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Popular Lakes Path gets a makeover

Fri 04 Jul 2008

Volunteers from The Heritage Lottery Fund’s north west grants team donned steel toe-capped boots and got their hands dirty during a three-day mission to repair the upland path at Stake Pass, Great Langdale.

The project was organised by the Fix the Fells partnership - a five-year programme involving a variety of agencies such as the Lake District National Park Authority and the National Trust - that has seen more than 100 Lakeland paths repaired and which aims to renovate 74 more.

Stake Pass is a busy route, as it forms part of the long distance Cumbria Way running over the Langdale Pikes to Borrowdale, however, its popularity means that many areas of it are becoming eroded.

National Trust project manager John Atkinson said: “Stake Pass is one of the main ancient arterial routes within the Lakes. Previously a packhorse route, it comprises many zigzags as it climbs the hill, which leads people to short cut and therefore cause unnecessary erosion.

“We aim to reinstate the original route as much as possible, repairing the scarring and making the shortcuts less noticeable.

For more information visit the Westmorland Gazette website.