Dalesbus Website - Archived News

Once again holders of Metrocards and West Yorkshire Concessionary Passes are able to travel on the Settle-Carlisle railway line and between Leeds and Morecambe for a flat fare of Ł5. Metro and Northern Rail are repeating this popular winter offer again, this time running between Monday 14th November 2005 and Sunday 19th February 2006 (inclusive).

This is a great opportunity to enjoy a dramatic and inspiring journey through the rugged Dales landscape and reach many interesting places easily and cheaply. The winter months can be spent exploring the area and all the wonderful places these two railway lines can take you to.

Metrocard Holders can travel on the Settle-Carlisle and Leeds to Morecambe routes for a flat fare of Ł5. Customers need to produce their valid Metrocard and a coupon available from the Metrocard offer leaflet. The journey must originate in the Metro West Yorkshire area and the offer is valid all week.

Metro concessionary pass holders are entitled to the Ł5 flat fare on both routes between Mondays and Thursdays and again will be required to produce their valid Metro Pass and a coupon available from the Metro leaflet.

Full details of the terms and conditions of both offers are contained in a leaflet which is available from staffed bus and rail stations in West Yorkshire. You can also request a leaflet from Metroline on 0113 245 7676, or download one from the Metro website at www.wymetro.com

A discounted offer is also available to Dales Railcard holders during the same period.

A return ticket has been introduced on route X84 to Skipton from Sunday 30 October until Saturday 24 December 2005 as a trial period.

The ticket is priced at Ł3.20 and is available for a day return journey to or from Skipton. The ticket offers savings over two single point to point tickets purchased, whether its purchased at Leeds, Otley or Ilkley a saving will be made regardless.

There are no discounts for Concessionary (WY or NY), disabled, Young Persons or Scholars passes during this trial period - all return tickets will be at the stated price.

A new chapter was added to railway history during September 2005 when, for the first time in half a century, regular passenger rail services operated on the Leeming Bar to Northallerton section of the Wensleydale Railway (WR). Working in partnership, innovative rail vehicle supplier Parry People Movers Ltd (PPM) and the WR arranged and obtained approval for the public service in a matter of weeks.

The operation, using a PPM 50 Light Railcar on six miles of route normally only used by freight trains together with an integrated bus link, promoted two projects: the extension of WR tracks and services to Northallerton main line station, and the joint development of a new type of larger environmentally-friendly non-electric light rail vehicle for community railways. Over 700 journeys were made by fare-paying passengers during the demonstration period with many passengers using the service to get to local shops and services.

"The response of passengers to this new service was, above all, to travel on it for journeys they would otherwise have made by road or not at all," said Ruth Annison, Chairman of Wensleydale Railway plc. "On the very first day, people were making journeys for appointments at Northallerton’s Friarage hospital and to catch trains on the East Coast main line. It was especially pleasing that throughout the demonstration people were using the rail shuttle service to go shopping and have a day out in Northallerton, thus helping the market town economy."

"It has been a joy to work with the Wensleydale Railway," said John Parry, Chairman of PPM. "Our two organisations have much the same culture - we get on with the job and solve the problems. The important thing is not to call for endless reports or argue about what the perfect solution would be if only limitless funds were available, but to do everything that is possible with the money to hand. This is how we'll work together to develop the larger railcars and extend the line."

The demonstration service caught the attention of the media, with reports appearing in the regional, national and railway industry press. The operation was also featured on BBC and ITV television and both independent and BBC radio (local and national).

A new generation light railcar from Parry People Movers (PPM) will provide the first passenger service for half a century between Leeming Bar and Northallerton from September 15th to 23rd 2005, with an integrated bus link to town centre and main line station.

Parry People Movers Ltd (PPM) - the supplier of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly light rail vehicles for community railways and tramways - has joined forces with Wensleydale Railway plc - operators of the re-opened 17-mile route in North Yorkshire - to provide a rail service to the east of the current WR terminus at Leeming Bar.

