising food production while at the same time meeting visitor and conservation needs.
The many photographs capture the glorious variety and ever-changing light of the Dales landscape and include some wonderful archive images from the 1950s.
Colin Speakman is one of the founder members of the Yorkshire Dales Society and is credited with creating the ever-popular Dales Way. He has written over 40 books and is a proactive campaigner for better public transport in rural areas, helping to set up the successful DalesBus network.
