You wait all winter for a country bus...

...and then lots of them come along at once.

Bear with us, because we're not sure we've understood this yet.

First of all, the famous 'Slow Bus', made famous by BBC4's All Aboard! The Country Bus (click here to view a clip), is now running again on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Prosaically known as Dalesbus 831 or 832 (or possibly 830) this scenic bus route links the industrial North-East, by way of Richmond, with lovely Swaledale, upper Wensleydale (by way of Buttertubs Pass), Ribblehead (with its famous viaduct) and Chapel-le-Dale before stopping in Ingleton or Kirkby Lonsdale, a whole world away from where it started. Same-day returns are possible.

Also, new for 2024, Northern DalesBus 858 will provide access to Wensleydale and the Three Peaks area every Sunday, leaving Darlington for Richmond at 09:05, and then by way of Catterick Garrison to Redmire, Carperby, Askrigg, Bainbridge, Hawes and Ribblehead Station. The return bus then leaves Ribblehead at 18:55, which allows plenty of time for some good lung-cleaning walks.

Additionally, Eastern DalesBus 859 will offer an afternoon trip from Richmond to Leyburn, leaving Richmond at 12:45 and returning from Leyburn at 16:00.

The current national fare cap on bus fares applies to all these services, so each single journey costs just £2, or £1 for under 19s.

It's going to take us a while to get our heads round these options, but one thing's for sure: they all sound wonderful! You can find details on the excellent Dalesbus site.