From Thursday September 15th until Friday September 23rd (excluding Sunday September 18), a PPM 50 Light Railcar will operate a regular service along six miles of line normally only used by freight trains. As the final half-mile section of track which took passenger trains into the county town of Northallerton is long gone, an interchange point has been constructed and a dedicated bus will transport passengers to and from the town centre and the main line railway station, served by Trans Pennine Express and GNER trains.

The Wensleydale Railway has announced that it will run its first locomotive-hauled passenger trains since the railway re-opened in July 2003, to mark the first-ever national Community Rail Day on Saturday May 14, 2005.

Class 31 and Class 37 diesel locomotives will haul a set of newly-painted red Mark 2a coaches on two "specials" after the end of the day's regular train services.

The special trains will depart from Leeming Bar station, half a mile from the A1 near Bedale. Saturday's 4.45pm departure for Redmire - on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park - will be repeated the next day, Sunday May 15 and the fare will be Ł20 return. The round trip will take about two hours and all seats can be booked in advance.

An additional loco-hauled train will run on the Saturday evening (May 14) departing from Leeming Bar at 8pm to the market town of Leyburn for a return fare of Ł15. Ticket prices for passengers who book for more than one of these special trains are Ł30 for any two journeys and Ł50 for all three journeys. A Weekend Rover Plus (May 14/15 only) at Ł60 is valid for all three loco-hauled specials and also all the Wensleydale Railway's regular DMU (diesel multiple unit) services on both days. Children aged 5-15 travel for half price; under 5s are free.

"The journey by train through Wensleydale is lovely at this time of year," says WR's marketing director, Mrs. Ruth Annison. "Spring flowers beside the line, and lambs skipping in nearby fields, will make it a memorable journey when seen from the comfort of our first loco-hauled passenger trains. We are also encouraging passengers on these evening trains to bring a picnic meal to enjoy as they travel up the dale."

"The launch of these special services is a tribute to everyone who has worked so hard to restore the Class 31 and Class 37 locomotives and bring them back into use. We are very pleased to be able to do this on the same date as the first Community Rail Day."

Wensleydale Railway runs regular DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains between Leeming Bar and Redmire 7 days a week. For routine timetable information see www.wensleydalerailway.com or phone 01969 623069; to book for the loco-hauled specials on May 14 and 15, telephone 08454 50 54 74.

Winter Sunday service 805 to Hawes from York, via Leeds, Ilkley and Grassington will continue until 20th March 2005. The summer service, starting in Wakefield, begins on 27th March.

The through journey to Skipton and Malham from Leeds, Bradford and Keighley on bus route 804 on Saturdays was replaced from the 18th December 2004 by a new service running on Saturdays from Preston, Blackburn and Burnley to Skipton and Malham. Times between Skipton and Malham are unchanged. - see timetable page for details.

Unfortunately, there will be no Sunday service on route 24 from Harrogate to Pateley Bridge during the Winter months this year. The Sunday service will resume at May Day weekend in 2005.

New bus services linking Hawes with Garsdale Station and surrounding villages started on 29th November 2004, under the Hawes Village Bus banner. All the routes run on Mondays to Saturdays. The routes are as follows:

The Wensleydale Railway is now operating a daily service (until 31st October) from Leeming Bar to Bedale, Leyburn and Redmire. There are five return journeys between Leeming Bar, Bedale and Leyburn, with three journeys continuing through to Redmire. Click here for the full timetable, and details of bus links from Northallerton Station.

The Malham Tarn Shuttle Bus is now using satellite navigation technology to give passengers an historical insight into one of the National Park's most glorious locations.

As passengers travel on the circular route from Malham National Park Centre towards Malham Tarn and then back again, an onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks the vehicle's exact location. When certain points are reached the soothing voice of National Park Authority Interpretation Officer Kate Geddes relays relevant and interesting information to passengers.

