The Yorkshire Dales National Park really is limestone country. Limestone is a hard sedimentary rock formed when remains of sea creatures dropped onto the sea floor. It contains fossils like corals and shells.
You can see classic features such as scars (cliffs) and potholes. Discover limestone pavements like the one at the top of Malham Cove with its clints (slabs) and the grykes (cracks) between them. Plants that thrive on limestone's alkaline conditions include common wild thyme and the rare frog orchid.
Below ground, the action of water on the rock has created miles of underground caves and passages that attract thousands of cavers and potholers every year.
