Airedale

View of Airedale from near Keighley

53°52′55″N 1°54′17″W / 53.8819°N 1.9048°W / 53.8819; -1.9048 Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham.[1] At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.

Airedale, in conjunction with the Ribble Valley, provides low-altitude passes from Yorkshire to Lancashire through the Aire Gap. It is therefore an important transport route and was a strategically important area historically.[2]

  1. ^ Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. "Landscape Character Assessment interactive map". Yorkshire Dales National Park. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  2. ^ "The Aire Gap". The Yorkshire Dales. Retrieved 26 November 2015.