A POPULAR bus route has been saved after extra funding was found to keep it going throughout the coming year.

The Cravenlink 784/884 buses from Skipton to Embsay, Eastby, The Strid, Bolton Abbey, Addingham and Ilkley will operate over the Easter Weekend on Sunday and Easter Monday.

These services will help people to leave their cars behind over the busy Bank Holiday

Colin Speakman - Cravenlink

Easter Sunday also sees the start of an additional early Cravenlink 884 journey from Ilkley to Bolton Abbey, The Strid and Embsay (for Embsay &anp; Bolton Abbey Steam Railway) leaving Ilkley Bus Station at 0915.

The Cravenlink services are operated by Jacksons of Silsden on behalf of the Dales &anp; Bowland Community Interest Company.

Thanks to grant-aid to Dales &anp; Bowland CIC from North Yorkshire County Council and from West Yorkshire Metro, the Cravenlink 784/884 service between Skipton and Ilkley will now run on Sundays and Bank Holidays all year.

“This is great news”, commented Colin Speakman of Ilkley, Director of the non-for-profit Company which has been established by the Yorkshire Dales Society and Yorkshire Dales Public Transport Users Group to help meet the travel needs of local people and visitors to the Yorkshire Dales.

“Cravenlink has now established itself as a popular and valuable service to the Dales and provides excellent sustainable access on Sundays, the day of highest demand, to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.”

“The early service leaving Skipton at 08.30 for Ilkley makes an excellent connection at Ilkley for Otley and Leeds whilst the 10.20 and 13.20 buses from Skipton to Bolton Abbey and The Strid are excellent for Dales Way walkers or for anyone enjoying a stroll in Strid Woods. There are also good connections from Leeds on service X84 onto the Cravenlink buses leaving Ilkley at 09.15, 11.45 and 14.45, running to Bolton Abbey, The Strid, Embsay and Skipton.”

“These services will help people to leave their cars behind over the busy Bank Holiday weekend when visiting the National Park.”

Full timetable details for the Cravenlink buses are available from Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or online at www.dalesbus.org