A NEW bus service for the Dales which has been branded the 'most infrequent in Yorkshire' is set to start at the end of April.

The Wharfedale Packhorse service, run by the Upper Wharfedale Community Interest Company, will run only on the fifth Saturday of the month between March and October – three times a year.

Run by the Upper Wharfedale Community Interest Company, the 76 service will take passengers from Grassington and Buckden in Upper Wharfedale to Arncliffe and Litton in Littondale, on April 29, July 29 and September 30.

The group's 17-seater volunteer-run community minibus will be used on the route, timed to connect with Pride Of The Dales services to and from Ilkley and Skipton.

One of the directors, Gerard Simpson, of Arncliffe, said; “We have been overwhelmed by the number of people using the Packhorse on the Wharfedale service, by groups hiring the minibus to visit the dales and local residents doing likewise to get to our neighbouring towns and cities.

"Littondale has been devoid of any kind of bus service for many years and following feedback from regular uses of our existing services we thought we should set up this new service as a test exercise and expand it should demand dictate.”

The 76 service will run throughout the day and then well into the evening, and fares

will mirror those of the First Saturday service - at £1.50 for one stop and £2.50 for unlimited stops.

The Upper Wharfedale Community Interest Company started running its first bus service on the first Saturday night of each month between Appletreewick and Cray in January. The group also raises money for good causes in Upper Wharfedale through social enterprise initiatives such as the Wharfedale Beer Festival.

For further information and to download timetables visit: www.wharfedalepackhorse.co.uk.