The Durham Dales consist primarily of a series of high exposed
moorlands, hills and
mountains, a number exceeding a height of 2,000 ft above sea level, along with the valleys or
dales, from which the area gets its name. These valleys include
Teesdale and
Weardale. The area covers roughly one third of County Durham and is its least populous area.
Settlements There are just a few market towns within the area—
Barnard Castle,
Consett,
Middleton-in-Teesdale,
Stanhope,
Tow Law, and
Wolsingham,—though some also consider the Durham Dales to extend as far east as
Bishop Auckland and
Crook. There are a number of small villages in the area, which in general tend to be sparsely populated and spread out, in great contrast to much of the rest of County Durham.
Geology Like much of the North Pennines, the Durham Dales form an
anticline, with
carboniferous limestone exposed at the surface. The Durham Dales, like much of the Pennines, have long been exploited for their rich
mineralogical resources, notably
lead and
ironstone.
Ecology Many of the high hills are occupied by moors with
peat-
mosses, the higher ground being uncultivable and barely fit for
pastures. As with much of the landscape of the Pennines, they are generally upland areas of high moorland indented by the more fertile valleys of various rivers and streams. The Durham Dales constitute the principal watershed for the county of Durham, as well as contributing to those of the neighbouring counties of
Cumbria,
Northumberland and
North Yorkshire. The rivers
Wear,
Tees and
Derwent all rise in the Durham Dales and flow eastward towards the North Sea. The Derwent helps to form County Durham's northerly border, and the Tees traditionally its southern border. Along the course of the Tees are the three attractions of the
High Force,
Low Force and
Cauldron Snout waterfalls. == References ==