Baldersdale is a dale, or valley

Valley

In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...

, on the east side of the Pennines

Pennines

The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, north of Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...

. Its principal settlements are Hury

Hury

Hury is a village in Baldersdale, in the Pennines of England. It was historically located in the North Riding of Yorkshire but along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District it was transferred to County Durham for administrative and ceremonial purposes on 1 April 1974, under the...

 and Briscoe. Baldersdale lies within the traditional boundaries

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 of the North Riding

North Riding of Yorkshire

The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...

 of Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

. Under provisions of the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, it was incorporated into County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 for administrative purposes on 1 April 1974, along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District

Startforth Rural District

Startforth Rural District was a rural district in the North Riding of the historic county of Yorkshire in the Pennines of northern England.It was formed in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894...

.

The River Balder

River Balder

The Balder is an English river that rises on the eastern slope of Stainmore Common in the Pennine Chain and flows eastwards for about 13 miles to the River Tees at Cotherstone.The River Balder is in County Durham...

 flows through Baldersdale before reaching Cotherstone

Cotherstone

Cotherstone is a village and civil parish in the Pennine hills, in Teesdale, County Durham, England.Cotherstone lies within the historic county boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District it was transferred to County Durham for...

 where it joins the River Tees

River Tees

The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...

. The river flows through three reservoirs on the way: Balderhead Reservoir

Balderhead Reservoir

Balderhead Reservoir is a reservoir in Baldersdale, County Durham, England. It is one of a chain of three reservoirs on the River Balder, a tributary of the River Tees, which it joins at Cotherstone, about 5 miles to the east....

, Blackton Reservoir

Blackton Reservoir

Blackton Reservoir is a reservoir in County Durham, England. It is situated in Baldersdale, about 4 miles west of Cotherstone, where the River Balder joins the River Tees.It is owned by Northumbrian Water and supplies water for Teesdale....

 and Hury Reservoir

Hury Reservoir

Hury Reservoir is a reservoir in County Durham, England situated in a dale called Baldersdale. The reservoir is located about four miles south of Middleton-in-Teesdale and about three miles west of Cotherstone. It supplies water for Teesdale and is owned by Northumbrian Water. It gets its name...

. Running roughly parallel to Baldersdale to the north is Lunedale

Lunedale

Lunedale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in England, east of Middleton-in-Teesdale. Its principal villages are Grassholme, Thringarth and West Pasture. Lunedale is part of County Durham....

. A former railway viaduct from the now-closed Barnard Castle to Middleton-in-Teesdale

Middleton-in-Teesdale

Middleton-in-Teesdale is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Teesdale between Eggleston and Newbiggin, a few miles to the north west of Barnard Castle...

 line crosses the River Balder just west of Cotherstone.

Baldersdale Youth Hostel, run by the Youth Hostels Association, was a popular over-night stop on the Pennine Way

Pennine Way

The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...

 which passes through the valley. It closed early in 2007 and is now a privately owned management training centre. There are various self-catering holiday cottages situated in the dale, including West Hury and East Briscoe.

Hannah Hauxwell

Hannah Hauxwell

Hannah Hauxwell is a retired English farmer who has been the subject of several television documentaries on Yorkshire Television....

, who became well known after an ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

documentary about her life in 1973 (Too Long A Winter), worked an inherited farm on her own in Baldersdale under very frugal conditions at Low Birk Hat.