Restoration of the next stretch of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail through the Yorkshire Dales National Park gets under way in Goat Scar Lane near Stainforth today (May 2).

In partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, Stainforth Parish Council and local landowners, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and the Countryside Agency are now busy restoring a 1km stretch of the severely eroded and improving drainage systems.

The YNDPA’s Pennine Bridleway Project Officer Gareth Evans said: “The aim of the work is to restore the walled lane in such a way that it is improved for the users and it protects the ancient character of the route.

“This is highly-skilled work which the contractors are aiming to complete by August.

“At the same time, we are carrying on with improvements to the section of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail along the Hale Lane and Flascoe bridleways between Feizor and Austwick that we started in March. That should be finished in about six weeks’ time.”

Archaeological surveys before work started on Goat Scar Lane have identified a number of ancient stock underbridges – sometimes referred to as underpasses or culverts – along walled sections of the route. These are an unusual feature of pastoral landscape of the Dales, which highlight the importance of the sympathetic restoration of this historic walled lane.

A temporary Traffic Regulation Order closing the route to all users except pedestrians and agricultural access is currently in place and it will run until further notice.

BACKGROUND

The Pennine Bridleway is a new National Trail in the north of England, being planned and designed specifically for horse riders, off-road cyclists and walkers to enjoy. It will eventually run from the High Peak Trail in Derbyshire to Byrness, Northumberland, a distance of 560km (350 miles) and is due to be opened in 2009.

Its creation has been made possible to date mainly through financial support from the Countryside Agency and a Sport England award of £1.8 million. The Bridleway, will eventually run from the High Peak Trail in Derbyshire to Byrness, Northumberland, a distance of 560km (350 miles) and is due to be opened in 2008.

The Trail enters the National Park at Long Preston, weaving through the Dales via Settle, Malham Moor, Feizor, Austwick, Selside, Newby Head and exiting at the Cumbria county boundary above Garsdale. The route runs through some of the most outstanding scenery and wildlife habitats in the YorkshireDalesNational Park including the Ingleborough Complex Special Area for Conservation and Ingleborough National Nature Reserve.

The section through the National Park is being funded by the Countryside Agency, with support from the YDNPA and North Yorkshire County Council, with additional funding from Yorkshire Forward.

The first section of the Trail in the Yorkshire Dales National Park – the Settle Loop – was opened in August last year and has already proved to be hit with users.

The 10-mile (16km) circuit starts and finishes in Settle and stretches east towards Malham. It was created to provide a day trip excursion for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers wanting to spend time exploring the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales rather than just passing through on their way up or down the Trail.

The idea for the Pennine Bridleway came from Mary Towneley, who, in 1986, rode from Derbyshire to Northumberland to highlight the state of the country’s bridleways. A circular route, called the Mary Towneley Loop, includes HebdenBridge and Todmorden and forms part of the 120 miles of the route already open to the public.

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For more information please call the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Media Office on 01756 751616. Alternatively, please email media@yorkshiredales.org.uk

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