New tourist guides are wanted to work across Yorkshire and help become “ambassadors” for the county.

Applications are open for the Yorkshire Blue Badge Tourist Guide Training Course, marking the return of Blue Badge training to the county for the first time since 2014.

From Roman roads and Viking legends to industrial revolution, castles, abbeys, dramatic coastlines and spectacular moorland landscapes, Yorkshire has stories to tell.

The course is looking for enthusiastic people who can bring those stories to life for visitors from around the world.

A short walk from Hebden Bridge town centre, Hardcastle Crags has 15 miles of woodland paths, some of which run alongside tumbling streams. The 19th century Gibson Mill is in a central location and has a visitor centre and cafe.

placeholder image — A short walk from Hebden Bridge town centre, Hardcastle Crags has 15 miles of woodland paths, some of which run alongside tumbling streams. The 19th century Gibson Mill is in a central location and has a visitor centre and cafe.

Organisers say being a Blue Badge Tourist Guide is far more than knowing your history: “Guides are the welcoming face of Yorkshire: organising visitors, managing groups, interpreting heritage and landscape, answering questions, solving the unexpected and, above all, creating memorable experiences with warmth, knowledge and humour.”

A guide might spend one day leading a walking tour through York, the next taking a coach across the Dales, working with students or welcoming international visitors.

The professionally accredited course combines site visits, expert lectures, online learning, practical walking and coach guiding, communications training, tour planning and business development. Students will learn how to build a career as a professional freelance guide.

The organisers are particularly keen to attract applicants from South and East Yorkshire, where Blue Badge Tourist Guide coverage is more limited, alongside applicants from North and West Yorkshire.

Candidates with foreign language skills are especially encouraged, reflecting Yorkshire's growing international visitor market.

Course Director Sarah Cowling said: “Yorkshire has an extraordinary story to tell, but telling it well is a real skill. A great guide can make people laugh, make them look at a familiar place differently and leave them feeling that they have discovered something special.

“We want this course to reflect Yorkshire itself. We need guides from every part of the county and people who can welcome visitors from every corner of the world. We're looking for curious, enthusiastic and professional people who want to share Yorkshire and become its ambassadors.”

The course starts in January. Applications close on October 9. Find out more at www.yorkshiresbestguides.co.uk or contact [email protected].