The Yorkshire Dales, so beloved of visitors today, was once remote, wild and undiscovered, invaded by settlers who left their stories in scars on the land and hints of their origins in the place names that remain. As the written world developed, a gradual trickle of explorers came to view the uncanny and the awesome, from natural wonder to ransacked abbey. They reported back on their travels as word spread, the trickle became a constant stream. This unusual book gives a unique window on 600 years of Dales history. Looking through the eyes of contemporary writers, we can see how perceptions, attitudes and even the landscape itself have changed over time.