Simon Bassindale: 'Parks like this are Britain's breathing spaces and everyone can enjoy them'

EVEN on a day when the brooding, murky skies threaten to erupt, it is hard not to be impressed by the views from Sutton Bank.

Perched on the south-west edge of the North York Moors National Park it is one of the most stunning panoramic scenes in the country. The steep, verdant hillsides lead down to the Vale of Mowbray, which this morning sits in a pool of sunlight amid the gathering gloom. In the distance you can just make out the giant "golf balls" at Menwith Hill that mark the eastern foothills of the Dales.

I've joined Simon Bassindale, a senior park ranger, on the Cleveland Way National Trail which starts in Helmsley and runs 110 miles in a horseshoe shape hugging the perimeter of the moors until it reaches Filey Brigg. "It's one of our best known routes. People come from all over the world to walk here – the United States, Europe and Australia," he says. "It's a great walk because everywhere you look there's a stunning view and you don't have to trek for miles on end."

It is one of the many jewels in the crown of the North York Moors National Park, which covers 554 sq miles of ancient woodland, heather moorland, farms and villages. The park is divided into three areas, each with two full-time rangers and two field staff, supported by about 200 volunteer rangers. Simon's patch covers about a third of the park, and while the romantic image of a ranger is of some Heathcliff-like character roaming around the countryside the reality is, of course, somewhat different. Rangers are as likely to be found in an office organising meetings with the many special interest groups that use the park, or getting specialists to do repair work, as they are talking to landowners and trekking the hundreds of miles of bridleways and footpaths.

Part of the rangers' remit here is the upkeep of about 20,000 objects, ranging from wooden gates to bridges, that fall inside the park's sprawling boundaries. This is a daunting prospect, says Simon, and while the idea of working in the great outdoors may sound appealing, Mother Nature can be unforgiving. When flash floods hit large swathes of North Yorkshire in 2005 more than 30 footbridges in the park were lost with another 10 badly damaged and it took two years to repair what had been destroyed in a matter of hours.

But such challenges come with the territory and he never tires of the landscape. "Down here in this part of the park it's perhaps not what people envisage when they think of the North York Moors. They maybe think of the rolling hills with the purple heather. But it's so different to anything else, you have steep wooded valleys, good farmland on top and the landscape constantly changing... you can never be bored by it."

Many of the visitors to this neck of the woods admire the raw, unspoilt beauty, perhaps not realising that it is not simply a divine gift, but a carefully harnessed one. "In the national parks in this country, man's imprint is writ large and to keep their unique qualities they need to be managed, which takes time and manpower," explains Simon. "Even the heather moorland is managed and if there wasn't the heather burning for the grouse season we wouldn't have the landscape that makes the North York Moors so special."

As well as carrying out conservation work, such as leading teams of volunteers in repairing dry stone walls and damaged fences, Simon liaises closely with the numerous communities dotted around the park. "We offer grants to villages to help keep them looking at their best. One of the projects I've enjoyed being involved with in the last couple of years is down in Hawnby, where they have what's called the 'summer seat'. This was left to the village a hundred years ago by a chap who used to stay in the hotel which had his favourite view looking out over the village. The villagers wanted to refurbish it for its centenary, so they got together with the parish council and explained what they wanted to do and approached a couple of local joiners. A local estate provided the oak timber and we paid for the joiners to do the work."

It's just one example, he says, of how they are able to help local communities. "The National Park isn't owned by the Government, it isn't owned by the National Park Authority; it's privately owned and that's why it's important that we harness our knowledge of the landscape together with the needs of local landowners and villagers."

The National Park is keen that this knowledge is passed on and has been running apprenticeship schemes for the past eight years, so that young people aged between 16 and 24 can learn skills like tree felling, dry stone walling and fence building.

Simon has worked at the park for the last seven years and enjoys the diversity of the job. "I can be dry stone walling, then I'm into a meeting about organising an event to promote moorland management, or speaking to a farmer about some work we're helping him with. You feel like you're making a difference and you have the added benefit of being out in this magnificent landscape every day."

He was brought up near Howden and came to the park long before he started working here. "I'm lucky to be working for my local national park. I used to go on school trips to places like Helmsley Castle and Rievaulx Abbey, so to be back working in this area is great." But it's not an easy job to get into, as these days most full-time rangers have a university degree as well as experience working on the land. "You don't get into this line of work by accident – the jobs are really sought-after because they don't come up very often, so you get really dedicated people who care about they're doing."

The National Park attracts about 6.3 million visitors a year and is home to bike races, tractor rallies and horse riding events. But not everyone treats the landscape with respect. We pass a sign saying "No motorbikes" and Simon admits that they have run-ins with gangs of bikers who ride on footpaths for their own entertainment. Campers, too, can be another problem. "At this time of year we have a few hotspots where we get people who turn up in their car, take a crate of beer out and chop a tree down so they can have a campfire. We have to remind them that this isn't appropriate behaviour. Some people claim they didn't realise they were doing anything wrong and others suggest what you can go and do with yourself."

Moorland fires are another constant danger the rangers face. "We've had four fires along this stretch of grassland in the last couple of months and although firefighting isn't our primary role, we know the best access routes for fire engines so we can provide invaluable advice."

As well as assisting the fire services they also work with the search and rescue teams and are now trained in emergency first aid. "We've helped old people in sheltered housing in the local villages as well as walkers who've got into difficulties."

Despite such sterling work, the future for park rangers like

Simon is uncertain. Public sector budgets are being slashed and the national park authorities are unlikely to survive unscathed. "Parks like this are Britain's breathing spaces and we all enjoy them at some stage in life. There's something for everyone here, whether it's walking, mountain biking, bird-watching, or visiting historic sites. It offers us something different from our day to day lives," says Simon, "and you hope that future generations don't miss out on that."