A BUS service providing a link between Tyneside and Teesdale and Weardale is now in operation.
Starting from Newcastle, the Black Grouse Bike Bus will run on Sundays and bank holidays until the end of September.
The service is funded by Durham County Council and the Countryside Agency, and provides a scenic journey into the north Pennines for walkers and cyclists.
It stops in Gateshead, Stanley, Annfield Plain, Consett, Stanhope, Barnard Castle, Bowes Museum and Hamsterley Forest, and can carry 24 bicycles in a specially-designed trailer.
Operated by Stanley Taxis under contract to the county council, the service is unique in the area.
Councillor Bob Pendlebury, cabinet member for transport, said: "The Black Grouse Bike Bus provides an opportunity for people to visit the beautiful Durham Dales without having to bring a car.
"There's so much to see in this unspoilt corner of the county, which is perfect for walking or cycling with the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast national cycle route.
"Encouraging people back into the dales is particularly important after the devastating effect of last year's foot-and-mouth disease."
The Black Grouse was chosen as the service's emblem as the area is one of the bird's last English strongholds.
* For bus times, call Traveline on 0870-608 2608
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