ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly holidays are now available to visitors to the county.

This week, seven holidaymakers are staying in an eco-friendly youth hostel, eating local produce and travelling by bio-diesel powered vehicles.

During their stay at Lockton, near Pickering, the group are repairing a footpath for walkers in Goathland, the setting for ITV's Heartbeat. The holiday has been organised by the North York Moors National Park Authority and the Youth Hostels Association (YHA).

Graham Stubbs, the authority's volunteers officer, said: "I think this sort of holiday is the way forward and we are proving that it can work.

"Instead of exploiting the environment, our group is benefiting it. They are working really hard, but having a really good time as well."

Simon Ainley, the YHA's regional manager, said: "The youth hostel in Lockton has been renovated and it now boasts solar panel heating, a dry compost toilet, a sedum-plant roof with sheep's wool for insulation and a rainwater harvesting system."

The park authority hopes to run two holidays every year in the future. This first holiday is costing people £155 each.