Below Addingham, the dale broadens and turns to the east. This section is shared between North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire and includes the towns of Ilkley, Otley and Wetherby. The northern side of Lower Wharfedale, opposite Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Otley, is in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Wharfedale valley was cut into the shape we know today during the last ice age (the Devensian Glaciation). The valley was transformed into its classic U-shaped state between 18,000 and 12,000 years ago by the Wharfedale Glacier,[2] though this was cutting through a channel that had already had a river draining water away to the east through what is now Wharfedale,[3][4] and also to the north through what is now Bishopdale and then Wensleydale.[5]
Evidence of human settlement has been found dating back to Neolithic times and the valley has plenty of artefacts relating to the Celtic, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.[6] The Romans built a road over Stake Moss into what is now the village of Bainbridge in Wensleydale.[7]
The Anglo-Saxon influence remains in modern times, with most settlements in Upper Wharfedale having Anglo-Saxon derived names.[8]
The name of the valley is derived from the principal river that flows through it: the Wharfe, which comes from the Old EnglishWeorf or Old NorseHverfr, with both taken as meaning winding river.[9] The River Wharfe starts at the confluence (at the hamlet of Beckermonds) of the Oughtershaw Beck and the Green Field Beck,[10] each of which originates at the Pennine watershed, some 4 miles (6 km) north-east of Ribblehead. The valley roughly follows a south-easterly direction, providing a border between West Yorkshire (on the south side) and North Yorkshire.[11]
Between Oughtershaw Moss and Wetherby, the valley runs for 50 miles (80 km).[1] The uppermost part of the valley is known as Langstrothdale.[12] Below Beckermonds the river is known as the River Wharfe.[13] Wetherby is traditionally seen as the foot of Wharfedale, even though the river continues on through the Vale of York.[1]
The valley has been used largely for agriculture, and is now criss-crossed with stone walls and stone barns that evidence its use down the centuries.[14]
Geology
The geology of the valley is split, with Upper Wharfedale consisting of carboniferous limestone of the Yoredale series.[15] In the lower part of Wharfedale, around Ilkley and Otley, the underlying stone is mostly millstone grit,[16] which can be seen best at the Cow and Calf rocks on the south side of the valley on Ilkley Moor.[17] The Bramley Almanac for 1931 lists 'Earthquake in Wharfedale' for 15 December 1859.[18]
One of the most renowned painters of the Victorian era, John Atkinson Grimshaw, portrayed the area in his piece, "Moonlight, Wharfedale" (1871 – oil on card 17+1⁄2 by 13+1⁄2 inches [44 cm × 34 cm]). He is known as one of the best and most accomplished nightscape and townscape artists of all time, and this painting is a prime example of his mastery.[22][23]J. M. W. Turner also visited and painted scenes around Otley and Ilkley. Turner was commissioned to paint Kilnsey Crag, which he created as an oil painting in 1816.[24]
The valley was featured in episode three of the BBC Two series, The Yorkshire Dales.[25][26]
^ abcRaistrick, A. (1931). "The Glaciation of Wharfedale, Yorkshire". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 22 (1). Yorkshire Geological Society: 9–30. doi:10.1144/pygs.22.1.9.
^Embleton, Clifford, ed. (1994). Geomorphology of Europe. London: Macmillan. p. 172. ISBN978-1-349-17346-4.
^Harker, Bailey John (1869). Rambles in upper Wharfedale; including the historical and traditional lore of the district. London: Pitman. p. 288. OCLC931181143.
^"River Wharfe". yorkshiredalesriverstrust.com. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
^Speight, Harry (1900). Upper Wharfedale : being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Otley to Langstrothdale. London: E Stock. p. 20. OCLC1079273371.
^"Geology". wharfedale-nats.org.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2020.