DALESBus is marking the anniversary of the passing of the 1949 National Park and Access to the Countryside Act by operating several new and improved Sunday and Bank Holiday bus services.

Highlights for summer 2019 include:

• A new Saturday DalesBus 74 bus direct from the centre of Bradford, Shipley and Ilkley to Bolton Abbey, Burnsall and Grassington, partly financed by contributions from the Bradford Sikh community to improve access to the Dales for people from all cultures and backgrounds

• A new circular sightseeing DalesBus 857/830 through Wensleydale and Swaledale over Buttertubs Pass providing access from urban Teesside, Lancashire and West Yorkshire

• An improved DalesBus 821 service from Otley to Upper Nidderdale giving opportunity for those without cars to reach the footpaths and public access land of the popular Reservoir Country of Upper Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley.

• A new bus DalesBus 825 service from Harrogate linking to Brimham Rocks, Kirkby Malzeard and the village of Masham

• A direct new service from Malham on DalesBus 881, linking with buses from Ilkley and meeting trains at Settle to serve Slaidburn in the Forest of Bowland AONB.

• A unique double deck sightseeing bus 822 between Grassington and Upper Wharfedale, meeting buses from Ilkley and Otley, crossing the Kidstone Pass to Hawes – offering magnificent panoramic sightseeing from the top deck.

• Connections off the 875 bus from Ilkley at Bainbridge for Castle Bolton and to Leyburn, Middleham, Masham and Richmond.

Paul Harrison, Chairman of the Friends of DalesBus said: “DalesBus in 2019 is enabling people living in many congested towns and cities of Northern England to enjoy exactly what Parliament intended – weekend access opportunities to the wonderful countryside and open spaces of the Yorkshire Dales for walking and sightseeing”.

Full details of all the Summer DalesBus service are given in the Summer Metro DalesBus timetable, now just issued which is available at bus and rail stations, libraries and main visitor and community centres throughout the region, together with more local service guides. All can be downloaded directly from www.dalesbus.org.

All services start on Easter Saturday and Sunday, April 20/21, except for the 830/857 services from Preston and Teesside to Swaledale and Wensleydale, which only commence on May 19th.