Work is due to start next month (July) on the latest phase of improvements to bridleways which will form part of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail through the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and the Countryside Agency are planning to carry out major work to sympathetically construct the newly dedicated Newby Head bridleway and to improve the condition of the Grove Head bridleway and public bridleway No.56 to bring them to a recognised National Trail standard suitable for horse riders, cyclists and walkers.

The aim of the project is to create three sustainable sections of bridleway track – about 5 km in total – installing all the associated drainage and landscaping while causing minimal disturbance. Specialist techniques developed during works on other stretches of the Pennine Bridleway will ensure the best solutions for both Trail users and the environment.

The newly created route will run from the historic Roman road, known locally as Cam High Road, to the B6255, Hawes to Ingleton road.

Gareth Evans, the YDNPA Pennine Bridleway Project Officer, said the Authority would be working with the British Horse Society, Singletraction – which is affiliated to the International Mountain Biking Association – and the local landowners.

“We have a unique opportunity to create a new section of bridleway through the magnificent Dales upland landscape,” he said.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place on the B6255 at Newby Head Farm while improvement work is carried out over the next six months.

At the same time, the YDNPA and the Countryside Agency will start work on important bridleway links between HelwithBridge and the newly-restored Austwick bridleways network.

The work is due to begin in early July and will involve restoration and resurfacing work to existing bridleways between HelwithBridge and Feizor.

The aim of the project is to restore sympathetically the bridleway tracks, reinstating all gated crossing points and improving parts of the track surface, along the 2km stretch. Due to existing poor drainage along the walled lane section, a new drainage infrastructure will also be installed.

Cathy Bradley, the YDNPA’s Pennine Bridleway Technician, said: “We are working with the local landowner and the Environment Agency and by the time the work is finished, users of the bridleway network will see a marked improvement.”

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 fully open by 2012.

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 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. This section is due to be opened in 2009.

The 52 mile 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 a 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. 120 miles of the route are already open stretching from Derbyshire via the moors of Tameside, Oldham and Rochdale up to and including the 47 mile Mary Towneley Loop which passes through Rossendale and Calderdale. For more information on the Pennine Bridleway visit the website at www.nationaltrail.co.uk/penninebridleway.

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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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