Littondale is a dale in the former Craven District of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the River Skirfare which is fed by many small gills and becks.
Littondale, toward Arncliffe
Littondale. Seen from above Hawkswick on the path from Kettlewell.
View down Littondale
View up Littondale. Looking north-westwards from footpath corner at MR: SD916739.
Craven was a non-metropolitan district in the west of North Yorkshire, centred on the market town of Skipton.
The Domesday Book, on folio 301v, lists the arable land In Craven
The mediaeval monasteries converted unused wilderness into sheep farms
Woodland, for it to endure, must be enclosed to protect its re-growth from grazing
In the 16–17th century Craven prized Longhorn cattle both for beef and their high butterfat milk that makes fine cheeses