The innovative system means visitors who give their cars a break and travel on the 804T service will not only get superior views of the countryside over the high drystone walls; they will also learn more about natural wonders like Malham Cove, the famous limestone pavement and Malham Tarn. The innovative commentary system installed on the shuttle bus by the National Trust is funded by the Travel Awareness Regions Group for Environmental Transport (TARGET) project.

Summer 2004 Dalesbus Changes

Despite some improvements with the introduction of the Malham Tarn Shuttle service and a new peak season link from Darlington to Hawes, a number of cuts have been made to the network of summer weekend leisure bus services to the Dales. This is despite the increased visitor numbers expected as a result of the promotion of the National Park's 50th anniversary and the popular Calendar Girls film.

North Yorkshire County Council's leisure bus service budget remains frozen, with no allowance being made for the rising cost of bus operation. The Yorkshire Dales National Park's contribution to the services in 2004 is planned to be just Ł20,000; which is actually a reduction over 2003 following the ending of Countryside Agency "Wider Welcome" grants. This means, simply, that insufficient public money has so far been made available to support the level of service that operated last year. The result of this is that:

Whilst the User Group welcomes the modest improvements, it is very disappointed by cuts to established services, and that the National Park's fine words on sustainable tourism are being directly contradicted by their actions on reducing investment in bus services for visitors.

Dales Rover tickets are available on the weekend Dales Connections Network until the end of October 2004. For the Autumn months this comprises the following Sunday/Bank Holiday services: 67A, 159, 800, 804, 804T, 805 and 807; also the following Saturday services: 804, 804T.

Zone C - Ribblehead, Settle, Malham, Skipton, Bolton Abbey, Grassington, Buckden, Middlesmoor, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Bedale

Zone D - Hawes, Aysgarth, Swaledale, Leyburn, Richmond, Masham, Lightwater Valley, Ripon

Travel within a single zone costs Ł3.50, for travel between zones see the table below:

Zone A
4.50	Zone B
7.00	4.50	Zone C
8.00	7.00	4.50	Zone D

Price shown is for one adult boarding in the zone shown to enable travel within other zones

Senior citizen tickets are available for half the adult fare to North Yorkshire pass holders only.

Family tickets (for 2 adults + up to 2 children, or 1 adult + up to 3 children) are available for the price of two adult tickets.

Note that OAP concessions are no longer available on Dales Rover tickets to holders of Metro Permits or any other OAP passes, except those issued by North Yorkshire.

Dales Rovers are not available for journeys wholly between Skipton and Malham on Saturdays.

New MetroConnect bus services started on Monday 26th January 2004 on a number of routes in the Otley area.

Service 942 operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Otley to Askwith and Moor Lane.

Service 944 operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Otley to Farnley and Leathley.

A number of changes were made to bus services in the Skipton area from 4th January 2004:

Bowland Transit service B10 between Clitheroe, Slaidburn and Settle is now operating seven days a week. On Sundays one journey extends to Ribblehead and Ingleton, leaving Settle at 2.50pm.

Two completely new weekday bus routes, and two new Sunday services are now running in the Dales.

The new weekday services, operated by Harrogate & District Travel as part of North Yorkshire County Council's Travelinks project, run on Mondays to Saturdays on the following routes:

The two routes connect at Kettlesing, providing additional journey opportunities.

A series of events has been organised in Leeds to support European Mobility week. This includes a special "Park & Ride to the Dales" service on Sunday 22nd September. Dales buses 800 and 805 from Leeds to Bolton Abbey, Grassington, Buckden, Aysgarth and Hawes will make a special stop at Woodhouse Moor, where free all-day car parking will be available.

Also on Sunday 22nd September, Harrogate & District Travel are offering a maximum Ł1 fare on all their buses, including service 36 from Leeds to Ripon. This Ł1 ticket will give unlimited travel on Harrogate & District buses for the day.

