One of my favourite Yorkshire roads is that between Colne and Hebden Bridge. Yes, I know it skirts briefly with the other county but at least it’s across one of the better parts. The road is winding, steep, a little scary and offers great views. I took the route at the weekend… it was supposed to be a short cut to visit a friend but I ended up stopping so many times to take photos or admire the views that I’d have been quicker taking the longer route. The best bit is the part marked as Ridehalgh Lane on most maps. There are paths leading towards Lads Law (518m) and Boulsworth Hill and plenty of walks around Widdop and the other reservoirs nearby. The isolated Packhorse Inn survives and if you can find room to park below the hairpin bends around Blakedean Hostel you can find walks down the wooded valley towards Hardcastle Crags.

If you go down to the woods today… you’re sure of seeing plenty of new growth and wildlife. Everything seems to be springing into action at the moment here in the Dales – despite some pretty cold nights. I had a grand walk around Gisburn Forest early on Sunday before driving over the Keasden Road to take in the outstanding views over the Three Peaks. Add to this the moorland gorse shining brightly in the morning sunshine and you couldn’t ask for a better start to a day.

Local businesses received a welcome boost with the launch of our new visitor guide at the newly opened Talbot Hotel in Malton last week. Guests including the Hon Simon Howard, mountaineer Alan Hinkes, authors Peter Walker and Mike Pannett and artist Ashley Jackson celebrated the publication of Dalesman’s North York Moors, Coast & York visitor guide which we hope will help attract tourists from all over the country to the region. The guide also includes areas like the Vale of Mowbray, Vale of York, the Wolds, Humberside and Holderness and South Yorkshire, making it one of the most comprehensive guides ever produced for the region. Its sister guide, dedicated to the Yorkshire Dales and South Pennines, has quickly become established as the ideal companion for everyone who heads to the Dales and has benefited businesses looking to inform visitors of the goods and services they have on offer.
The Hon. Simon Howard said: “The compilers of this much-needed guide have taken on an enormous task. The area it covers encompasses some of the most diverse and beautiful countryside in the whole of the UK. From the rich and fertile Vale of York, to the wild heather clad dales and vales of the North York Moors and the rolling Wolds and dramatic coastline, this part of Yorkshire has everything.”
Even in my job, which involves searching the length and breadth of our great county seeking out stories for the country’s best selling regional magazine, I still come across parts of Yorkshire which astound me. And none more so than in the area to the east of the A1. It is truly a land full of surprises – stunning landscape, a glorious coastline, perfect walking country and enough history and heritage to keep even the most discerning visitor enthralled.
Photo shows Rt Hon Simon Howard and Country Publications MD Robert Flanagan at the launch
The guide costs only £2.99. Included are suggested walks, drives, maps, family days out, transport details, what’s on guide plus places to stay and eat out. ISSN 9772049 144106 available in all good bookshops TIC and other outlets, online from dalesman.co.uk or by calling 01756 701033

In May’s Dalesman, which will be on the shop shelves this week, is this historic photograph showing an important group of walkers planning the Pennine Way back in 1948. Tom Stephenson (third from right) had dreamt up the idea of a walk across the backbone of England in the 1930s but the route didn’t actually open until 1965. A stark contrast then to the 104-mile White Rose Way walking trail which has just been launched at South Bay at Scarborough – the finish of the trail trail which starts in Leeds City Square. The brainchild of retired police officer Paul Brown, it took him just a year to plan. The route passes through Harewood, Wetherby, Boston Spa, Tadcaster, Fulford, Kexby, and Stamford Bridge before heading into the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty via Kirkham Abbey. From there the walks leads into Malton and Thornton Le Dale before traversing the North York Moors National Park to Harwood Dale, Cloughton and along the clifftops into Scarborough. Details on www.whiteroseway.co.uk

To run alongside the Dalesman art exhibition at The Folly (continues until July 1) former editor Bill Mitchell gave a talk on Friday evening about the early days of the magazine. It’s always good to be in Bill’s company and despite ‘knocking on a bit’, to use his own phraseology, he was in sparkling form. He’ll be giving a similar talk on June 15 and I recommend you contact The Folly (01729 822361) to book a seat.

I hope you’ve been able to take advantage of our new feature on the website which allows you to view an archive film from the past. As I write, there’s a short film showing Bradford’s last trolleybus on its final journey. It was 1972 and I remember the day well… how the city centre has changed since then – and I wouldn’t disagree with anyone who says ‘not for the better’. The film is supplied by the Yorkshire Film Archive, a registered charity which finds, preserves and provides public access to moving images made in or about the Yorkshire region. The growing collections currently contain over 16,000 titles, ranging from films made by the early film pioneers of the late 1890s, to recent footage of changing landscapes and life in our region.
Buses also feature in the April edition of Dalesman which is now on sale – we have good news for those who rely on bus transport to visit the Dales. We also pay homage to a man who donated much land to the National Park, and take a wild and wonderful walk in the western Dales near Barbon. There’s also news of our exhibition at The Folly in Settle (pictued) – more on this in next week’s blog.

All members of staff are working extremely hard at present, not just putting together our four monthly magazines but also preparing two new visitor guides – one for the Dales & South Pennines and one for the area to the east of the A1 all the way to the coast, the Tees to the north and Don to the south. We’ve several books to produce and our next calendars… and, of course, our websites which are becoming more and more important to the business. It’s certainly a stressful time here, but when I heard of those Yorkshire soldiers killed thousands of miles from home I hit a great wall of perspective. The ‘boys’ killed out there were the same age as my son and I also have other family members in the forces. During a minute’s silence at Huddersfield Town FC on Saturday to honour the local lads killed in Afghanistan I noticed around me a few tears being shed. Let’s hope their sacrifice is not in vain. I know that those serving abroad receive our magazines and read our blogs and websites. I hope our words and  photos remind you of home in Yorkshire.