FARMER'S daughter, Chris Flintoft, is diversifying from helping her father on Broadgate Farm, Westerdale.

She has set up a cycle hire business, Purple Mountain Bike Hire, from a shed in the car park of her sister Dafny Hebron's pub, the Coach and Horses in Rosedale.

The growth in popularity of cycling across the North York Moors continues with the opening and backing of the North York Moors National Park sustainable tourism project.

Miss Flintoft offers mountain bikes in the popular tourist village of Rosedale Abbey, and is planning to offer cycling holidays in future.

Visitors to the new cycle hire will be able to explore Rosedale and have the chance to see its fascinating industrial heritage at close quarters if they choose to cycle around the dale's dismantled railway, which leads right up to its head.

In the future, the new cycle hire will also link into the further development of the moors-to-sea cycle route which, at the moment, extends from the coast only as far west as Pickering.

Miss Flintoft has bought a number of adult and children's bikes and also has facilities for towing buggies.

"I am doing all the organising and sorting out the bikes and several youngsters from the village have agreed to act as guides and helpers as and when needed," she said.

"Although the area is hilly, we transport bikers to the top of the bank from where they can cycle on flat land for miles."

She got the idea when her sister took over the pub a few months ago.

"There is also a disused chapel in the village which offers accommodation so I am hoping to expand into school programmes and holiday weekends. There are two caravan sites nearby, so I am hoping to attract custom from there too," she said.