You Shall Not Pass!

I love it when someone contacts me as a result of a blog - and even better when it's someone full of useful information like Nick Thorne.  Nick is the Countryside Access Adviser for the Lake District National Parks Authority (LDNPA) and after reading my last blog he contacted me to ask more about the overgrown routes.

Now, this may sound daft, but even though I've been hiking for years, it never occurred to me to report an overgrown path - I wouldn't have known who to report it to or what happened next, but Nick has answered all that for me!

Here's what he says:

In a nutshell, the management of Rights of Way falls to the local highway authority (usually the county council or unitary authority).  Here it is Cumbria County Council.  We have an agency agreement with them, whereby all their powers and duties are delegated to us, and we look after everything inside the National Park (except for roads – sealed or unsealed).  That’s about 3,200km of footpath, bridleway, restricted byway, and byway.


Basically, we have a huge database, which has an entry for every gate, stile, signpost, and so on along each right of way.  We survey these at least every four years, and log the outcome.  We also receive reports from the public, and log all these.  From this, our five area based rangers pull up a list of everything that is reported in their patch as needing work, and will deal with it in due course.

Obviously "due course" is rarely as quickly as anyone would like it to be, but these guys have spent the past few years repairing the billions of pounds worth of damage done by Storm Desmond in December 2015.  There's a great set of FAQs here if you want more information.

As you can imagine, on many low level routes bracken is a perennial problem in some parts of the county and there is a strimming programme in place to try and combat it.  Of course storms and flooding events mean that resources have to be directed elsewhere at times, but we can all get stuck in, either with LDNPA or one of the many conservation groups working hard to keep our footpaths clear.

So, what's the best advice for dealing with overgrown paths?  Here are Nick's top 5 tips:

1.     Take a stout stick

2.     Wear trousers and a shirt (I can vouch for this as being excellent advice - also consider heavier trousers as I found the nettles still got through my light walking trousers.)

3.     Go back with your friends and neighbours with slashers and loppers

4.     Report it to your local highway authority

5.     Only use it out of the summer season

I'd also add that if you're wading through thick bracken, wear gaiters or keep your trousers tucked into your socks and do a full tick check afterwards

Not sexy, but then neither are tick bites...

Wish you were here!

Storm Desmond was bad and Eva and Frank didn't help much either - they were a disaster that affected most of the county in one way or another, but the scary part is they were only part 1 of a disaster that's still unfolding.  Many of us saw part 2 looming back in December but now it seems our worst fears are being confirmed as this story on the BBC demonstrates, people have lost faith in the county and are either cancelling their hols or not making bookings in the first place.

Tourism is Cumbria's life blood - it's our industry - and, like any other industry, a collapse in bookings could lead to small businesses closing and bigger businesses shedding jobs.  We really need folks to keep visiting but we do understand that the bleak picture painted by the media might have put you off a bit, so, with the support of the Lake District National Park (LDNPA), I'm going to try and answer a few questions and provide links to the latest up to date info.

Can I get there?  Can I get around once I'm there?  Are the bridges safe?

Devil's Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale

Yes you can get here, yes you can get around once you're here and most of the bridges are fine too.

Roads:  Getting here is no problem at all and the main road closure which may affect your visit is the A591 north of Grasmere.  This means that there is no direct route from Grasmere to Keswick but you have 2 options - the first is a stunning diversion through Glenridding where they would be delighted to see you, especially if you take a break for a coffee and have a look around the shops.  The second option is to stay on the M6 to Penrith (also worth a visit, the castle is FAB) and then take the A66 to Keswick. Simple.

As for the bridges - well some of the worst hit towns such as Cockermouth have local delays due to some bridges being out forcing everyone onto the main route - you can still get through but best advice is to avoid travelling during the rush hours.  For the very latest local traffic info take a look at the BBC Cumbria Traffic news page here.

Rail:  There are currently some delays on Virgin Trains due to a bridge being out north of Carlisle (another fantastic city well worth a visit), but these are having minimal impact on trips to Cumbria from the south. If you're travelling down from Scotland to see us it is a bit more of a challenge just now, but they're working hard to fix the problem.  You can check your journey here.

Are the shops open?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES - pretty much all of the shops are open and properly keen and eager to see you. All the towns you saw on the news when they were underwater are open for business and raring to go - Appleby, Keswick, Glenridding, Cockermouth, Kendal, Carlisle are all ready and waiting for you.

Take a look at  #CumbriaisOpen on Twitter or this blog I posted in December for more info.

And what about the hotels, caravan parks etc?

Beautiful Bridge Hotel, Buttermere

Yes - they're mostly open too, though it's best to call or visit their website to double check just in case.  Even places such as the Glenridding Hotel who were flooded out 3 times are pulling out all the stops and hoping to be open by Easter - keep an eye on their Facebook page for up to date info.

But can we get up the fells?

Haweswater

Again, yes you can.  Of course there was some storm damage to the footpaths but nothing that should seriously hamper a trip to the fells - this brilliant rights of way map from LDNPA very clearly shows what's open and what's not and their equally useful general guide to the current conditions should tell you all you need to know - though if you do have any questions just ask.  

Will it rain during my visit?

View from Halls Fell Ridge, Blencathra

Well, you weren't planning to visit Cumbria for the 40C temperatures and guaranteed blue skies now were you?  Any holiday in the UK comes with a risk of rain, but storms like Desmond are thankfully few and far between.  Plus if you're visiting Cumbria we have literally hundreds of outdoors clothing shops ready to kit you out for any conditions - fabulous independent places such as George Fishers (Keswick), Keswick Boot Company (Keswick) and CatsyCam (Glenridding) plus the bigger chains such as Cotswold Outdoor, Blacks and Go Outdoors.

For the very latest weather conditions - plus a daily fell top forecast - take a look at the Lake District Weatherline page here.

Why should I visit?

Because of this...

Great Gable

and this...

Sandy Gap

and this...

Black Combe

and this...

Furness Abbey

and not forgetting this...

Dorothy Farrer's Spring Wood (Nr Staveley)

or indeed this...

Bay Cycleway

Then there are these...

Blencathra

and those...

Helvellyn

and of course this...

Ennerdale

PLEASE keep coming to visit - all these stunning views will be going to waste if noone is there to see them.

Herdy & Wast Water

What can I do if I live miles away and can't get to Cumbria right now?

Tell your friends about us, share posts on Twitter and FB - follow the FB pages of local Cumbrian businesses and tourist centres and share their photos - keep helping us get the message out there that Cumbria is Open and we can't wait to see you!

There is TONS more info on the LDNPA page here - take a look and come and see us soon.