West Burton, built round its Green, stands on an elevated terrace where the lower, northern ends of Bishopdale and Walden come together. The thousand-year old village maintains its history and traditions while meeting the challenges of changing times.

In its heyday in the nineteenth century, West Burton was a busy cattle and crafts centre with many shops, markets and fairs. Now a small Yorkshire Dales village with about 240 registered voters in the Burton-cum-Walden Parish, it has the good fortune to be populated by many community-supportive people. Some are from families who have lived in the neighbourhood for many generations, others are relative newcomers who have chosen to relocate or retire to rural tranquillity. Many houses are now holiday lets or second homes.