"Discovering Craven" was originally created for the Craven Museum in Skipton and is, effectively, an interactive book about the archaeology, geology, and landscape of Craven that can be run from the CD-Drive of any Windows  PC. It is best viewed at 1024 x 768 pixels, and does not install itself on your hard drive.

Aimed at the general reader with an interest in or a desire to find out more about the subjects covered it offers a very readable - but sufficiently detailed - introduction to the Geology, the Evolution of the Physical Landscape and the influences of prehistoric man, the Romans and the successive waves of Dark Age settlers on the landscape of the Craven area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

It starts by placing the Craven area in its geographical context and then - after an introduction to some of the basic principles of geology - goes on to describe Craven’s place in the geological history of the British Isles. The Yorkshire Dales as a whole, and the Craven Dales in particular, are a spectacular showcase of Carboniferous geology and the effects of glaciation and contain numerous classic examples of limestone and gritstone landforms.

After the Ice Ages the landscape of the Dales was re-clothed with vegetation. The ‘Development of Vegetation’ section takes a brief look at the way the underlying geology and post-glacial changes in the climate influenced the growth and spread of the plants and trees that characterise the area.

The Roman occupation of the Craven area left very few traces apart from a few roads and the occasional military structure But the Angles, the Danes, the Norwegian Vikings and other pre-Norman settlers shaped the farming patterns of the area and left us a rich legacy of highly distinctive place names that are still very much a part of the landscape.

Because it was originally created for the Craven Museum in Skipton there is throughout ‘Discovering Craven’ information on relevant exhibits that can be seen on display at the Museum and readers are encouraged to visit the Museum to find out more. ‘Discovering Craven’ will be essential reading and reference material for anybody with an interest in the Geology, Landscape History and Archaeology  of the area.

It is hoped that it will help readers understand the landscape of this unique part of the country and give them a better appreciation of its very special qualities.