Countryside volunteers

We are not currently recruiting volunteers. However, if you would like to register your interest in volunteering with us, or find out more about volunteering in general, please contact us at countryside.volunteers@northyorks.gov.uk.

North Yorkshire lays claim to some of the most beautiful landscape in the country, and its footpaths, bridleways and views are enjoyed by visitors from around the world. We have a team of over 100 volunteers, who help look after 6,000 kilometres of public rights of way and play an instrumental role in preserving access to the countryside so that it can be enjoyed for years to come.

How you can help

Volunteers support us in two different areas of our service:

helping to maintain public rights of way across the county individually or in groups
helping our partners in North Yorkshire's two National Landscapes teams to deliver landscape conservation projects

You can register independently for both areas.

The benefits to you

There are many benefits to volunteering with us:

you get to give back to the community by helping to maintain the footpaths and bridleways for all to enjoy
the physical exercise and fresh air, as well as being out in nature, is great for your own mental and physical wellbeing
the conservation tasks provide opportunity to meet other volunteers and enjoy the social aspect of group work
you can use existing skills and learn new ones, and gain knowledge of countryside management and maintenance
you gain practical experience in the environmental sector
volunteering looks great on your CV

What skills and experience are required?

Essential skills and abilities

You will need:

to be able to read a map if you are a public rights of way volunteer or a path keeper
a level of fitness suitable for traversing the countryside, sometimes on rough or uneven ground with gates or stiles
access to an email address and familiarity with the internet so that tasks can be sent to you through an online portal

Equipment

This volunteer work takes place all year round so you will need suitable clothing.

You will also need access to a camera or smartphone to take photographs.

Volunteers are not permitted to use their own power tools for volunteer tasks. They must use hand tools only.

Travel

The tasks are all outside and often in remote locations away from public transport routes, so you will need your own transport.

Reasonable travel expenses can be reimbursed.

Dogs

Please note that volunteers are not permitted to take dogs with them when carrying out activities for the countryside volunteers.

What days and times are available or needed?

The rights of way role is very flexible and tasks can be done at a time to suit you, including evenings and weekends. Occasionally we may ask for a volunteer who is available at short notice, but you will usually have a couple of weeks to complete a task.

Rights of way tasks come at irregular intervals, so there may be lots of work to do one month and then nothing the next. However, you are always welcome to undertake proactive work, for example, clearing vegetation around stiles or signposts that you come across on walks or in your local area.

The National Landscapes team deliver a program of volunteer task days with a focus on conservation and public rights of way and they can give you more details.

What training is offered?

You will be invited to an induction session which will cover all the basic information to get you started, including health and safety.

After that, full instructions will be given as new tasks come up.

Volunteer coordinators are available for ongoing support.

What references or checks are needed?

No disclosure and barring service or other checks are required for this role. You must be 18 years or older to be a countryside volunteer.

Public rights of way volunteering

As a rights of way volunteer, you could be involved in:

carrying out inspections of issues that have been reported to gather accurate information and take photographs
putting up new waymarks or replacing old ones
putting up, checking or removing North Yorkshire Council legal notices for diversions or path closures
practical work like clearing vegetation around stiles, gates, signposts or bridges
large-scale surveys across the network, for example, of bridges, signposts and promoted routes
helping the field officers with a range of maintenance tasks, for example, repairing or replacing steps, bridges, boardwalks, signs, gates and stiles

With rights of way volunteering, there can be many tasks to do one month and none the next. This is because we have areas of the county with lots of volunteers and other areas with very few. We cannot recruit new volunteers in areas where we are at capacity.

If you want to register your interest in volunteering with us or find out more about volunteering, you can contact us at countrysidevolunteers@northyorks.gov.uk.

North Yorkshire Council Path Keepers

We have developed the Path Keepers scheme to create closer working partnerships between us and local groups with a keen interest in maintaining their local paths. The scheme gives groups permission to do basic maintenance tasks on the Rights of Way network across North Yorkshire. This does not include the National Parks.

Each group would adopt a set of paths or agree on a local area to cover and we give them the guidance they need to be proactive in this role. The scheme also gives scope for groups to raise funds for improvement works or larger projects along their adopted routes, for example, replacing stiles with gates or resurfacing paths.

The types of tasks you can do with the Path Keeper scheme include:

clearing vegetation from paths and around stiles, gates and signposts
repairing surfaces, for example, filling in potholes, clearing drainage channels or re-aligning steps
minor bridge repairs, for example, cleaning and clearing moss and weeds from decking
straightening leaning signposts or way-marker posts
minor repairs to stiles and gates with the landowner's permission
replacing old way-markers and adding new ones where necessary

If you want to register your group's interest in volunteering with us or find out more about volunteering, you can contact us at countrysidevolunteers@northyorks.gov.uk.

National Landscape volunteering

As a National Landscape volunteer, you can volunteer with the:

Howardian Hills National Landscape
Nidderdale National Landscape

Howardian Hills National Landscape volunteering

Each year our volunteers donate their time and skills to help conserve and enhance the Howardian Hills National Landscape.

As a volunteer, you could help us with:

practical conservation tasks
surveys
events

You can find out more and contact the team on the Howardian Hills National Landscape website.

Nidderdale National Landscape volunteering

There are lots of different ways you can get involved with volunteering in the Nidderdale National Landscape and we offer several roles and activities including:

Nidderdale conservation volunteers
dry stone walling
surveying and research volunteers
photography volunteers

We also provide a varied training programme which is free for regular volunteers.

You can find out more and contact the team on the Nidderdale National Landscape website.

National Parks

The North York Moors National Park and the Yorkshire Dales National Park also deliver their own volunteering programmes and offer a variety of roles.

You can find out more about these opportunities on the: