Rosedale, North Yorkshire

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Rosedale is a valley located almost in the centre of the North York Moors national park in North Yorkshire, England. The nearest town is Pickering located some 10 miles to the south. Rosedale is surrounded by some of the most inhospitable moorland in England. To the north west sits Blakey Ridge at over 400 m above sea level. At Dale Head can be found the source of the River Seven which flows down the valley to join the River Rye at Little Habton near Malton. Rosedale is squeezed at the end between Spaunton Moor and Hartoft Rigg, where the river flows out through Forestry Commission woodland before passing the village of Cropton to reach the plains of the Vale of Pickering.

Today Rosedale has a typical farming community, as it has for centuries, however in the late 1800s, the valley quickly became a major centre for iron ore production. This led to the construction of what is now the only village - Rosedale Abbey, built round the site of a former Cistercian Priory. In the adjacent Farndale Valley the famous wild daffodils can be seen around Easter time, and in mid-August the Rosedale Show is a very popular event. The show dates back to 1871 and is one of the oldest in North Yorkshire. Every year the show, set in the village, attracts some 5,000 people from all parts of Britain.