For such a large upland area the Yorkshire Dales has comparatively few natural lakes, at least compared to the Lake District. Indeed there are only two natural lakes in the area covered by this website, Semerwater and Malham Tarn.
Nor can the Dales compete with the Lake District in terms of the sheer number and variety of mountain tarns. On the other hand there is something about the lonely moorland tarns that the Dales specialises in that I find utterly irresistible. Known to few but the most dedicated tarn hunters the likes of Oughtershaw Tarn and Brownber Tarn can seem a world away from the more popular limestone areas of the Dales, or anywhere for that matter!
The links below provide information on all the tarns in the Yorkshire Dales that I’ve personally visited at least once during the course of my many walks in the region.