The Yorkshire Dales National Park was officially designated on 16 November 1954.

This was in recognition of its natural beauty, diverse wildlife habitats, rich cultural heritage and outdoor recreation opportunities.

The national park covers 841 square miles (2,179 km²) and is home to 24,000 people.

It straddles the central Pennines of North Yorkshire and Cumbria and also includes an area of ​​Lancashire.

As the park celebrates its 70th anniversary, we hear from people who live and love the Yorkshire Dales.

Violet, Clemmy and Annas are three of Amanda and Clive Owen’s nine children who grew up on a farm at Ravenseat in Swaledale.

They have featured in a number of TV shows about their family, including Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm.

Violet, 14, said: “I love that everyone in the Yorkshire Dales knows each other.

“You can go to someone’s house and know their family and everyone around.

“I really like the way you can see the hills and the trees.

“When you go to the towns you generally see flatter farmland. In the Yorkshire Dales it’s all natural, there are all the bumps and hills and there are no houses.”

Nine-year-old Clemmy said it was “really fun jumping in the hay” and driving tractors in the summer.

She said: “I like trees and barns because they are all very old and were built a long time ago and they are nice to climb.”

Annas, 11, added: “I love the feeling of freedom and how you can go anywhere easily.

“I like the fact that there are animals and places you can go, where it’s nice and peaceful.

“It’s nice and quiet and there’s no pollution.”

Jean Witty moved to Thoralby in Bishopdale, which is a small valley next to the larger Wensleydale, two and a half years ago from Hampshire, with her husband and nine-year-old daughter.

Jean, 46, visited family in the Dales every year on holiday and decided after Covid it was a good opportunity to move and settle down.

Jean’s daughter goes to the local primary school and Jean works at the local pub.

She said: “Moving to the Yorkshire Dales was a great decision for us as we opted for a more outdoor lifestyle and it’s great for walking.

“It’s also a nicer environment for our daughter, where she can grow up with fewer people and fewer cars.

“We have been very lucky, the village is quite small and everyone has been very friendly and we have participated in village activities so we already feel settled here.

“We love living here and see this as a permanent move, although we have to be more organized to visit family. But we have absolutely no regrets about moving here.”

Richard Fawcett was born in Hardraw and lived in the same house for most of his life – apart from four years in mid-Wales which he described as a “mistake” which left him longing for “beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

He takes care of four sheepdogs and gives demonstrations in the village.

Richard, 78, said: “The Yorkshire Dales is sheltered, generally not from the weather, but I feel like we’re hemmed in by hills and hills and I’d hate to live somewhere flat.

“My roots are here, my parents and grandparents are in the cemetery and the people around me are people who have always been here.

“The Yorkshire Dales are very beautiful, the scenery is magnificent, it’s breathtaking. It’s the best place to live in the country, it’s home.”

Writer and blogger Debbie North regularly visits the Dales.

Debbie began using a wheelchair in 2012 when she suffered from spinal degeneration.

She said she “had the horrible feeling of being left at the bottom of the hill while everyone else put on their hiking shoes and put on their backpacks to head out for a day of exploring.”

Debbie, 62, founded the Access the Dales charity which helps disabled people explore the area.

Debbie uses an all-terrain wheelchair and said it meant she was able to “go out and feel the tranquility, feel the elements on her face and hear the birds singing”.

“It’s just good for your soul.

“Not being able to do that was very destructive for me and that’s what we want to be able to offer to others.”

Charlotte Mudd was born in Wensleydale and lived in the Yorkshire Dales all her life, apart from a brief spell at Liverpool University.

She grew up on a farm and said it was “pretty idyllic.”

Charlotte said: “I have memories of haying, playing in the hay bales, taking pet lambs for walks, going out to the countryside and always being surrounded by nature.

“When I came back from university I was 25 and it was clear I wanted to stay as my interests are nature, walking and farming.”

Charlotte, 32, said she wanted to stay in the Dales and was exploring her options.

She said: “I’m trying to figure out how to own a house here, whether it’s locally occupied accommodation or a barn conversion, and I’m wondering, ‘What will the most profitable way to live here? “

To mark the anniversary, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has unveiled “70 essentials” for visitors, including key locations and walks.