Yorkshire Dales Car Park Status
How the car parks filled up in May 2020
We thought it would be interesting to see how the car parks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park filled up over the day on the 16th May 2020.
As the restrictions were lifted by the Government a traffic light system (green, orange, red) was developed here to show how busy the 10 car parks were in Aysgarth Falls, Buckden, Clapham, Grassington, Hawes, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Kettlewell, Linton Falls, Malham and Stainforth.
We checked in every 30 minutes or so (had to allow for my workout at one stage!) to take a shot of the status as they were updated from 10am until 4.30pm.n (Quick update, Sunday seems to have been a lot less busy apart from Malham and Linton Falls)
Generally things seem to have not been as busy as expected which has got to be good news. Message really does need to be to stay away from the tourist hot spots in rural areas and if it looks too busy go elsewhere but do not infringe on local communities. And always ensure social distancing.
As you can see there was bit of ebb and flow and Malham was the first to get red status at around about 12.30 and again at 2.45 pm. No real surprise there and I am not sure what people expected going to Malham - that they were they only ones thinking of visiting?
Timeline progression of car park status in the Yorkshire Dales National Park from 10am until 4.30pm on 16/05/2020
Data and images courtesy of https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/
Its a bit of a rough and ready gif but gives you an idea how each car park fared from 10am to 4.30pm.
Highlights:
Malham first car park to go red and be full at 12.30 and full again from 2.30pm until around 4pm
Horton-in-Ribblesdale busy from 11am throughout the day (3 peak walkers no doubt)
Clapham, Hawes, Linton and Stainforth were all unaffected and at ‘green’ status throughout the day
Peak period 11am to 3pm for those car parks experiencing greater visitor numbers
When all the status blocks are green that is the start at 10am.
If you have any questions just email me on hello@swaleview.com
While there are no guarantees given that the day we recorded was the busiest day, hence most data, it is likely that this pattern would be repeated so you could time your visit accordingly. Or be smart and use the car parks that are less busy. Or visit at a later date, your call.
The Car Parks of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Click on the map above or here for a map and directions.