'Smile!' - Cute picture shows Yorkshire sheep appearing to pose for the camera

The Yorkshire Dales is well-known for its sheep farms, with Marske, in Swaledale, being at the heart of its community.

There are so many sheep in the Yorkshire Dales – more than half a million – that they are said to outnumber the people there 30 times over.

Swaledale has its own breed, with Swaledale sheep known for being very hardy and particularly suited to more upland and mountainous areas.

Sheep farming is a vital part of the Yorkshire Dales' rural economy and cultural heritage, with livestock rearing, particularly sheep, a mainstay of farming in the region and forming an iconic part of the area’s landscape and character.

It is a practice which dates back more than 6,000 years, with sheep originally kept for their wool centuries ago but now being predominantly bred for their meat.

The iconic pattern of barns and walls in Upper Swaledale are recognised as being one of the most distinctive agricultural landscapes in Western Europe.

Picture Jonathan Gawthorpe