Yorkshire Dales has a new celebrity fan '“ Clare Balding
Broadcaster Clare Balding set off from North Yorkshire market town on the Nidderdale Way for her long-running BBC Radio 4 series, Ramblings.
She was accompanied by her wife Alice Arnold, her BBC producer Lucy Lunt and Frances Atkins, chef and co-owner of the Yorke Arms in Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOn hand to send her off from the high street was Keith Tordoff, the chairman of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade.
Mr Tordoff said: “She is a lovely person, very down-to-earth. She said she’d loved what she’d seen of Pateley Bridge. She was obviously very interested in the town.”
Ms Balding stayed in Pateley Bridge’s Talbot Hotel and dined at Olleys Restaurant. She enjoyed a Michelin-starred packed lunch, including Dales produce and prepared by the Yorke Arms.
The broadcaster’s visit has also served to highlight a new era for the Nidderdale Way and, potentially, visitor numbers.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdFirst launched in 1983, the 53-mile circular footpath which is situated within the heart of the stunning Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is being given a new promotional push.
Those accompanying Ms Balding also included Sir Thomas Ingilby and wife, Lady Emma, the Rev Mike Poole and his wife, Julia Wyatt, and the Rev Darryl Hall, Steve Spellman from Sypeland Outdoors.