The Three Peaks of Yorkshire - Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside - hold a unique fascination and focal point for all who head to the Dales. They dominate the landscape, shape those who work with and around them, and together offer one of the toughest challenges in England. Using the famous Three Peaks Walk as a road map, Mike Appleton takes a tour around this most popular of areas and finds the real story of the picturesque Dales: away from the trudging boots, the farmers who fight on with little or no help; the tourist villages still picking up the pieces following foot-and-mouth; the locals struggling to find affordable housing. But in a time when the countryside is facing a crisis from cuts and reduced spending, he also finds beauty in the labyrinth of passages hidden beneath the earth, countless species continuing to thrive and the character of the Dales carrying on regardless. He speaks to those who are charged with making sure this boundless natural wonder continues to serve its people and the rest of the country for generations to come

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