When, just over a year ago, after Michael Pascal, known to everyone as Muppett, legendary Bradford and Yorkshire Dales folk singer-songwriter, impresario, walker leader, community worker, campaigner and champion of everything Yorkshire, suddenly died at the early age of 64, his friends and family thought of ways of commemorating and celebrating his life and many achievements.
Muppett was both a Committee Member of Friends of Dalesbus and one of its most popular and most respected guided walk leaders. So early in 2025 a booklet was published describing one of his favorite walks in the Yorkshire Dales, using his beloved Sunday Dalesbus network between Burnsall and Grassington. On August 31st, the last official day of summer, a public walk using popular 874 DalesBus was arranged, led by Chairman of Friends of DalesBus local author Colin Speakman.
23 walkers including members of Muppett’s family joined the Friends of DalesBus Celebration Walk, the group pictured at Barras.
The walk began in the village of Burnsall, following the Dales Way to Hebden swing bridge then through beautiful Hebden Gill to Yarnbury and on to the ruined farm and amazing viewpoint of Bare House (locally known as Barras) one of the great viewpoints of Upper Wharfedale, a part the Dales that Muppett knew and loved so well, before descending to Grassington.
A detailed description of the walk and a brief summary of Muppett’s life and many achievements can be obtained from Friends of DalesBus, plus details of the car-free guided walks every Sunday from the nationally acclaimed volunteer managed Dalesbus network which Muppett did so much to support – for details see https://friendsofdalesbus.org.
Friends of DalesBus 
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