A new booklet has just been launched to help people explore the beautiful Nidderdale area. It's been produced by one of the area's leading countryside writers, Colin Speakman and the Harrogate and District bus company and its being distributed free of charge from the bus company's offices and tourist centres  and libraries throughout the area.

 

It features five walks that can be enjoyed using the company's unique Service 24 which runs every hour from Harrogate to Pateley Bridge. It connects with the 36 route from Leeds to Harrogate and Ripon and is designed to take advantage of the £6.50 Gold Day unlimited travel ticket.

 

Colin Speakman explained, "It's been a pleasure to work with H&D on the booklet. The Service 24 is one of Yorkshire's prettiest bus routes. The journey from the centre of Harrogate to the little town of Pateley Bridge, in the heart of Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covers just 18 miles, but contains an astonishing contrast in scenery, from the busy suburbs of Harrogate, through rich pasture and parkland, to the high Dales country of heather moors and high crags. In just 50 minutes you are in the real Yorkshire Dales, magnificent walking country which is yours to explore for a full day or just an afternoon."

 

Harrogate and District's Marketing Director Nigel Eggleton commented, "We are delighted to have worked with Colin and his son Dorian on the booklet. We think it's an excellent way to enjoy our buses. You can not only relax, but because seating is higher up than in a car, you enjoy far better, uninterrupted views across walls and hedges. And there's a much lower carbon footprint so it's better for the environment!"

 

"You can get off the bus at one of several attractive villages for a pub lunch, afternoon tea or to take a pleasant walk. No need to worry about where to park, if you are a walker you can plan a linear walk without having to retrace your steps back to a parked vehicle, just pick up the bus at the next village along the route."

 

Colin added "The Nidderdale bus service is not just a tourist bus. It's a local dale and village bus service, serving the community taking people to work, school, college, the shops, the doctor's surgery, to see their friends and family, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. When you travel on a country bus you are part of the rural community, a way of truly experiencing the countryside."

 

Nigel added, "We've called it 'The Nidderdale Branch' as a tribute to the old railway line than ran to Pateley Bridge. In many ways the Service 24 is its natural successor and many of the walks cross the old trackbed."