Walkers and cyclists worried about spreading foot and mouth are being urged not to turn their backs on the countryside this Easter.

The government has stressed that visits to the countryside are not banned and many attractions are still open.

It is safe to drive, cycle, ride a horse or walk along tarmac roads and to visit country towns, villages and seaside resorts.

By remembering three simple rules you will be able to enjoy the countryside safely:

One: Obey all 'keep out' and 'road closed' signs. Don't go on closed footpaths or bridleways

Two: Don't go near cows, pigs, sheep, goats or deer. Don't handle or feed them or leave waste food around

Three: Don't go on farmland or open country or walk dogs, even on a lead, unless you are sure the land isn't used by cows, pigs, sheep, goats or deer.

For more detailed local information telephone 0845 6 071 071 (local rates apply).

The foot and mouth crisis may be cutting access to the countryside but tourist chiefs stress the area has plenty to offer holidaymakers over the Easter weekend.

Tricia Tillotson, manager of Haworth Tourist Information Centre, stresses that Haworth remains open for business. She said: "The local bed bookings are down 20 per cent on this time last year, but Easter is one of those things, it's very last minute and a lot depends on the weather."

East Riddlesden Hall will be re-opening its doors to visitors on Friday, April 13 after being shut due to foot and mouth restrictions. There will be an Easter trail in the hall grounds on Friday, and storytelling sessions on Easter Monday.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is holding a children's fun day on Easter Monday, and every child under 15 accompanied by an adult and a teddy bear can travel free all day. Passengers will receive a free Easter egg, while for the older traveller the real ale buffet car will be open.

A whole range of Easter activities has been organised by Ilkley Tourist Information Centre for Monday, April 16 from 10.30am onwards. There will be traditional Easter food and games, a competition to name a spring chick, egg painting and egg rolling.

Families can follow an 'Eggy' trail of clues around The Red House Museum in Gomersal. Rhyming clues will lead people to egg related objects in the museum's period rooms. There will also be a display of traditionally decorated Easter eggs by children from St Mary's First School, Gomersal.A series of new road walks have been mapped so tourists can explore historic Haworth during the foot and mouth outbreak.

And one of the first people to receive a route map has been the Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie, a Bronte fan.

She picked up details when she visited the village's Tourist Information Centre in West Lane, last weel.

The couple visited the Bronte Parsonage Museum on a whistle-stop tour of Yorkshire to show that the tourist trade was open for business, despite the foot and mouth crisis.

Footpaths around Haworth, the second most popular literary shrine in the country, are out of bounds.

So TIC staff have drawn up four new walking routes, which keep to the roads. Penistone Hill picnic area has been included because it is to be opened up to the public at Easter.

They give visitors a chance to see the moorland made famous by the novels of the three Bronte sisters.

A TIC spokesman said: "Nobody can walk the hills, but they can walk the roads and still see some of the views.

"One gentleman, who did the Penistone Hill route, said he could see Top Withens.

"They're already proving to be quite popular and we've already had to print off more copies."

Setting out on one of the walks yesterday were Italian tourists Costanza Colombero and her uncle, Ferruccio Brussino.

She said: "I bought boots especially to walk on the moors, but the foot and mouth outbreak didn't stop us from coming to the UK.

"We're now looking forward to going on these road walks to see the moors".

The initiative has been welcomed by Worth Valley Tory councillor Glen Miller.

He said: "This is a forward thinking idea. I have been speaking to people in Mill Hey, Haworth, who are worried by the amount of trade they are down because there are fewer visitors. Anything that encourages people to come to Haworth is a good thing."

All four routes start from the TIC in West Lane and offer a chance to explore the village, including the parish church, and the Bronte Parsonage Museum, once the home of the Brontes.

l Route One, takes about an hour, and explores the main historic areas, including Penistone Hill.

l Route Two, about 90 minutes in length, takes a wider sweep around the village, returning close by the Parsonage.

l Route Three, more demanding at between two and three hours, goes further out into the countryside towards Oxenhope.

l Route Four, another 90 minutes, heads towards Stanbury and passes Lower Laithe reservoir.