A NEW series of walks has been published which link railway stations along the Bentham Line which runs between Morecambe and Leeds.

There are 12 walks which link adjacent stations between Skipton and Heysham.

The project has been spearheaded by the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and the Lancaster and Skipton Rail User Group (LASRUG) and is supported by Northern Rail.

An inaugural walk took place earlier this month when members of LASRUG and some of the directors of the CRP enjoyed a walk from Morecambe to Bare Lane in glorious sunshine.

Rod Tickner, the CRP’s communications director, said: "It was an excellent day out. The train arrived just after 10.30am allowing three hours to do the walk, have coffee on the Stone Jetty and lunch in Happy Mount Park before returning home.

"There was plenty of time to gently stroll along the Promenade with great views across Morecambe Bay, glimpses of Art Deco and other interesting architecture in Morecambe as well as the scenic trip up and down the line.”

Special dispensers have been provided at the stations to hold copies of the leaflets. Walks vary from two-and-a-half miles to about 11-and-a-half miles and each leaflet describes the route and provides a map.

The walks have been prepared by Stuart Ballard of LASRUG.