National Park focus: Yorkshire Dales 680 square miles By Cat Kilner Your role at the park I am the area ranger for Malhamdale and Lower Ribblesdale. One has to be Malham Cove from above the village of Kirkby Malham. You drive from Settle over the hill tops and, just as you start to drop down, a view of this vast natural limestone amphitheatre opens up. It just completely surprises you as you don't expect to see a cliff like that in the middle of the meadows and pastures. It catches me out every time. There is so much diversity, something to suit whatever mood I'm in. If I want rolling farmland then, personally, I don't think you can beat Malhamdale or Ribblesdale - but maybe I'm biased. It is a working landscape consisting mainly of pastures in the lowlands with rougher grazing on the higher ground. It is gentle, but then throws in the occasional curve ball in the form of features such as Gordale Scar and Malham Cove. You can never quite take anything for granted. If I am in a lonelier mood, the landscape of Swaledale suits me much better. It is again a farmed landscape with hay meadows in the valley bottoms and characterised by its field barns and many of the Park's 9,000 miles of dry stone walls. But this dale has a much wilder feel to it with expansive uplands where you can walk for miles without seeing people or signs of modern habitation. I have a general dislike of litter. I don't understand how people can come to an area to see its special qualities, and then leave it in such a state that those qualities are diminished. Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of people are conscientious and caring - it's our job to try and educate the few who aren't. Natural highlights The breeding birds such as curlews and lapwings during the summer are fantastic. My favourites are the lapwings with their almost drunken flight and peewit call, but the curlews come a close second for their eerie warbling, especially in the dark or in the mist. Maybe that is where some of our ghost stories come from? I also have to mention the peregrine falcons - the fastest bird on the planet - which breed on the face of Malham Cove. An RSPB viewpoint is set up each summer so you can see the young as they grow and the parents teach them to hunt. It is one of the most accessible places in the country to view birds of prey. Further afield in Wensleydale, there are red squirrels - it's brilliant to watch their antics from the viewpoint in Snaizeholme - and we have tiny breeding dormice at Freeholders" Wood, reintroduced after a century's absence. If you are interested in flora, we have some stunning traditional hay meadows, which of course is why many of our barns exist - they were the stores for this vital animal feed and the animals during the winter. There are estimated to be 3,500 in the National Park. We also have approximately half the limestone pavement in Britain right here, providing an unusual micro-habitat and meaning that in upland areas you actually find woodland plant species growing in the grikes (gaps) between the clints (rocks). It has to be Ribblehead Viaduct, sitting on the historic Settle-Carlisle Line, amid Yorkshire's Three Peaks - Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. If you catch it at sunset, it is absolutely stunning - could it be the perfect blend of industry and nature? Perhaps it is unusual to choose a man-made structure, but it is such an amazing feat of Victorian engineering, sitting in a wild landscape of remote moorland. Beside its visual impact, it stirs the imagination thinking about all the people who toiled to build it and the huge construction camp that used to exist in this harsh environment on the now empty moors. You can view it from the road, but it is truly awe-inspiring to walk right up to and beneath it. Or catch a train and ride across. All of the seasons have their own highlights but personally I love autumn. The sunlight softens and mellows, and shows up the features of the landscape much more clearly when the sun is lower in the sky and casts longer shadows. You can pick out the lines of old drystone walls and Iron Age settlements. And you can't beat the sounds and smells when walking through woodland in the autumn. Maybe I am still a big kid, but I can't help scuffing my feet through the fallen leaves. Favourite fact about the parks Perhaps the most surprising fact is that people live here. Unlike the US National Parks, English National Parks are not wilderness areas. In fact the Yorkshire Dales National Park has 20,000 residents scattered across its 680 square miles. Most of the land is in private ownership - and while we help to care for it, the National Park Authority actually owns less than 0.4 per cent. Not only does Britain's first National Trail - the 270-mile Pennine Way - go through the National Park, it is also the location of its newest - the Pennine Bridleway, the first designed specifically for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers. Of the 350-mile route, 52 miles (84km) weave through the Yorkshire Dales National Park from Long Preston to Garsdale. Did you know that the first cave rescue organisation in the world was formed here in 1935? It's reassuring to know that dedicated and brave volunteers are there to help people and animals in difficulty - above and below ground. See Cave Rescue Organisation; cro.org.uk. The valley bottoms have some really lovely riverside walks and you might come across hidden gems, including idyllic waterfalls. The 4.5-mile Landscape Trail at Malham takes in three of its most popular and intriguing features - Janet's Foss waterfall (where, according to legend, Janet, Queen of the faeries made her home), Gordale Scar (reputedly the inspiration for Helms Deep in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings) and Malham Cove (the 70m-high natural limestone cliff, topped by limestone pavement - if you've the energy to walk the 400 stone steps to reach it). There are several long-distance routes that pass through the National Park. The Pennine Way is the oldest and perhaps the most famous, but we also have the Coast to Coast , Dales Way, and Pennine Bridleway, all of which offer opportunities for really getting some miles under your belt. And of course the Three Peaks are a famous challenge: walk the 24-mile length of all three in less than 12 hours. If you are thinking of taking on the hills, whether as a whole, singly or even virtually from the comfort of your armchair, consider becoming a Friend of the Three Peaks. The money received goes directly back to help maintain these iconic footpaths and bridleways. How about trying a geocache trail? Geocaching is an international sport where people hunt for "treasure" hidden in boxes called caches, using hand held satellite navigation devices. The Malham Village Geocache Trail is an easy 3km route with clues to help you find the coordinates of the final cache. It is a fun way to discover more about the historic environment and learn something of the art of navigation. And the Dales Countryside Museum - housed in Hawes" former railway station - is a must. It offers a peek into the past, how Dales people lived and worked in years gone by. There are so many things to do in the Dales from mountain biking and horse riding to climbing and caving - whether it's the show caves at White Scar, Stump Cross Caverns or Ingleborough that takes your fancy or the exhilaration of being lowered down Gaping Gill by bosun's chair on the annual bank holiday public winch meets. There is also plenty for those of a less active nature, from shopping for locally-made products in the stone-built villages and towns to food festivals and bird watching. There are places to suit all pockets from camping and bunk barns through to holiday cottages, B & Bs and hotels. Speak to our lovely National Park Centre staff who can book a bed ahead for you, as well as suggest loads of great ideas about what to do and see when you visit - they have all the local know-how. Please don't forget when you are out and about in the countryside that the land is privately owned and someone's livelihood. Remember why you wanted to visit this special area and leave it in the best possible condition so the next person can enjoy it just like you did. Cat Kilner Yorkshire Dales National Park Read more of our National Parks insider guides