ONE of the good things about living in or visiting the Yorkshire Dales is that you don’t need to have a car.

Most people who come to the Dales know about the famous Settle-Carlisle line which, as well as a great piece of Victorian engineering, is also great way to explore the national park. Leave the train at a choice of local stations to explore stunning countryside, lovely villages and a wonderful network of footpaths, from big name routes such as the Pennine Way to intriguing pathways over the fells.

But the DalesBus network is less well known, even though it goes to many places in the Dales where trains don’t reach. Despite recent cuts in weekday services, this is still an amazingly good network, weekdays as well as weekends.

Travel by country bus is a pleasure all itself. Slower travel than the car means you see more. You don’t have to concentrate on driving, or staring at the vehicle in front. Bus windows are six feet above the road and give better views, over walls and hedges.

It’s also a social experience. You meet and can chat to your fellow travellers, villagers going shopping or to work, walkers using the bus to reach a footpath route, pensioners having a day out with their bus pass and enjoying every moment.

And there’s some marvellous bus routes in the Dales. Top of the list must be Pride of the Dales 72/74, going up from Skipton and Ilkley to Grassington, Kettlewell and Buckden, through the stunning scenery of Upper Wharfedale, also giving great access to anyone wanting to walk the Dales Way – no need to trail back to a parked car.

New this year, despite the sad loss of the Pennine Bus, is Craven Connection 580/581 now running every two hours or so between Skipton and Settle to Clapham, Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale – another great way to explore Three Peaks Country and lovely old town of Kirkby Lonsdale. Or how about the new Saturday Cravenlink 75 service over Blubberhouses to Harrogate or up to Malham?

But on Sundays things get even better. The Sunday DalesBus 872/873/874 network offers fully integrated services not only from Burnley, Barnoldswick and Skipton to Upper Wharfedale and Malhamdale, but connects with the amazing orange double-deck Yorkshire Dalesman 800 bus over Kidstones Pass to Hawes (change at Grassington).

If you catch the Settle-Carlisle train to Ribblehead on any Sunday until October 17, the 831 Northern Dalesman bus is waiting to whisk you over to Hawes (connecting bus to Aysgarth or Leyburn) then over the awesome Buttertubs Pass to Swaledale, serving Keld, Muker, Reeth, and eventually the ancient town of Richmond.

Or for a spectacular ride and amazing walks, take the National Trust’s little 881 Malham Shuttle Bus from either Settle (connecting train) or Malham (connecting bus) which takes you over past Malham Tarn, where a reasonably fit walker can hike over the tops to Littondale then on to Kettlewell for a return DalesBus. Or get the train to Settle where you catch the Ingleton Pony 811 bus to Ingleton and Ribblehead, perhaps alighting at Chapel-le Dale or the Hill Inn for a great walk over stunning limestone pavements in the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve. On Saturdays (Sundays until October 19) alight at Dent Station for 564A bus to Dent village, Sedbergh and even Kendal.

To find out about this amazing weekday and Sunday network pick up the little Metro DalesBus booklet which details all services – available at Tourist Centres and rail stations, but look out for other local publicity, or download the timetables you need from www.dalesbus.org. All day Dales Rover tickets on the Sunday network costs as little as £8 (buy them on the bus). This allows you take two children under 16 free of charge. There are also Student Rover tickets for just £5 whilst senior citizens with their pass travel free on all weekend services.

But what of the future for bus services in the Dales, still threatened by further funding cuts? Much of the success of the Sunday network has come from the work of the Dales & Bowland Community Interest Company, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Gargrave-based Yorkshire Dales Society, a charity.

Run by volunteers, including several transport and tourism professionals, the CIC works with bus operators, local authorities and other voluntary groups such as the Friends of DalesBus and the Friends of Settle Carlisle Line, to plan and market services, monitor usage and secure funding – an extremely difficult task in the present economic climate. They have also worked with local parish councils, elected councillors and Skipton MP Julian Smith to help save the 580/581 service which is now operating successfully for the benefit of local communities and visitors alike.

Tourism is an important industry in Craven, supporting many hundreds of local businesses and jobs. Visitors from all over the UK and abroad spend money in shops, cafes, pubs, helping to stimulate the local economy. But many visitors do not have access to a car nor wish to drive when they arrive. The weekday and Sunday bus network both brings people to the Dales and takes them around when they arrive. It is a part of the infrastructure of the area.

It is therefore vital that in 2015 and beyond we continue to build on that success and secure the funding DalesBus needs.