Business people will have the chance later this month to learn how to cash in on a project unfolding in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

A workshop is being organised by Natural England and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) to encourage new and existing businesses to take advantage of opportunities emerging as new sections of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail open in the Yorkshire Dales.

Malcolm Petyt, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for Recreational Management, said: “In the Yorkshire Dales, the Settle Loop, which opened in August 2005, has already proved very popular with visitors and is a taste of the high standard of national trail route to come. Visitors can enjoy the spectacular scenery, and businesses have already opened or expanded to service these visitors.

“Over the next two years, new sections of the Pennine Bridleway will be opening in the north of the National Park, providing a continuous route through it into Cumbria.

“These new and restored bridleways will provide fantastic opportunities for new businesses including the provision of accommodation and refreshments for riders, cyclists and walkers, stabling and horse box parking and baggage transport.

“We would like to thank the landowners and farmers for their help in creating the route through the Dales. It provides a unique opportunity for local businesses to develop and diversify in line with the principles of sustainable tourism.”

The free workshop will take place at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes on the 25 November. Speakers will focus on the new sections of the trail and explain how local businesses can start up or diversify to meet the needs of these new customers. Advice will be available on users’ requirements, marketing, business start up, planning issues, funding and sustainable tourism.

Anna Righton, Natural England Pennine Bridleway Project Manager, said: “A series of short presentations and the opportunity to engage with the speakers on a one to one basis will provide local business people with a fantastic opportunity to learn more about sections of the Trail near to them, share ideas, network and consider the planning that might be required to develop their business.”

If you would like to attend the workshop please contact Sheila Ogden on 0300 060 1826.

Background

The Pennine Bridleway is one of the most important access projects being carried out by Natural England and it will form a major new route for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers.

The Pennine Bridleway National Trail is one of the family of 15 National Trails in England and Wales, and is the first to have been planned from the outset with horse riders and mountain bikers in mind. Following an interesting mix of old pack horse routes and drove roads (often sensitively refurbished and upgraded), linked with newly created stretches of bridleway, the Trail will be around 200 miles when completed running from Derbyshire to Cumbria when it is finished.

The creation of the Trail has been made possible to date mainly through financial support from Natural England (formerly the Countryside Agency) and a Sport England award of £1.8 million. Additional funding has also come from a wide variety of other sources including the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, Landfill Tax, the Local Transport Partnership Fund and through the support and hard work of all the local and Park authorities along the route. Landowners are also playing a large part in dedicating the many new sections of bridleway required to create it.

The Trail, which will open in stages as sections are completed, includes the Mary Towneley Loop, the Settle Loop and the construction of three ‘feeder’ or linking routes from the West Pennines, West and South Yorkshire.

For more information about the Pennine Bridleway National Trail and to download Natural England’s guides please go to: www.nationaltrail.co.uk/penninebridleway