School pupils have been putting their practical skills to the test to create special plaques to mark a long-distance trail that runs through the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The 12 and 13-year-olds from Holmfirth High School in Holmfirth, near Huddersfield, decided they wanted to produce a series of small plaques for the Dales Way as part of their design and technology coursework.

And the results of their hard work are now on show over the entire length of the trail’s route through the National Park.

Some of the plaques just contain the letters ‘DW’ while others tell walkers they are approaching landmarks along the way or offer encouragement.

Karen Griffiths, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Interpretation Officer, said: “The pupils were interested in doing a ‘real world’ project for their design and technology course and had been inspired by plaques the Authority produced many years ago in Dent in conjunction with a local school and an artist.

“They have come up with some excellent designs which our Area Rangers have now fixed onto new gates and stiles they have been putting up along the Dales Way within the National Park.

“They are all fantastic – and I think they will make people smile.”

The school’s head of Design and Technology, David Manning, said: “I have walked the Dales Way twice and when I saw the signs in the Dent area I took photos of them.

“Because I was already doing aluminium casting as a project in lower school, I set the theme as the Dales Way and the children had to do the research on it and then come up with ideas for plaques, which they then made.

“It went down very well and they are really proud of their work.

“We are looking to develop this project next year using the 38-mile Six Dales Trail from Otley to Middleham Castle in Wensleydale as the theme in order to create a new challenge.”