A PRIMARY school teacher who describes Ingleborough as ‘the most interesting mountain in Britain’ has helped produce a website on the fascinating geology of the Yorkshire Dales.

Stephen Oldfield, 49, a teacher in Accrington, provided the words and most of the pictures in Dalesrocks.org - a project funded by the National Lottery.

The website uses phrases such as ‘Gritty Flat Caps’ and ‘Rocky Sandwiches’ to tell the story of ‘Limestone Country’.

It also includes an interactive map of all the geological sites as well as suggested walks.

Specially commissioned work by illustrator, Elizabeth Pickett, is also included on the website, along with drawings of imagined, ancient landscapes by Richard Bell and John Sibbick.

“The whole landscape means more when you know how it was formed,” said Mr Oldfield. “It becomes a story that you can walk in – and that is especially evident on Ingleborough.

“On Ingleborough you can trace the journey of water from the cap to the bottom, through the caves and through all the bands of rock. It is the most interesting mountain in Britain.”

He spent eight months of his own time writing the content – but had already done much of the work after 40 years of visiting the area and carrying out specialist research.

“I used to spend every single minute of my time in the Three Peaks,” he said. “It became an obsession from the age of seven when I visited Weathercote cave in Chapel-le-Dale. I used to camp with my dad on land owned by one of his friends, Stanley Bargh. Ingleborough was a Mount Everest to me.”

Included in the website is Thornton Force, near Ingleton, described as a ‘place of wonder’; and Trow Gill, near Clapham , described as an ‘impressive gorge’ which ‘numbs the senses like the main water-feature of some ambitious giant’s garden’.

The website project was managed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park and funded by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, through Heritage Lottery funded Stories in Stone.

Karen Griffiths, interpretation officer at the national park, who helped design and write the website, said: “The national park was designated in 1954 in large part due to its stunning geology. Dalesrocks has been created to help people explore and learn more about this special part of the Yorkshire Dales. Stephen Oldfield’s enthusiasm for the Ingleborough area shines through.”

And Debbie Boswell, Stories in Stone project officer at the millennium trust, said: “This is a really exciting, attractive and easy to use website which offers a real element of discovery. It explains the local geology well and interprets the striking landforms that we all see around the area on a daily basis and often take for granted.”

To find out more about the fascinating geology of the Dales, visit: Dalesrocks.org.uk.