I intend to make several short entries each month about my time in the Dales, living, working and walking, the people I meet and the conversations I have with them, but mostly about just enjoying the area. Some entries will be about walks in Swaledale and those in the Top Ten list or maybe walks elsewhere, others will be just the normal every day things about living life in this northern most dale.    

The sheer fact of its remoteness doesn't mean that the area is in some sort of time warp, there are many young families choosing to live and work here that are key to it's future sustainability and their contribution shouldn't be underestimated as they move forward. At the other end of the spectrum is an aging population of dales folk who have been succeeded by their families be it in farming, tourism or small business. These octogenarians are liken to local historians and they have many stories to tell about their life and times in the area. They have lived through a period that has seen unimaginable change and I want to capture some of their stories in this diary.

There are also many people who have been visiting the area for more than thirty years and are often keen to tell you about their love for it's landscape and events they've attended over the years. Equally its easy to pick out first timers to the area, they tend to pick you out, for they have a new found area to explore and an infectious enthusiasm for knowledge to go with it. So often you will have to be prepared for a barrage of questions about absolutely anything relating to the dale.

So I have the best possible excuse to produce a diary about everyday grass roots things that ordinarily we take for granted really. Who knows ? it might work, you will have to wait, click and see.