Fix the Fells repairs three iconic Lakeland routes

This winter saw the completion of three footpath repairs up to Glenridding Dodd, Gowbarrow Fell and Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District National Park which will benefit both visitors and nature.

These low-level walking routes in Ullswater and Ambleside provide easy access to three of the most popular Wainwright walks. As a result, a combination of thousands of feet and extreme Lakeland weather had begun to take its toll, blighting these routes with severe erosion.

However, thanks to a generous donation of £88,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which was administered by Westmorland and Furness Council, along with £15,000 raised by the National Trust, Fix the Fells has restored 1,750m of path across these three networks.

To minimise damage from heavy rainfall, work included improving the drainage to prevent further erosion, re-establishing the stonework of the path itself and then landscaping around it. This makes the path more distinct, encouraging walkers to stick to it and in turn allow surrounding grasses and flowers to regrow.

The path to Glenridding Dodd is also the way to Sheffield Pike, and both are popular Wainwright walks in Ullswater. This had caused the route to be severely eroded, especially as it’s also incredibly steep. Stone-pitched steps were installed and the surrounding damaged vegetation landscaped to make the path obvious. This area has been needing this work for many years, and it was only due to the Shared Prosperity Fund that the challenges of the location could be overcome, such as funding for a heli-lift to drop stones off to site.

The route to Gowbarrow Fell is accessed from Aira Force and is part of the Ullswater Way: a 26-mile walk around the lake. Its popularity has also increased recently due to the Ullswater Steamer drop-off service. On this route, the team focussed on creating a durable surface to protect the surrounding peat-rich soils.

Work at Loughrigg Fell has made the path clearer and easier to follow for walkers, especially new visitors enjoying the fells for the first time from the popular town of Ambleside. Work included sections of stone pitching to help walkers stay on track across increasingly indistinct rocky sections, which improved the loose surface and will divert rainwater across the path rather than directly down the fell, reducing erosion.

These completed projects are just three of 26 in total carried out by Fix the Fells during 2024. Fix the Fells is a partnership programme between the National Trust, the Lake District National Park, Natural England, Friends of the Lake District and the Lake District Foundation. In addition to 21 members of staff, 140 dedicated volunteers generously spent over 3000 days in 2024 working, unpaid, on path restorations. If you’re interested in volunteering or would like to make a donation to the project, please visit their website here: https://www.fixthefells.co.uk/

 

 

January 2025