Tranquil, peaceful, calm are all words we often use to describe Swaledale and the Yorkshire Dales, but we never mention how noisy it is!

I recently read a review from a guest who stayed at Marrick Moor House Cottage. They pointed out that “you can only hear sheep and birds”. This wasn’t a complaint, this was a noise that they loved, and no doubt a very different noise to what they were used to back home.

Reading this review made me realise how much I take for granted the small things such as, the early morning bird song, the mooing of cows or the screech of a tawny owl in the evenings. These beautiful sounds have become my norm and I really do not appreciate how lucky we are to live and work in such a wonderful place.

Here’s some of the beautiful noises of the Yorkshire Dales:

The soothing sound of streams, becks, rivers, and waterfalls

The sound of moving water can awaken so many senses. Throughout the Yorkshire Dales you will hear the soothing sound of a babbling River as it gently flows over rocks and branches, to the relaxing trickle of a stream finding its way to the surface.

Many people are also drawn to the varying sounds of the many waterfalls within the Yorkshire Dales. Some offer a gentle, calming flow, others are not so relaxing, but the thunderous gush of larger waterfalls such as Aysgarth Falls are captivating, particularly after heavy rain.

The joyful sound of the bird song. The diverse habitats of the Yorkshire Dales provide the perfect home for several birds including the red and black grouse, curlews, lapwings and woodpeckers. The unmistakeable sound of the grouse with its loud dove-like cooing and bubbling call is without a doubt my favourite.

The comforting buzz of a bees. Bees are not only fabulous to watch, but they play an important part in the pollination of the wildflower meadows which Swaledale is particularly famous for. The comforting buzz of a bee is one of my favourite summer sounds. It is also satisfying to listen out for the different pitches of buzzing to attempt to identify the type of bee.

The cheerful chirping of grasshoppers and crickets. Throughout the meadows, woodlands, and grasslands of the Yorkshire Dales you will no doubt hear the familiar chirp of the grasshoppers or crickets. This is a sound that always makes me smile, it’s an insect that you can often hear but can rarely see hidden in grass, getting louder, then quieter…it’s like a constant game of nature’s hide and seek, that you know you shall never win.

The familiar sound of farming. The sounds of farming are the treasured accompaniment of the countryside which can be heard from early morning to late evening in the summer. There is no missing the familiar sounds from the sheep and the cows grazing in the fields to the distant hum of a farmer’s tractor and the bark of a sheep dog.