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The fells and valleys of Upper Wharfedale are overflowing with delights from which, once under their spell, very few can escape.

Upper Wharfedale Field Society works to increase the enjoyment derived from the area by deepening and widening understanding of its many and various elements.

Open any of the pages of this site and see what we do.

Meet us and experience it for yourself. You are very welcome to our talks or to join us.

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Latest News & Articles

UWFS talk 22nd Sept

UWFSMain

Latest News & Articles

UWFS talk 22nd Sept

The Upper Wharfedale Field Society is constantly working hard behind the scenes. See what is happening here.

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Special Interest Groups

The Upper Wharfedale Field Society covers a wide range of special interest groups.

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LOCAL HISTORY & VERNACULAR BUILDINGS

In the Yorkshire Dales, local history and its vernacular buildings are inextricably linked. We have especial interest in all local history, through all aspects of industry including farming, social history from peasant to aristocrat, early trading, tracks and coach routes.

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GEOLOGY

The earth formations and movements of the past have created an area of outstanding natural beauty. The most recent apparent dominant force is glaciation which has created the landscape which we see today, in particular the Upper Wharfedale Valley, but there is much more to the valleys, hills and rocks of the Yorkshire Dales.

Geology
Burnt Orchid
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BOTANY

The Botany Group holds its meetings every other Tuesday from end of April to mid August usually for the whole day. The meetings vary from those sites very close to Grassington eg Kilnsey park, the banks of the Wharfe, to further afield e.g. the west coast for dune systems, reserves in Cumbria and our National Natures Reserves as around Ingleborough. In this way we can become familiar with plants that are not on our doorstep and sites away from limestone grassland.

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ORNITHOLOGY

Our principal aims are to enjoy and learn more about the birds in our area by improving our recognition skills of both appearance and calls.

ornithology
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ARCHAEOLOGY

There are a considerable number of archaeological sites in Upper Wharfedale and Archaeology is regularly represented the Society’s talks programme . In recent years we have had guest speakers from Bradford University and York Archaeological Trust as well as presentations on field work being carried out locally in Wharfedale, Nidderdale and Ingleborough.

“The fells and valleys of Upper Wharfedale are overflowing with delights from which, once under their spell, very few can escape.”

Upper Wharfedale Field Society

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Events & Talks

Here’s what is coming up soon.

Claire’s talk will focus on the achievements of “Our Upland Commons Project” which was a £3 million 25-partner project helping to secure the future of upland commons in the Yorkshire Dales and other areas. Commoning involves a group of farmers having “commoners rights” to graze their animals on a shared piece of land without fences or boundaries between them. The sheep don’t need fences, through flock memory passed down through the generations they stay on their patch of the common, known as a heft. The heritage of commons isn’t just about commoners and livestock, it’s about some of the UK’s most spectacular landscapes, its most biodiversity, geology and its history of settlement and industry. It is also about the natural systems which shape and support our everyday lives.

Upper Wharfedale Field Society, Ornithology Group visit to North Cave Wetlands.

A Year in the Life of a Gamekeeper

October 27 @ 08:00 - 17:00

The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group was established in 2015 along with many other regional groups across England and Scotland. The group consists of the gamekeepers from a collection of rural estates within the Yorkshire Dales. In this talk, members of the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group will take us through the ups and downs of life as a gamekeeper. The talk will cover topics such as habitat management and creation, predator control and explain some of the fantastic conservation projects the group are involved in. These include Curlew head starting, Merlin and Osprey monitoring and many other activities.

The talk will cover the history of The Folly, Settle’s only Grade I listed building, and its owners from the late 17th century to the present, explaining its many uses from farm house to fish and chip shop. Now the flagship building of the North Craven Building Preservation Trust and home to the Museum of North Craven Life, a major programme of restoration will begin in 2026, enabling the Trust to unravel some of the mysteries of its construction.

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Contact Us

If you have any questions for the Upper Wharfedale Field Society, or you just want to get on touch, please contact us below.

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