With around 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometres) of public rights of way within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, there are many opportunities for the public to explore and enjoy the countryside. The National Park Authority maintains the rights of way network under delegated powers from the County Councils.
On these pages you can read about some of the projects that are planned, or have been carried out by, the Ranger Service and Dales Volunteers.
Ranger projects and news stories
- Trail Riders donate to byways maintenance
A donation from an organisation that promotes the responsible use of green lanes and public rights of way by recreational motor vehicle users has helped fund major repairs to a section of the historic Lady Anne Clifford Way near Hell Gill, on the Cumbria and North Yorkshire border. The Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) donated £4,700… Read more: Trail Riders donate to byways maintenance - Pen-y-ghent path fixed
Rangers have completed the repair of one of the most well used public paths in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Stone pitching has been installed at Brackenbottom near Horton in Ribblesdale on the traditional Three Peaks route up Pen-y-ghent, with re-surfacing works also carried out. A total of 80 tonnes of stone blocks for pitching,… Read more: Pen-y-ghent path fixed - New ranger base opens near Yorkshire Three Peaks
Unit 13 at Langcliffe Quarry Enterprise Centre near Settle has become the new home for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s southern ranger service. Rangers were joined at an opening event on Monday 13 October by representatives from Langcliffe Parish Council, Settle Town Council, neighbours and partners. Located close to the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the… Read more: New ranger base opens near Yorkshire Three Peaks - Footbridge replaced, as path maintenance figures set out
Rangers and volunteers have rebuilt a footbridge over Cotterdale Beck, a tributary of the River Ure, to make a field path to Cotterdale town accessible once again (see picture). It is one of the most recent projects in a rights of way maintenance programme which saw 34 river crossings and two sets of stepping stones… Read more: Footbridge replaced, as path maintenance figures set out - Changing Places opens in Grassington
Two National Park representatives have opened a fully accessible public toilet and changing facility in the much-visited town of Grassington. Abby Day, the newest member of the Yorkshire Dales Local Access Forum, and Elliott Lorimer, the National Park Authority’s new Director of Park Services, met to formally open the Changing Places Toilet earlier this… Read more: Changing Places opens in Grassington - Major work on Coast to Coast trail
National Park Rangers have begun laying a nearly two-mile long flagstone path across peatland in Birkdale, as part of works to make Alfred Wainwright’s ‘Coast to Coast’ route a National Trail. It is the biggest single project ever undertaken by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s ranger service and is expected to take until early… Read more: Major work on Coast to Coast trail - Yarnbury lead mining interpretation renewed
A walking trail through one the most awe-inspiring industrial heritage sites in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has been renewed. Thirty years ago a total of 18 beautifully illustrated interpretation boards were stationed around Yarnbury, a vast former lead mining area near Grassington. With the boards having rotted in the exposed moorland setting, replacements were… Read more: Yarnbury lead mining interpretation renewed - ‘Last link’ restored in flood hit northern dales
Rangers and volunteers have built a bridge over Slei Gill in Arkengarthdale, to complete a four-year programme of flood recovery work. A total of 13 river crossings were swept away in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale following thunderstorms on 30 July 2019. The bridge at Slei Gill, which is on the route of a popular bridleway in… Read more: ‘Last link’ restored in flood hit northern dales - Investing in rights of way ‘money well spent’
A detailed annual report on rights of way work in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which costs more than £1 million a year, has been published in advance of a meeting next week. The report reveals that 91% of the 2,637 kilometre-long rights of way network in the National Park is ‘easy to use’, owing… Read more: Investing in rights of way ‘money well spent’ - Earl opens footpath in Tebay
The 9th Earl of Lonsdale, Will Lowther, has opened a new public right of way in Tebay in the Westmorland Dales part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The creation of the 780 metre footpath on the Lonsdale estate means that local people will no longer have to walk on the busy A685 road. The… Read more: Earl opens footpath in Tebay