Kingsdale, with Whernside at its head

A remote Yorkshire dale will have a more natural look with the removal of electric power lines.

More than 5km (3 miles) of overhead cabling will be placed underground to improve the landscape in Kingsdale, north of Ingleton. The valley is one of the most popular caving areas in the Dales and is overlooked by hills marking the highest points in both Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The £5m project to install the underground cables is a collaboration between the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, United Utilities and Electricity North West, the regional power distribution company.

Sixty wooden poles and the overhead line between them will disappear between Twistleton Hall and Kingsdale Head, one of only two farmhouses in the dale, which is bounded by Yorkshire’s highest hill Whernside and the highest ground in Lancashire, near the summit of Gragareth.

United Utilities electricity engineer Eamon Robinson, who is managing the work, said as well as being beautiful, Kingsdale was also of great wildlife and archaeological value.

“The work is taking place at the foot of Whernside which is the highest of the Yorkshire Dales’ famous Three Peaks. It is inside the Whernside Site of Special Scientific Interest and the area is also known for its archaeological significance. We are being extremely careful.”

Archaeologists will keep a close watch during the work, which started in July and is expected to take six months. Although most of the work takes place on grassland, the new cable will need to cross Kingsdale Beck and Thornton Lane.

Mr Robinson added: “These power lines have provided a vital service for isolated communities in Kingsdale for many years. The new cables will do the same job, but the landscape will look like the power lines had never been there.”

The Kingsdale wires were selected for removal in consultation with experts from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The authority’s landscape-conservation officer Janet Swailes said: “We’re delighted that this will be the second major undergrounding scheme to be completed by United Utilities in the Dales – the first was in upper Wensleydale, by the Moorcock Inn.

“Undergrounding of lines in upland landscapes where they are so visible crossing open countryside is particularly beneficial, enhancing the scenic qualities.”

The project uses an allowance from electricity regulator Ofgem, set aside specifically to remove overhead wires in areas of high landscape value like national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in the North-West.