Walkers are being invited to join a hike along Alfred Wainwright’s famous Coast to Coast route as it cuts through the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The 35-mile section will be covered in three stages between September 21 and 23 and people will be able to join groups walking one, two or all three.

The event is part of a larger walk along the entire 190-miles of the route to celebrate the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) North Yorkshire’s new Coastal Branch, the 75th anniversary of the Friends of the Lake District and the 60th anniversary of the passing of the Act that led to the creation of National Parks.

The route has been highlighted in a BBC series with presenter Julia Bradbury that ended last week.

The larger event will take place over a two-and-a-half-week period from September 14 to 30, allowing those who wish to complete the whole walk the time to do so in a leisurely manner.

The three sections in the Yorkshire Dales along the length of Swaledale are:

• Kirkby Stephen to Keld (13 miles in six hours) on September 21
• Keld to Reeth (11 miles in five hours) on September 22
• Reeth to Richmond (11 miles in four hours) on September 23

And someone who has already put their name down for the Reeth to Richmond stage is James Lamb, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) Area Ranger for Swaledale.

Jon Avison, Head of Park Management at the YDNPA, said: “The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed in 1949 and paved the way for the creation of today's family of 14 UK National Parks, 49 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 294 National Nature Reserves and 2,900 miles of National Trails. This Coast to Coast event is a fantastic chance to appreciate the beauty of Swaledale and three of those National Parks while taking part in a triple celebration.”

The full walk has been broken down into fifteen legs starting at St Bees Head and passing through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors National Parks before ending at Robin Hoods Bay. Individual stages vary between nine and 17 miles. Alternatively, groups and individuals can share the total distance walking their section of the walk over the two week period thus completing the whole route as a ‘team’ in the two week period.

Walkers who travel through one, two or all three National Parks on the route will be able to collect a stamp for their National Park Passport – a fun document created for the 60th anniversary celebrations in which people can record their visits to the UK’s 14 National Parks. The Passport and details on how to use it can be downloaded from http://www.nationalparks.co.uk/visiting/passport.htm

The hike is open to everyone – walkers must register – and more information can be obtained by calling (01765) 609167 or visiting http://cprenorthyorkshire.org.uk/2009/06/19/coast-to-coast-walk/