There were a number of changes to services 72 and 74 operated by Pride of the Dales from Grassington to Skipton, Ilkley, Buckden and Hebden from 1st October.

Service 210 between Malham and Skipton has new times on Saturdays from 6th October, including a through service from Wakefield, Leeds and Bradford running as service 804.

Bus 'n' Boots Project

The basic concept of the Wharfedale Bus ‘n’ Boots Project is to use Community Transport mini buses driven by Voluntary Wardens, to offer guided events to visitors arriving in Grassington and will be based at the new transport interchange at the National Park car park.

The project has been devised and developed by members of the Voluntary Warden service of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and will be introduced into their programme of guided events to be offered in 2001.

Wharfedale Bus’n’Boots Walks - these walks aim to offer guided walks in areas of Wharfedale not easily reached by public transport and are aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at people visiting Wharfedale by bus.

Wharfedale Bus’n’Boots Tours - in the middle of the day the buses will be used to offer guided tours to more senior, or less energetic, visitors, giving them the chance to explore various aspects of Wharfedale with an informative guide. Each tour will involve a little walking over firm and level ground.

The first tour was on 24th June 2001, however the start of the walks programme has had to be delayed to the foot & mouth precautions.

New Postbus service

A new Postbus linking the villages of Grewelthorpe, Mickley, Kirkby Malzeard and Galphay with Ripon and Masham started on 26th February 2001. Full timetable details are available here.

New Rural Service

A new bus service linking Cowgill, Dent, Sedbergh and Kendal started on 8th November 2000, running on Wednesdays. Full details of this service operated by Woofs of Sedbergh are available here.

Wensleydale Railway Co

The new bus services in the Bedale area planned by WRC have been delayed and will not now start in 2000, for details of services currently operated click here.

In the meantime plans to bring back regular passenger trains to Wensleydale have taken a major step forward with the announcement that Railtrack has agreed in principle to transfer its interest in the Northallerton to Redmire line to the Wensleydale Railway Company. Trains may well be running next summer, see the WRA website for details. WRC has also acquired the station sites at Leeming Bar and Leyburn, the company's shop will be moving to the station in the near future. The shop carries a wide range of stock of interest to the transport enthusiast (all modes catered for) and an excellent range of gifts.

Pateley Bridge Evening Bus

As part of a number of bus service changes in the Harrogate area from 11th June 2000, a new bus to Pateley Bridge has been introduced, leaving Harrogate on Friday and Saturday evenings at 2315.

Changes to Bus Services from 16th April 2000

Pride of the Dales revised their services from Ilkley and Skipton to Grassington and Buckden from 16th April. The weekday service from Ilkley is improved, but evening services from Skipton are reduced. Full timetables are now on-line for the Ilkley and Skipton services.

Changes were also made to Sunday buses in the Harrogate area from 16th April, improvements include:

National Park Events

Details are now available of guided walks and other events organised by the Yorkshire Dales National Park for the summer season.

Telephone Hotline

A new telephone enquiry service has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council, providing information on any public transport journey starting or finishing in the county. The number to remember is 0870 608 2 608.

The line is open from 8am to 8pm, and calls cost a maximum of 8p a minute (peak) and 3p a minute (off-peak).

Service Changes

Wensleydale area services operated by Dales & District changed again from 27th September 1999, as follows:

Service 159 between Ripon, Leyburn and Richmond also have new times, including an hourly daytime service between Leyburn and Richmond.

Links from Masham are also improved, with service 144 running from Masham to Bedale on Mondays to Saturdays, with some journeys continuing to Northallerton.

For full details of all the above services please contact the operator, Dales & District, on 01677 422371.

A new Saturday bus service between Northallerton, Bedale and Hawes operated by Wensleydale Railway Co also started on 18th September. For full details please telephone 01969 663350.

