THE Yorkshire Dales National Park will be highlighted in a new series on national radio later this month.

Celebrity presenter Clare Balding spent a day with Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority staff as she walked a section of the Dales Way from Bolton Abbey to Burnsall Bridge for the BBC Radio 4 series ‘Ramblings’.

She was joined by Area Ranger Phil Richards and 20-year-old Dales Rural Trainee Scheme apprentice Arkady Bogg-Hargroves.

“We had a good walk – although a lot of it was in the pouring rain,” Phil said.

‘’She wanted to know more about the work we do, including the maintenance of the Dales Way footpath and the public rights of way network, how we manage public access, and riverbank and habit protection.

“We spent a great morning with her and she was impressed at the scope of work the rangers get involved in and the people we work with especially landowners farmers and local communities.”

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In total Clare spent four days on the route for the ‘Ramblings’ series, which features six programmes about well-known walks. The 80-mile-long Dales Way running from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere will feature in the second programme on September 25.

Arkady said: “Clare was really nice and very down to earth. After about five minutes walking with her you forgot she was famous.”

Clare said: “I had a great day with Phil and Arkady – they were just brilliant. I was fascinated by the work that the National Park Authority does to look after the beautiful landscape and its biodiversity. It’s a big job and there are so many aspects to it.”