1. The Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) can be approached from all directions including from the South where one would probably come into the park via the beautiful little village of Grassington. The main car park contains a Tourist Information Office near to which is located a bus stand. Here in July 2000 an Eastern Coachworks (ECW) bodied Leyland Olympian rested between duties during the morning having journeyed up from Keighley. Whilst it is illustrated here in the ownership of that town’s Keighley & District bus company, the vehicle’s origins lay back in 1984 when it and two others were supplied to the West Yorkshire Road Car Company as their fleet numbers 1843-1845.

2. Turn around at this point and step a few paces along the road and one will encounter a building that once housed buses operated by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company subsidiary of the National Bus Company (NBC) from 1969 to 1985. Here a handsome Bristol RE again with ECW bodywork, waited time before making the long journey across the hilltops to Pateley Bridge in July 1975. Sadly the RE has probably been scrapped and the building sold off for alternative usage including for some time by the Royal Mail.

3-4. Twenty-five years on and buses have changed somewhat. Services are no longer provided by REs from an NBC subsidiary, it is now midibuses from a local firm named Pride of the Dales. Here in July 2000 one of their small fleet of Optare MetroRiders passed by the former garage premises on route 74 down to Ilkley. The registration disguises that this was originally supplied to London Buses in 1992 as their fleet number MRL197.
As well as MetroRiders, the company also ran a Renault in the shape of this Northern Counties bodied version as it rattled its way over the cattle grid at the entrance to the main Grassington car park. Once again the registration disguises the origins, but on this occasion my searching has let me down. However, one can understand why bus services have altered somewhat, illustrated by the multitude of private cars and motor bikes shown here occupying the car park.

5. From the south and west of Yorkshire though buses would have come into the area back in the 1970s, courtesy of the West Yorkshire Road Car Company. Number 1178 here in July 1975 was another supplied by the Bristol and ECW combination, this being an LH type on a Sunday service deep in Swaledale.

6. In 1979 three of these 55-seat Duple Dominant bodied Leyland Leopards were acquired by Trimdom Motor Services in the North East. Subsequently that company was taken over by the United Automobile Services subsidiary of the NBC and repainted into fleet livery. Here what became number 1213 paused in the market square at Hawes in June 1992 on a long service over from the east side of the Dales.

6-7. Over in the next dale to the north another United vehicle was in action in July 2000 halfway along Swaledale. Here 2605 a 25-seater Optare MetroRider crossed the bridge as it left from the south side of Muker bound for Richmond.
Three years later and the all encompassing blue and stone livery of the Arriva empire had penetrated the Dales. Again it was the month of July and MetroRider 2722 one of twenty-four supplied to United during 1997 and 1998 departed from the village of Reeth again on route 30 out to Richmond.

9. During July 2000 the up and coming Wensleydale Railway Company, intent on re-opening rail links through Wensleydale, operated a seasonal open-top bus tour centred on the town of Leyburn. With the town situated at the far eastern end of Wensleydale their ECW bodied Bristol VR registered HHH 272N, made a fine sight on a circular service out to Redmire. The bus was one of six supplied to Cumberland Motor Services during 1975. Since then the passenger rail link has been established from Leeming Bar via Bedale and Leyburn to Redmire, with a bus link to the East Coast Main Line at Northallerton provided by the Dales & District bus company.

10. The said Dales & District company operates a fair sized network of services in the area with a useful route 156 through Wensleydale to Hawes. Here one of the company’s Optare Solos is seen as it departed west from Leyburn in July 2008.

11. Now on to what some may describe as the interesting bit. A company by the name of Vintage Omnibus Services based in Ripon has operated a seasonal service 127 from that town into the Yorkshire Dales for several years. With the name vintage in the title it does just it says on the tin, so to speak, by running three vintage single-deckers in regular service to Hawes and Garsdale and back on most days of the week during the season. Two of their buses are shown at Redmire railway station in July 2008 as they awaited the connection with the passenger service from Leeming Bar and Leyburn. One is an ECW bodied Bristol MW5G type formerly operated by the Eastern National Omnibus Company and would have served much of Essex during the 1960s as their fleet number 548. The other a little older a 1949 built L5G type again with ECW body and operated in the livery of its original employer, the Lincolnshire Road Car Company. As the service has become popular over the years, so it has been necessary to duplicate services.

