A popular daffodil walk in Farndale, North York Moors, has had a bit of a tidy up ahead of the arrival of 50,000 visitors.

People from Farndale teamed up with the North York Moors National Park Authority’s Make a Difference volunteers and staff to carry out habitat management work along the popular Farndale daffodil walk.

Local resident Sally and volunteer Dawn clean up near Farndale. Pic NYMNPA

A wet grassland site – known locally as the ‘duck pond’ – on the daffodil walk to the north of Low Mill, had become very overgrown with willow and alder trees.

Members of the Farndale community were concerned about the area becoming overgrown and shady, particularly as this is a popular spot for visitors to pause and admire the stunning display of blooms.

Trees were cut back to open up the area and let more light in to make it more pleasing for visitors.

The cut wood was used to make twiggy bundles and stakes which will be installed along a short stretch of riverbank in the same area to help prevent further riverbank erosion.

Natural England consent was required before the work could take place as the area concerned is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the diversity of habitats and plant species in the area including the wild daffodil.

Sally Weightman, Farm Conservation Advisor at the National Park Authority, said: “It was nice to see a variety of age groups represented by those people involved in the work tasks.

“The assistance of both members of the local community and volunteers was greatly appreciated and it is hoped that local community involvement will continue with further work projects in the future.”

Farndale resident, Sally Potter, added: ”We wanted to mark the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in some way and felt this would give year round pleasure to both locals and visitors to the Dale.”

Daffodil walk in Farndale

Over 50,000 people visit Farndale each year during the daffodil season.

To keep congestion on the narrow roads to a minimum, the National Park Authority runs a daffodil shuttle bus from Hutton-le-Hole car park to several stops along the daffodil walk.

This year the bus will operate on Sundays from 25 March through to 15 April plus Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday.

Timetables will  be available at www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/moorsbus or you can call 01439 770657.

A series of useful leaflets has been produced by golakes to feature some great walks in the Cumbrian Lake District.

The Lake District offers walks for all abilities from the challenging Coast to Coast walk to some beautiful short walking routes which are perfect for

Golakes On Foot walks leaflet series

relaxing walking holidays

Voted time and again the walker’s favourite UK destination, the Lake District is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts.

Although a relatively small area, the Lake District contains a huge variety of opportunities for walkers.

Maybe you want to experience the classic lake, valley or ridge walks made famous through countless articles and guidebooks? Most are easily accessed from the major Lakes tourist centres via regular public transport services, and many low-level routes are suitable for wheelchairs or buggies.

The golakes “On foot” series is a range of A6 pocket size leaflets which tell you about the area and fold out to A3 size to reveal the relevant walks on a map.
The leaflets also contain lots of other useful information such as local public transport details.

Clicking on each area covered will take you to a more detailed page about the walk complete with downloadable PDF leaflet.

Smartwool Routes – A set of walking guides sponsored by Smartwool.
Each guide contains two walks designed to give both new and seasoned explorers inspiration to get out and discover more of this fantastic landscape.
Areas covered are; Ambleside, Keswick, Staveley and Kentmere.

Sprayway Family Walks – A series of walking routes perfect for families is sponsored by Sprayway.
Starting from classic destinations throughout the county there is a shorter route for little ones and a longer one for the more adventurous, so the whole family can get out and enjoy the best of the Adventure Capital.
Coniston, Buttermere, Patterdale, Borrowdale , Eskdale and Rydal areas are featured in this set.

Jennings Ale Trails – Long Distance walks sponsored by Jennings Brewery, explore some great days out in the Lake District and Cumbria. With routes to suit all abilities, you will be sure to take in some great scenery, good food and real ale.
Explore more series focuses on; Cockermouth, Wasdale and Eskdale, Keswick and Elterwater

Polartec Routes – With routes to suit all abilities sponsored by Polartec, you will be sure to take in some great scenery in and around;
Ambelside, Coniston, Keswick

Full Adventure capital series

Golakes have produced a range of activity leaflets in this series;
“Pedal or paddle, hike or climb.  Challenge your competitive spirit or just get out there and enjoy”.
On foot – for walkers and hikers
On wheels – For cyclists
On course – For runners
On water – For canoeists etc
On ropes – Mountaineering

For more information, visit the golakes website.

Work has now been completed on a bridleway near Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales thanks to a donation of 140 tonnes of stone from a local quarry.

Stone was airlifted to the work site by helicopter. Pic Hanson Aggregates

The Three Peaks path leads to the summit of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales National Park from the nearby village.

Gritstone was carried, a tonne at a time, by helicopter to the work site.  Here it was used as part of path restoration work started a year ago.

The gritstone was supplied by Hanson Aggregates, which owns and operates Skirwith Quarry at Ingleton.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Area Ranger Steve Hastie said: “The donation by Hanson’s has enabled us to top-dress the path surface to complete restoration work that began last summer and the fact that the stone has been moved such a short distance is a real bonus.

“This is a busy path and needed a bit of TLC to keep it in good condition.”

Horseriders, walkers and mountain bikers will find the going easier underfoot in Coverdale thanks to a joint project between the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and local dry stone wallers.

Members of the Otley & Yorkshire Dales branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association spent three days building a 2m-wide, cobbled ford in Arkleside Gill above Arkleside to make it easier for visitors to cross.

A cobbled ford is installed to help walkers and horseriders. Pic YDNPA

It is the second time the group has carried out major work in the National Park – last year members built an arched bridge over Eller Beck at Ballowfield, between Carperby and Woodhall in Wensleydale.

But it was something new for them because they had to start the work under water, according to branch spokesman John Heslegrave.

He said: “Arkleside Gill is steeply-sided and crossed by a bridle way but riders of even the most athletic horses had found the boulder-strewn stream bed too hard-going for a safe crossing,

“A cobbled ford was to be the answer and, after our success in building the Ballowfield bridge over water, we were in line for laying stone under water.

“But walling with a strong current washing around every stone was a new experience and we were glad to be able to get above the water level eventually.”

Paul Sheehan, the Authority’s Access Ranger for Lower Wensleydale, organised the transportation of five tonnes of stone – mostly slabs of freshly-quarried sandstone – aggregate and sand bags so the work could be carried out.

He said: “It was certainly something out of the ordinary for the wallers,

“But they have made a fantastic job of it and it will be there for years to come, helping people to cross the beck and continue their journey in this beautiful part of the National Park.”

The stones were set with the water flow and some of the water was diverted so the first cobbles could be laid ‘end down’ against a sandbagged plank.

A suspended rope was used to form the profile for the stonework and soil from the banks was dug out so the cobbles could rise smoothly for pedestrians, cyclists and horses.

Other boulders formed some new steps for the path up the west bank.

Malcolm Petyt, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for Recreational Management, said: “Having joined our Dales volunteers on a few walling jobs, I know some of the challenges of this sort of work. Having to do it under water must be something else!  They have done a great job.”