WALKERS will have the chance to explore new areas of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with the start of a series of free hikes on Open Access land.

Until the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act came into force in the Yorkshire Dales in May 2005, only four per cent of the National Park was open access land. That figure rocketed to 62 per cent following the Act – providing more than 390 extra square miles for walkers to enjoy.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’ Rangers have organised a series of walks in different areas of Open Access land this summer.

Alan Hulme, the National Park Authority’s Ranger Services Manager, said: “The idea of these walks is to give people a chance to meet the local Area Ranger and to experience new areas of the National Park that they may not have seen before, away from the rights of way.”

The next walks will be:

• 20 June: Open Access Guided Walk with A Ranger – Circular on Ingleborough, Guided Walk. Meet at Ribblehead Quarry.
  If travelling from Ingleton, turn right just before railway bridge at Ribblehead (Grid SD 765 789), 10:30 to 16:00. Telephone 01969 652380.
• 04 July: Open Access Guided Walk with a Ranger – exploring above Kettlewell, Guided Walk. Meet at Kettlewell National Park car park
  (Grid SD 968 723), 13:00 to 17:00. Telephone 01969 666210.
• 10 July: Open Access Guided Walk with a Ranger - over Melmerby Moor, Guided Walk. Meet at Carlton in Coverdale village hall car park.
  Honesty Box (Grid SE 068 847), 10:30 to 15:00. Telephone 01969 662910.
• 18 July: Open Access Guided Walk with a Ranger on Ivelet Moor, Meet at Muker pay and display car park.
  (Grid SD 911 978), 11:00 to 16:00. Telephone 01748 884059.