THE 55th birthday of the Dales Way long distance walk will be marked with a special celebration in Grassington.

The Dales Way Day on Saturday, April 27 will include a short walk and a talk by one of its joint founders Colin Speakman.

For many people, the 80-mile-long route through the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks, is their first experience of long distance walking, providing a relatively easy, low level route, that awakens a love of walking, before tackling greater challenges such as the Dales Highway, the Coast to Coast Walk or Pennine Way.

Mr Speakman, who lives in Burley-in-Wharfedale, is also chair of the Dales Way Association, a voluntary organisation formed in 1991 in order to celebrate, protect and improve the Dales Way, which though not a national trail is recognised for its beauty and variety, and as a great riverside walk, not a mountain hike.

Following a 2.5 mile walk, Mr Speakman will talk about the origins and history of the Dales Way The Peoples' Path ahead of the 32nd AGM of the association in Grassington Town Hall.

He will highlight the fact that climate change is causing increasing damage to our public rights of way network, particularly to popular riverside paths used by the Dales Way.

Wharfedale Observer: Co-founders, Tom Wilcock and Colin Speakman Dales Way in 1980 Co-founders, Tom Wilcock and Colin Speakman Dales Way in 1980

"Recent short-sighted cuts in funding for England's National Parks, plus the mean-minded refusal by North Yorkshire Council to support footpath maintenance work in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, mean that the voluntary efforts of organisations like the Dales Way Association have never been more vital," said Mr Speakman.

"We work in various ways to support the two national parks and the three major highway authorities who look after the route. But the Dales Way Association needs more active members. We are hoping that our Dales Way Day in Grassington will attract walkers willing to support the work of the association to look after this precious path. And we have some important announcements to make at our AGM about some very welcome planned improvements to the route."

Everyone is invited to the short but steep 2.5 mile walk which will begin at the national park office at 11.15am (or after the arrival of DalesBus 74 from Otley and Ilkley) and to Mr Speakman's talk '55 years of the Dales Way the Peoples' Path at Grassington Town Hall at 2pm, to be followed by the official Dales Way Association AGM.

All are welcome. Further details at www.dalesway.org.