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Write for Dale Notes

We publish outside contributors when they know something useful about these three parks. Local knowledge counts for more than a writing CV.

What we would like to read

  • A village explained: why it sits where it does, what its buildings tell you, what still goes on there
  • Rural work and craft, including hill farming, walling, hedge-laying, cheese and woodland work
  • Getting around without a car: bus and rail routes, one-way walks and how to make them work
  • Local customs and shows, from well dressings to shepherds' meets, told accurately
  • Living in a national park: housing, schools, shops, seasonal work and what visitors do not see
  • Wildlife and landscape, such as hay meadows, moorland, limestone and dark skies, tied to a real place
  • Walking and access questions, particularly practical ones about land, dogs and livestock

What we will turn down

  • "Top 10 hidden gems" lists and general destination filler
  • Text that would fit any village if you swapped the name
  • Articles built around a product or booking link, or written to fit a keyword
  • Gambling, adult, pharmaceutical, crypto, payday lending or similar topics, and links to them
  • Personal money, legal or health recommendations
  • Machine-generated copy, and anything with invented figures, quotes or anecdotes

The practical part

  • Length: 900 to 1,500 words, in British English. Answer the question early.
  • Original work: it must be your own, unpublished elsewhere, and yours to give us.
  • Sources: link to where your facts come from, ideally a park authority, public body, university or museum. We check them, and we may edit or ask questions.
  • Photos: send your own, or those with a clear commercial-use licence, with credit details.
  • Disclosure: tell us about any business, client or payment connected with the piece or its links. We will state relevant connections on the article, and we decide which links stay.

How to pitch

  1. Email [email protected] with "Pitch" and your topic in the subject line.
  2. Give us the question your article answers and why you are the person to answer it, in a few lines.
  3. Include a link to something you have written, if you have one. Please do not send a full draft yet.

We read every pitch, and will reply if we would like to take it further.