Green Tourism

GREEN TOURISM
There are lots of ways to visit the Dales and Forest of Bowland but here are some ideas that promote environmentally friendly, sustainable tourism in the Settle District.

Off the Rails
Our business idea was to make it easy for visitors to explore this part of the world in an environmentally friendly way – straight off a train and onto a bike! We offer a range of self-guided day rides and 2/3 day tours with accommodation and baggage transfer included. A unique award winning bike/rail trip in conjunction with Northern Rail lets visitors take the train to the top of the hill and ride a bike back down. Mountain Bike Tuition and Dirty Weekends are also available.
Whenever possible we encourage our visitors to arrive by train as we are less than 50 yds from the platform and we also encourage use of the local bus network by being members of the Dales Bus Discount Scheme. As an incentive riders can claim a free Water Bottle on production of a rail or bus ticket and our bike/rail clients have free entry into a monthly draw to win a monthly rail pass for 4 people, courtesy of Northern Rail.
By encouraging visitors to arrive by rail and explore the Dales and Forest of Bowland by bike we are providing sustainable tourism that is beneficial to the environment, to tourist spend in the area and is also a healthy option for the visitor. Prior to our opening there was nowhere in this area for visitors to hire a bike.
We are currently being assessed for a Gold Award under the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
www.offtherails.org.uk

Craven Cycling Festival
The very first Craven Cycling Festival attracted hundreds of visitors who came to ride, watch and enjoy the wide range of events on offer. From the gruelling Etape du Dales to Saturday night's Film Show everyone agreed that this was an excellent Prologue to what will become an annual event with a firm slot in every cyclist's diary during May each year.
www.cravencyclingfestival.org.uk

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