Vale of Mowbray

The Vale of Mowbray is a plain in North Yorkshire, England. It is bounded by the Tees lowlands to the north, the North York Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east, the Vale of York to the south, and the Yorkshire Dales to the west. Northallerton and Thirsk are the largest settlements within the area. The Vale of Mowbray is distinguishable from the Vale of York by its meandering rivers and more undulating landscape. The vale is the floodplain of the River Swale and its tributaries, including the Wiske and Cod Beck. The river enters the vale from Swaledale, in the north-west, then flows in a south-easterly direction before entering the Vale of York. The underlying geology of the landscape is sandstone and mudstone, with clays and silts in the south-west. The region is agricultural, with a mix of arable and grassland, though isolated pockets of woodland remain. The fields are medium-sized and typically bounded by hawthorn hedges. The villages are often linear, following the major through road, and the houses are generally brick built with pantile roofs. The vale is a major north-south transport corridor, containing the A1 road and the East Coast Main Line, which are respectively the main road and rail links between London and Edinburgh.