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Arncliffe is a small village and the largest of Littondale's four settlements. Littondale is a small valley beside Upper Wharfedale, 3 miles beyond Kilnsey and its famous crag. It is part of the Craven district of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England but is in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. Situated on a gravel delta above the flood-plain of the River Skirfare, Arncliffe's houses, cottages, and other buildings face in towards a large and luxurious green, and outwards to green hillsides etched with limestone scars. A barn to the north of the green is a good example of the local style, with an unusual entrance, and a datestone of 1677. Behind the village buildings are several small crofts, nearly one to each house, and beyond these, limestone walls climb the surrounding hills separating higher fields. St Oswald's church lies close to the river a little North of the village, and the road up the dale crosses the river past Bridge End where Charles Kingsley stayed, and Old Cotes, built in 1650, whose gabled porch has a 3-light window somewhat characteristic of late 17th-century houses in this area of the dales. A narrow, winding road climbs steeply southwards from the village, across the fells towards Malham. Paths also go towards Kettlewell and Starbotton. Arncliffe was the original setting for the fictional village of Beckindale in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm. In the 7 Up documentary series, Nick Hitchon was shown growing up on a farm in Arncliffe and being educated in a one-rooom school. Nick went on to become an engineering professor. Research Tips
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