A NEW section of the iconic Three Peaks route in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is now open for business.

Work started earlier this year to create an alternative path from Pen-y-Ghent to Ribblehead that would avoid the badly-eroded Horton Moor and Black Dubb Moss area.

And the new route, which takes walkers further along the Pennine Way National Trail before turning off and heading over Whitber Hill and Sell Gill Hill, has already been given the thumbs up by users.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Three Peaks area ranger Steve Hastie, who is also the Three Peaks project manager, said: “The feedback we have had so far about the new route is very positive.

“It is far easier to navigate — a lot drier — and it gives people a fantastic view of Ingleborough, Whernside and Far Moor Bridge. On top of that, it runs past Hull Pot and Hunt Pot, which are well worth a short detour to see.

“Another plus is that there won’t be any time wasted in busy periods having to wait at stiles and gates because, unlike the old path, there aren’t any.”

As well as providing for the first time a sustainable circuit for people wanting to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, the new section will also create a shorter route for families wanting to stretch their legs by walking from Horton-in-Ribblesdale along Bracken Bottom, up Pen-y-Ghent and then down the new route and back to the start point.

Last year, members of the public and readers of Trail magazine and Country Walking magazine were asked to select 10 winners from 66 international nominations to share a pot of cash being offered by the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) — a group of businesses in the European outdoor industry that raises funds to put directly into conservation projects worldwide.

And the Whitber bid, which was submitted by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, was a winner, netting a €30,000 grant. National Park rangers and Dales volunteers used 650 tonnes of materials to link up two existing stone tracks that are both part of the Pennine Way national trail to create the alternative route, which includes three sections of stepped stone flags and a small footbridge across Sell Gill Beck.

The authority’s conservation experts hope that by diverting walkers away from Black Dubb Moss, it will give the sensitive peatland habitats and the damaged vegetation time to recover.

Don Gamble, the YDMT’s projects development officer, said: “It is marvellous that the work has been completed and that the new, sustainable route is now being used and enjoyed.”