POPULAR bus services, bringing day-trippers from West Yorkshire into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, have been re-established with the help of the Countryside Agency.

The Yorkshire Dales Public Transport User Group has persuaded the organisation to assist with the costs of re-instating the 803 Sunday service and 800 Saturday bus, linking Bradford and Leeds with Swaledale, Wensleydale and Wharfedale.

The first Sunday bus leaves this weekend, leaving Wakefield at 8.20am and calling at Bradford, Leeds, Harrogate, Middleham, Leyburn, Reeth, Gunnerside, Muker and Hawes, returning along the same route from Hawes at 5pm.

The Saturday service - which runs from July 7 - also leaves Wakefield at 8.20am, but passes through Bradford, Leeds, Ilkley, Bolton Abbey, Grassington, Kettlewell, Buckden, Aysgarth, Bainbridge and Hawes, leaving for West Yorkshire again at 5.15pm.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park's transport manager, Andy Ryland, said: "By announcing these new service, we have met the wishes of the user group, which, like us, wants to see greater access to the national park by public transport.

"The time-tabling of the new services means the public will have the option of spending a night in Hawes before returning home."