12-13. The lovely village of Redmire provided the backdrop for the Bristol L’s nearside as it passed through bound for Hawes having met up with the train.
The offside aspect is shown here as it headed back through Appersett towards Hawes from the Garsdale side of the town in April 2010.

14-15. The third vehicle in the fleet is another Bristol L type, but this one was originally operated by United Automobile Services in the north east of England as their number BG381, another one built in 1949. This too was captured by the Box Brownie as it headed back towards Hawes from Garsdale in August 2010.
The nearside aspect is shown as it prepared to depart from the former station forecourt at Hawes. The station buildings behind now house the Tourist Information Centre and local museum.

16-17. During the middle of the day the 127 route continues west from Hawes along the A684 road to Garsdale Station. Along the way it parallels the old railway line that once linked the East and West Coast main lines. However, at Garsdale it does link up with the increasingly busy Settle & Carlisle Line. The MW type is shown at the terminal point with the railway visible behind.
The view from the cab area of the MW as it trundled its way back towards Hawes with the magnificence of Wensleydale laid out ahead as the bus negotiated one of the many ascents along the way.

18. On a Tuesday during the season the vintage buses from the east meet up with another vintage operation from the west. Illustrated here Cumbria Classic Coaches former Crosville Bristol Lodekka, about to enter the premises of the Wensleydale Creamery and visitor centre at Hawes. A promotion for the location on each side of the vehicle provided additional welcome income to the small Cumbrian bus and coach company, who operate a seasonal once-a-week service on market day from over the border in the Kirkby Stephen area.

19. The Lodekka is shown in the company of the vintage buses from the Ripon area along with a more up-to-date Mercedes-Benz Sprinter midibus employed on a small network of local Yorkshire County Council contracted services in August 2010. Regrettably these latter services are under threat from council cutbacks and would be a further loss to the community. However, the image does illustrate joined-up integration of services.

20. Back in September 2008 a small but perfectly formed bus running day was held in the area and centred upon Hawes, with displays of vintage vehicles in the former railway station yard and up at the Wensleydale Creamery. Seen at the former location and run on the free service was this rather handsome little Bristol SUL type originally operated by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company. Restored in pre-NBC livery SMA 5 as was, pulled away on a trip along Wensleydale and out to the village of Bainbridge to the west of Hawes.

21. At one stage during the day the opportunity arose to observe a fine set of Bristols in the railway yard at Hawes. Two L types were noted at rest between duties, whilst the SUL manoeuvered itself into position for another run out along Wensleydale. Of the two L type the one in front has already been featured here, whilst the one at the back was in the hands of North East England preservationists. Closure inspection will show that the destination of “Aidensfield” is illustrated in the blindbox. You may recall that this fictional location featured in the “Heartbeat” television series that was based on policing in and around the North Yorkshire Moors during the 1960s, in which the bus make several ‘drive-on’ appearances.

22. A magnificent line-up of the vintage buses made for a splendid sight in August 2009 as the time approached for the post 3.00pm departures of the seasonal services from Hawes back to their home towns. On this particular day maximum loadings were carried on all buses and the homegoing crowds (plus one dog), made their way to their respective vehicles, some to head west and north, the others east and south.

23. Homeward bound in July 2008 two of the Vintage Omnibus Services vehicles carried full loadings as they approached the village of Wensley at the eastern end of Wensleydale. They made a fine sight and bring to a close this vintage episode as sun peeped out from the clouds to shine down upon them.

24-25. But this piece is not quite ended as a more modern vehicle prepared to depart from Hawes on a ‘Dalesman’ marketed Summer Sunday operation back to York. Operated by the aptly named York Pullman bus company this well maintained single-decker provided yet more variety being a relatively rare Leyland Tiger with Alexander (Belfast) N-type bodywork. Originally operated by Ulsterbus in Northern Ireland seven of the type have been acquired by York Pullman and make useful additions to the fleet, especially on the longer distance bus operations. So our look at the Delights of the Dales ends as the last bus departs from Hawes.
But soon the season will be upon us and hopefully some of these interesting operations will run again.