The work of the 11 eco-volunteers consisted of cutting back vegetation in Goathland and renovating the steps down to the Mallyan Spout waterfall to make it easier for people to visit.

Graham Stubbs, volunteers officer with the National Park Authority which runs the eco-working holiday, said: “We had a great group of people on this year’s holiday who all worked really hard and have made a real difference to the footpath down to Mallyan Spout.”

Of course being an eco-volunteer isn’t all work.

The eco-working holiday gives the volunteers time to enjoy the beauty and nature of the North York Moors and they were given a day off to pursue other activities which included bilberry picking at Sutton Bank, visiting The Moors National Park Centre in Danby, spending three hours in Whitby and a short walk through Forge Valley near Scarborough.

The accommodation was a YHA youth hostel in Lockton, where the group did further activities in the evenings including bat walks and badger watches.

Mr Stubbs added: “The feedback we’ve had from the group is very positive and many of them would come again.

“They loved the area and found the week to be very enjoyable and worthwhile.”

This is the fourth year the National Park Authority has run the eco-working holiday.

Previous years have seen people build a boardwalk and carry out vital maintenance done to a footpath and steps in Littlebeck Wood, steps installed along an eroded hillside above Goathland Train Station and work to improve Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route at Sneaton and Glaisdale.