Ian Middleton has a huge job on his hands – and the results of his work will been seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

He has just joined the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) as the Three Peaks Ranger, responsible for maintaining Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent and the surrounding areas, which attract about 250,000 visitors a year.

“I will be looking after the upland areas and the man-made paths – it’s a big job,” he said.

Ian’s appointment is the latest phase of the three-year Three Peaks Project, which has been started by the YDNPA to try to protect and conserve the area.

Charities, organisations and individuals are being asked to help in the maintenance and conservation of the network of paths crossing a fragile area of land that, in 1986, was judged to have the most severely eroded network in the UK.

In recent years, the management and maintenance of the Three Peaks network has been the responsibility of the two YDNPA Rangers covering the whole of the wider Ribblesdale area.

“It’s difficult to believe the scale of the erosion in some places,” Ian said.

“There are areas where there is no surface left. It’s a matter of finding out where the biggest problems are and then trying to control them.”

“A lot of the problem is due to the effects of the weather and some of the erosion is on such a big scale that we will have to hire contractors.

“When you have so many people using a particular route, it’s important to try to keep them on the paths otherwise they get wider and wider. And once a path has been constructed, it’s a matter of keeping it in good condition so it lasts.

Ian has lived in Dent all his life apart from a spell working in New Zealand as an assistant deer farm manager.

Before joining the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority as the Three Peaks Ranger, he ran his own landscaping business in the town for more than six years.

“I’m really enjoying the work – ¬I get a buzz out of doing something that’s going to be around for a long time and that a lot of people are going to enjoy.”

Many of the charities that regularly use the Three Peaks for sponsored events have volunteered to donate money towards the upkeep of the area – and the project also aims to enlist the help of people who live or work in the area. In addition, it will be developing merchandise to celebrate walking one, two or all of the peaks and building business and community interest in the Three Peaks.