Improved Settle Service

Service 580 between Kirkby Lonsdale, Ingleton, Settle and Horton in Ribblesdale was improved from August 2nd 1999, with improved connections with services to Skipton, Lancaster and Kendal, and later buses from Ingleton and Settle.

Embsay Railway News (from the Craven Herald)

The reinstating of a passenger line between Skipton and Grassington has received the full support of officers and members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park committee.

The line is currently used to transport stone from Swinden Quarry at Cracoe, owned by Tilcon.

Sunday excursions were said to be commonplace in the 1950s and more recently occasional passenger trains have operated with the permission of Tilcon and Railtrack but the absence of a platform has meant travellers have not been able to alight. Rail engineers believe the construction of a platform would be a relatively straight-forward operation.

If the proposals go ahead it will mean visitors to the Dales will be able to leave their cars in Skipton - or even further afield - and travel up the line to a terminal near the quarry. A park and ride bus service will then transport the visitors further up the Dales.

With or without a platform, an excursion train has already been booked to coincide with Grassington's Dickensian Festival. Hertfordshire Rail Tours have organised The Christmas Cracoe on Saturday December 18. The train departs from London's King's Cross Station to Skipton and then up to the end of the line at the quarry. The rail tour company hopes a platform will be in place but if it isn't then the train will still travel along the line and return to Skipton where a transfer bus service will be provided.

National Park member Coun Robert Heseltine said the scheme was within a whisker of becoming a reality. "The Dales is a honeypot for visitors. It will be excellent for the economy of the area."

Equally enthusiastic was Dr Jim Burton. "It is a potential boon to local people and tourists alike. Success will bring benefits to the park and all who visit," he declared. He also said other lines within the National Park such the Colne to Skipton could be re-instated in the future.

Transport and visitor management officer Andy Ryland said of the scheme which could cost up to Ł1 million: "Today's full backing from the authority members has given the green light that could very well see the first passenger trains for many years serving the heart of the Dales. This is a significant milestone in realising the long-term aim of a fully integrated rail and bus network for the Yorkshire Dales National Park."

In the long term there are proposals to reconnect Embsay junction with the Swinden branch at Haw Bank. Members agreed to continue discussions with the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway, Tilcon, rail excursion trains operators and the Office of Rail Passenger Franchising.

Special Fares and Discounts

Tickets offering discounted travel on the Wharfedale Wanderer service and the Embsay Steam Railway are now available, click here for details.

Bus users now get discounted entry at Fountains Abbey, collect your discount voucher from the Fountains Flyer driver. Adults admitted at child price (Ł2.10), children at half price (Ł1.05).

New All Year Services

A new service 74 now operates on weekdays from Ilkley to Grassington and Buckden, operated by Pride of the Dales. Evening services between Skipton and Grassington will also be introduced on Fridays and Saturdays. Full details are available here.

Stagecoach Cumberland are now operating a daily service between Ingleton, Kirkby Lonsdale and Kendal. Services 567/568 provide 4 journeys on weekdays, and 3 on Sundays.

Wharfedale Pub Crawl

The local CAMRA Group have added a webpage to their site entitled "A Yorkshire Dales Pub Crawl". It is a list of the pubs in Wharfedale between Addingham and Cray, with the clear suggestion that people do it using the Wharfedale Wanderer. To visit this site, click the link provided on the Dalesbus Links Page.

Website News

West Yorkshire PTE have begun to add Yorkshire Dales bus services to their journey planner website. Coverage is not yet complete, but several services are already shown. Links will be provided from within the Dalesbus website shortly. The West Yorkshire Buses website is a new unofficial website with information on bus services in West Yorkshire.

New Rural Bus Services

The following new services have been introduced on an experimental basis, using the Rural Bus Grant. The continuation of these services depends on their usage, so please support them. See the Other Bus Services page for details:

Improved services have also been introduced between Keighley and Skipton (KDT 70/78) and between York and Ripon (HDT 142/X42).

Archived News from the Dalesbus Website