Colsterdale

Colsterdale is one of the smaller Yorkshire Dales lying between Nidderdale and Wensleydale but within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is close to Masham but distant from the larger towns and cities and therefore less widely known and less visited than other areas.

Despite its remote location it was the site of the initial training camp for the "Leeds Pals" (15th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment) in 1914, the camp being constructed on land purchased by the City of Leeds with a view to constructing a reservoir. A memorial has been erected there to commemorate all who served.

The industrial past of Colsterdale is most evident today in the remains of the coal industry, including a number of old pits and the Coal Road still evident as a clearly defined track on the fellside and on Ordnance Survey maps.

Colsterdale is of interest to Iron-Age (Nidderdale) because of documentary evidence suggesting that Jervaulx Abbey may have been involved in iron extraction in the area in medieval times. Little seems to be known other than this but there are indications in the geology of the area that this could be the case and further investigation is warranted.