Our Bridleway

Bridleway ref no 525016 is one of our only bridleways. As everyone will know, it is a public right of way for both horses and walkers alike. Paul and Karen Benson moved to the area in 2017 with their three horses and had their eye on the existence of the bridleway when making their decision to move to the area. Potentially many others were aware of the facility and over the years have maybe sought to travel over to Cowgill and beyond via the route

Jump forward to 2024 and Paul reports that, alas, the bridleway is far from usable for horses and walkers will struggle. Aware of shared feelings on this in the valley Paul has recently met with the YDNPA (Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) rangers to seek a resolution. The Rangers concede that the precise route is poorly sign posted and the problems that exist include a very boggy and unmarked steep section just south of the gate at the top of the Dandra Garth woods. Problems then continue as you attempt to navigate the upper stretches. Firstly there is a small but fairly deep stream that presents a bit of a challenge for some horses (not necessarily the walker), then you’ll come across the broadwalk section which is now collapsed into the mud. Moving forward efforts have been made in the recent past to place stone slabs (as stepping stones) across parts of the boggy terrain but alas the bits in-between have now taken up the boggyness

There is no doubt that all these problems can probably be navigated by the walker if you don’t mind getting soggy socks in your boots but for the horse rider the issue is impossible and the bridleway is realistically closed to horses

Paul advises that he has now been told by the YDNPA rangers that the cost of rectification of all these issues sits within the region of £50k and they just don’t have the funds to deal with all the issues. They advise that they will try to rectify (where existing budgets allow) the signage, the broad walk and the stone slab section but the lower boggy section just south of the woods will remain unresolved. In effect the bridleway will remain ‘obstructed’ and closed

The YDNPA do have a statutory duty under the Highways act to maintain public rights of way and remove any ‘obstructions’. They do have to balance the funds they have but to date have not come up with a proposal to rectify the situation. Paul will hopefully keep us updated on his ongoing journey to resolve the issue