Bicycle plan will build on Grand Depart

The undulating landscape of the Yorkshire Dales is well-worn territory for serious cyclists, offering dramatic hill climbs and downhills with breathtaking views across farmland, meadows and drystone walls but it is less accommodating for casual riders.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is particularly keen to develop family-friendly cycling as the park has little available when compared to other areas, according to a report prepared for members attending a full committee meeting tomorrow.

On the back of the millions of pounds’ worth of publicity for the Dales during the Grand Depart of the Tour de France, the authority hopes to see increased numbers of both cyclists and non-cyclists visiting and spending money with local businesses to boost the National Park’s tourism economy.

To attract more visitors to the park, Mark Allum, the Dales’s recreation and tourism manager, said work had started on the first of three new family-friendly cycle routes.

A 7km section of hard-wearing, relatively smooth aggregate is being laid over an existing cycleway around Malham Tarn.

The current route is riddled with potholes and needs an upgrade to give access to a wider group of cyclists.

Work to relay the surface began last year and £17,000 of grant funding secured from the Dales Integrated Transport Alliance will see the final 1km stretch completed over the winter in timing for an expected opening in April.

Mr Allum said: “The new trail will be a mix of tracks in good condition and quiet country roads around the other side of the Tarn.

“It means people can get out with their kids and do a circuit of the Tarn and take advantage of lots of other activities nearby, such as nature trails which are best explored on foot. It will make for a nice day out.

“We are well aware we are short of family-friendly cycling in some areas and we are looking for three new family-friendly routes - this is the first.”

He said the development of more trails was reliant on attracting external funding as the National Park’s budget remains under pressure as a consequence of government austerity cuts, but a second route could be added in Swaledale, subject to permission from landowners.

Explaining how the authority wanted to build on the legacy of the Tour de France, Mr Allum said: “We get a huge number of people coming out to the Dales cycling and since the Tour de France there has been a very noticeable increase.

“The area lends itself to those who want to climb the hills that featured in the Tour. Given the topography of the Dales it limits what we can do to open it up to others but we will look to take any opportunity we can to make things work better for those sorts of groups.”