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.
Latest News & Articles
Local History group visit to Sawley Abbey 24th Oct 24
Visit to Sawley Abbey to see how it affected the development of the local area.
Ornithology visit to RSPB Old Moor 17th October 2024
Ornithology Group visit to RSPB Old Moor
Local History visit to Elslack, 26 Sept 24
A visit to Elslack lead by Ian and Rita
Latest News & Articles
The Upper Wharfedale Field Society is constantly working hard behind the scenes. See what is happening here.
Ornithology Visit to Ripon City Wetlands. 20th February 2025
Report of the Ornithology group visit to Ripon City Wetlands on the 20th February 2025.
Buckden Riverside Walk, 19 December 2024
Final ornithology outing of 2024 along Buckden riverside
Ornithology Group Visit to RSPB Leighton Moss. 21st November 2024
Report of the Upper Wharfedale Field Society Ornithology Group visit to RSPB Leighton Moss, on Thursday 21st November 2024.
Special Interest Groups
The Upper Wharfedale Field Society covers a wide range of special interest groups.
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.
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.
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.
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
Events & Talks
Here’s what is coming up soon.
Lichens are a much unrecorded section of our wildlife. Yet they cover 6-8 percent of the world’s land surface. Recently more people have become aware of the symbiotic relationship of the fungus and alga which make up the lichen. The aim is for you to be able to identify some common, local lichens by the end of the evening.
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.