I tend to think of a vale as wider and flatter than a valley - the opposite. of some here. This view is influenced no doubt by growing up in Gloucestershire where we refer to the 'Vale of Evesham' as the floodplain around the river Avon (where the town of Evesham is located) which is known for its fruit-growing and market gardening.
I see a vale as an area and a valley as a geographical feature.
|