Martcrag Moor

Before (2008) & After (2009), work done 2009

Location

Between Pike O’ Stickle and the Stake Pass. Grid ref: NY265084

Legal status

A path on open access land.

Path use

The path connects the Langdale Pikes with the Stake Pass and Cumbria Way long distance route. It is mostly used to get from the Langdale Pikes either down into Langdale or Borrowdale via Stake Pass, or across to Angle Tarn.

Historic interest

In early 2008 a member of the public noticed strange looking stones along the path, which had become exposed as the peaty ground was worn away by feet and water. Archaeologists were called in and discovered six small working floors where people had stopped to make rough-out axes and other tools during the Neolithic period. The stones were the piles of waste flakes left behind at the work sites several thousand years ago. This was unusual as this was the first working discovered away from the source of the stone. The experts were keen to preserve the remains of the ‘axe factory’ so photographed and recorded it using GPS. They then requested the path was repaired as a priority to prevent path erosion damaging the archaeology.

The problem

Part of the path leading down onto the moor had been heavily eroded, creating a large scar in the surrounding peat. Below this, the path virtually disappeared as walkers were forced to cross a very large, very deep bog by taking whichever route looked the least treacherous. Trampling was starting to damage the fragile ecology. Due to the extensive erosion from repeated footfall and the action of surface run-off, large peat ‘hags’ had formed and were receding due to exposure to the elements.
The extensive archaeological interests meant that machines could not be used. Similarly, pits could not be dug by hand to provide pinnel for the path surface. Instead, a digger was used to fill bags with gravel from an eroded drumlin in the Langstrath valley and these bags were then flown to site by helicopter.

Repair techniques

Work started in summer 2009 with a large drain being dug above the work site to divert water off the route of the path. Creating a stable path over the wet spongy ground around the bog was not straightforward. Digging deep into the peat would have disturbed the sensitive archaeology. If stone and gravel had simply been laid along the route, it would have sunk into the bog and disappeared

Instead, a shallow trough was dug along the new line of the path and filled with rolled up Herdwick sheep fleeces, donated by the local tenant farmer. The fleeces were laid two deep to overlap each other, squashed down and then covered with stone and gravel to create a solid sustainable surface. The layer of wool acts as a permeable layer between the path surface and the peat below. This allows the path to ‘float’ above the wet ground, rather than sinking down into it. While the method might seem innovative, it is an ancient engineering technique for building routes over waterlogged ground.

Detail of the method of path construction

The new path line was set to one side of the axe factory, which was then buried to preserve it. Turf from the trough was used to landscape and restore the areas of exposed peat on the old scar. 150 ranger days were spent in this initial phase, along with 80 volunteer days, at a cost of around £30k.

Further sections of sheepfleece path were added between 2017 and 2019 by Fix the Fells volunteers and various National Trust volunteer groups. Just for a change, the fleeces were delivered by fell ponies in 2018, instead of being flown in by helicopter. In total, a further 70 ranger days, at a cost of around £14k, and 165 volunteer days have been spent improving this path over the last 5 years.