Our Work
The Skell Valley Project
The Skell Valley Project was a £2.5m scheme led by Nidderdale National Landscape and the National Trust, and made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and European Regional Development Fund.
It focussed on the River Skell which flows through Nidderdale National Landscape from Dallowgill Moor to the World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, then on to the city of Ripon.
Working with 16 partners including farmers, landowners and local community groups, the scheme delivered a series of projects between May 2021 and May 2025 to help create a sustainable future for the river and surrounding Skell Valley landscape.
Find out more about the project’s key achievements in the Skell Valley Project Summary Report, watch a short video about the project or read the full Evaluation Report.
Although the Skell Valley Project has now ended, Nidderdale National Landscape and the National Trust will continue to work together with local farmers and landowners to develop more ways of managing the threat of flooding in the Skell Valley and sustaining more resilient land and farms. For more details, see the project’s Legacy Plan and Management and Maintenance Plan.
A number of additional resources were produced as part of the Skell Valley Project which can be found below:
River monitoring, natural flood management and Payment by Results
The University of Leeds iCASP team were commissioned to carry out sediment and flow monitoring on the River Skell and develop a Payment by Results methodology that could be used in the catchment to incentivise farmers and landowners to install natural flood management.
Watch this video and see the reports below to find out more:
Built heritage and archaeology
The Skell Valley is home to many built heritage treasures, both above and below ground, which were carefully recorded and some of them were conserved and restored as part of the project.
Wildlife and habitats
Throughout the project, the project team and volunteers undertook wildlife and habitat surveys to gain a better understanding of biodiversity in the Skell Valley. Volunteers were trained to record ancient trees, deploy bat monitors and conduct river dipping sessions.
Follow the links below to find the results of the surveys:
- Bat distribution and activity in the Skell Valley catchment
- Ancient tree recording
- Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve Bioblitz 2024 results
In partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, the project also launched a Watery Wildlife Resource Pack to encourage school groups and families to explore and identify the wildlife in our rivers.
Oral history and archives
In partnership with West Yorkshire Archive Service, the project trained volunteers in oral history collection and archival research to explore some of the Skell Valley’s history through the words and voices of people who have lived and worked in it.
The full collection of findings is held on West Yorkshire Archive Service’s Catablogue.
Tourism business resources
The project funded a consultant to run workshops and create resources for tourism businesses to help them maximise the way they used beautiful Skell Valley landscape as a driver for their tourism business.
A bank of resources for businesses in the Skell Valley can be found on the Tourism Knowhow website.
Skell Valley walking trails
Three new walking trails were launched as part of the project, featuring different heritage features and wildlife around the Skell Valley.
Explore the routes using the links below:
Our Work