River Swale walking route at Gunnerside in Swaledale repaired

Part of the riverside route, which runs along the River Swale at Gunnerside in Swaledale, reopened after the boardwalk was repaired. 

These repairs came after the Harrogate Rambling Club donated £2,500 to the National Park Authority so that rangers and volunteers could extend the boardwalk beside the River Swale.

Swaledale Area Ranger Michael Briggs with John Hopkins and Greg Richardson from Harrogate Rambling Club at the Gunnerside boardwalk (Image: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) The 300-member club brings groups into the National Park and surrounding areas with its regular walks on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The president of the club, Greg Richardson, said: “We so enjoy walking in the Yorkshire Dales, and supporting the ways that we walk is really what we want to help with, particularly when funding for such improvements seems to be at a premium.

“This is a very nice piece of work and great value.  I never thought we’d see this amount of work for the money that we’ve given.”

Secretary of the club, John Hopkins, added: “Our club has been around since 1936. Back then, people used to come up on bikes and cycle home in the dark, so it’s been a well-supported club for many years. 

"The walks used to be predominantly at the weekend but as people’s lifestyles have changed there has been demand for walks in the week. On a Wednesday it’s mostly retired folk and we encourage younger people to come out on our Sunday walks.

A view of the new boardwalk by the Swale near Gunnerside (Image: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) “We keep coming because there’s constant variety in the Yorkshire Dales: different views in different seasons, the geology, wildlife, history – and the pubs. 

"Walking in a group is quite different from walking on your own or in couples.  It’s about socialising and at the end of the walk we end up in a pub or a tea room.”

Harrogate Rambling Club organise around 400 walks each year in Yorkshire.  

They grade their walks from A to D, with “A-walks” being up to 14 miles and steep and “D-walks” being a nice amble for up to seven miles.  

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The club says new members are always welcome.

Member champion for recreation management at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Lizzie Bushby, said: “As a fast-flowing upland river, the River Swale provides wetland which stores carbon, reduces downstream flooding, filters water and is an important wildlife habitat.

“The attraction of riverside routes is that they are level and relatively sheltered.  The path along the river near Gunnerside is quite narrow and a stone aggregate surface could be swept away in a flood, so the boardwalk should work well and be a long-lasting solution.