ARE we losing the beauty of the Lake District because of World Heritage and paper pushers?

Today I cycled to the base of Wrynose Pass and turned left at Fell Foot Bridge on to what is a most attractive Lakeland track that goes east round the shoulder of Betsy Crag, through Knotts and emerges back on the hard-surfaced road at High Tilberthwaite.

At the gate at Fell Foot Bridge I was greeted by a sign proclaiming that the road would be shut to motor vehicles and horses but that pedestrians and cyclists would be permitted to pass provided care was taken where works were in progress until Christmas.

'The Works'” are to repair the track to its ‘previous condition’ – along its whole length as marked on the adjoining plan and carried out by Cumbria Highways if I remember correctly, and that the ban on motor vehicles and horses would be in place until the new surface had ‘stabilised’.

Several questions immediately flashed through my mind. A) to what ‘previous condition’ was the road going to being repaired? It is a fell track serving quarries and an important public route in the past linking Coniston and Wrynose Pass, saving several miles off the alternatives available in early days.

So previous condition could well be no condition at all except where the track is steep, in which case it might have been paved with local slate layered on edge to give good grip and a hard-wearing surface for horse and small carriage traffic as well as pedestrians.

There are three short significant bits which might well benefit from the layered on edge slate technique, each which has lost all surface and exposes large and precipitous- sided lumps of bedrock which does make passage for cyclists, horses and even pedestrians a bit interesting and is very challenging for 4X4s, but no more than 50 yards altogether for the three bits.

However, as the surface is now bedrock the wear at these points is only on 4X4s not the rock!

I am worried this may not be what Cumbria Highways and South Lakeland District Council have in mind.

This lead me onto B) with what would it be repaired? The mention of the surface needing to ‘stabilise' before horses and motor vehicles again use the track suggests something different to the above.

The track has in recent history been topped with 20-80 mm stone, not slate chippings, rather a roundish stone, but one that blends in with the surrounding rock reasonably well. However it is a surface that does tend to rock slightly as you travel.

I imagine perhaps this is worst for horses but hardly moves at all for pedestrians, mountain bikes and 4X4s. It is well stable in terms of significant lateral movement and drains and stays put in even severe rain.

This track is visible from the tops from many directions and I fear some Elterwater Green slate crushed rock topped with Elterwater Green Quarry Bottom or fine chippings might be what they have in mind when they talk of the surface ‘stabilising’.

This will result in two things. The very attractive patina, texture and appearance of the track will be destroyed for all track users and it will become yet another ugly grey/green smear across the glorious Lake District landscape.

I am afraid that the fine topping, if used, will result in the highly dangerous practice of putting vertical blade slate water sweeps at an angle across the track to try to stop it eroding in the rain. How no one has lost a life or sustained serious injury on these evil devices yet amazes me.

This brings me to C) How would it be repaired?

‘Previously’ hydraulic breakers and mini diggers were not available – are we to assume they will not be used here. A man with a mini digger can cause untold and lasting damage to what is basically a very stable if a bit lumpy track!

Filling and properly topping the bad bits will render this track passable to all that needs or will use it. Re topping the whole thing will destroy yet another bit of glorious scenery which, yes, was possibly inappropriately re topped ‘previously’, but like an antique bit of wooden furniture the scratches and colour take many years to develop to full beauty.

As a pensioner, life-long user and resident of the Lake District I hope my fears will not be realised and that we will not have yet another boring, smooth, wrong colour path that, in reality, is not used by a huge number of people, but those that have enjoyed it will probably look elsewhere if I am right.

David Robbens

Ambleside