Bedale is a market community and civil parish in the area of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is positioned 34 miles (55 km) north of Leeds, 26 miles (42 kilometres) south-west of Middlesbrough and also 7 miles (11 kilometres) south-west of the county town of Northallerton. It was originally in Richmondshire as well as detailed in the Domesday Book as part of Catterick wapentake, which was likewise called Hangshire (so called from Hang Bank in Finghall as well as because of the many gallows made use of to execute marauding Scots); it was split once again and also Bedale continued to be in East Hang. Bedale Beck is a tributary of the River Swale, which creates one of the Yorkshire Dales, with its control of farming as well as its associated little standard trades, although tourist is significantly crucial. A selecting ward of the exact same name exists, which ward includes Aiskew parish and had a complete population of 4,601 at the 2011 Census. In October 2018 the town was twinned with Azay-sur-Cher, a town in the Loire Valley in France.