Work is progressing on the latest phase of improvements to the Pennine Bridleway National Trail in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The Pennine Bridleway is a new National Trail in the north of England, designed specifically for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers to enjoy.

This latest phase of work by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and Natural England will contribute to the 200 miles of bridleway running from Derbyshire through Yorkshire to Cumbria.

During this major work at Garsdale Station towards the northern border of the National Park, about 3.5 miles of track will be developed along existing and newly created public rights of way, drainage will be installed with minimal disturbance to the surrounding vegetation and landscape. This new section will be finished to recognised National Trail standards and suitable for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers.

Peter Lambert, the YDNPA Pennine Bridleway Project Officer, said the Authority had been working closely with local landowners and user groups.

“We have a unique opportunity to create a new section of bridleway through the magnificent Dales upland landscape. We are very grateful to the landowners, farmers and parish councils involved, for their help and co-operation which has been vital in getting the next phase off the ground.”

The newly created section will run from the Coal Road at Garsdale Station, across Dandry Mire to the Moorcock Inn, before heading across to Yorehouse and joining The Highway, a historic route which will lead users out to Mallerstang.

This new section will add to the 77.7km of Pennine Bridleway already completed across the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The trail enters the National Park at Long Preston, weaving through the Dales via Settle, Malham Moor, Feizor, Austwick, Selside, Newby Head and exiting at the Cumbria county boundary above Garsdale. Users will travel through some of the most outstanding scenery and wildlife habitats including the Ingleborough Complex Special Area for Conservation and Ingleborough National Nature Reserve.

By March 2010 the National Park Authority hopes to have 97 per cent of the route completed, with the remaining three per cent to be finished in 2011.

The Pennine Bridleway project is now actively seeking new accommodation providers along its route for humans and horses. There will be a Business Workshop in November to provide more detailed information.

The Pennine Bridleway is free to access and further information is available from www.nationaltrail.co.uk/penninebridleway.

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.