Repairing the path and creating ponds at Stythwaite Steps, Easedale.

Our second path repair project of 2025 focussed on a section of footpath at Easedale, near Grasmere, just above the bridge at Stythwaite Steps.

The first two sections of the path rose quite steeply, forming a stony gully that had become noticeably worse over recent years. Due to the steepness, it was decided that the whole length of the path needed to be repaired.

Section 1 (before)

Section 1 (during)

Section 1 (after)

A couple of stone drains were incorporated into the stone pitched path to remove rainwater away from the path and help prevent damage to the new work. The drains ran into a side gulley (seen to the right in the picture below), which was actually the original path in the early 2000s but the path has since moved onto the desire line that is now being repaired.

Section 2 (before)

Section 2 (during)

Section 2 (after)

Section three of the path started to level off a little as it approached a flat boggy area.

Section 3 (before)

Section 3 (during)

All the material that had been dug out while building this section of the path (the bank of soil to the left in the above picture) was moved higher up the path to help landscape the flat area and produce a series of pools (more detail on this in a moment).

Section 3 (after)

During heavy rain the area above section three is prone to flooding so we decided to build a stone wath (ford) into the path to allow any water that builds up to flow down into the wath and into the top of the side trench (the old path line). 

Stone wath in section 3 being constructed

Using a wath allowed us to redirect the water only as it naturally builds up during periods of flooding. Using a standard stone drain here would have required digging a trench, from the wet area into the drain, which would have meant a steady flow of water out. The wath enabled us to leave the surrounding area boggy.

Completed wath and landscaped bank

Section four was a wide flat boggy area that had got wider, and wider, as people had tried to avoid the mud.

Section 4 (before)

Section 4 (during)

We decided that to help improve the habitat in the area, we'd hold some of the water back and create a series of pools. This would also have the effect of discouraging people from wandering off the path.

All the spoil (turf, soil and stone) from the top two sections of path was used to build up banks and three small ponds were dug out to a depth deeper than the summer water level, to allow water to remain in the ponds all year round.

Section 4 (after)

Within just a few weeks of the ponds being dug, a common newt was found and several species of dragonfly were also noted visiting the ponds and egg laying. 

Completed path at section 4

Another stone wath was built into section four to allow water from the boggy area to the left of the path to steadily flow across into the ponds to the right.

Stone wath in section 4

It's been a great section of path to work on and to get involved in some small scale habitat creation. We've had some really positive feedback from walkers who regularly walk this section of path and who struggled navigating the boggy section. It'll be great to see how the new ponds settle in after a few years of being left to their own devices. Creating ponds as part of this path project was a first for us, but it's something we'll look to do again in future, where appropriate.

Kidsty Howes, Improvements to the Coast to Coast Route.

Since our last update we've been busy working on two different projects, one in Easedale, just outside Grasmere (which will appear in a later blog post) and the other at Kidsty Howes in Haweswater, where we've been repairing a section of Wainright's Coast to Coast Walk.  As our base is near Grasmere, it took us around 2 hours to get up to the worksite while working at Haweswater, and this commute considerably ate into our working days there.

Flying the stone on to site

Due to the amount of exposed bedrock, this part of Kidsty Howes can be difficult to descend and this has led to extra routes developing as people try to avoid the bedrock areas. As the Coast to Coast Walk is being upgraded to a National Trail, it was decided that access through the area needed to be improved and these improvements would also help reduce the risk of increased erosion brought about by the potential increase in footfall. 

Section 1 (before)

As you can imagine, the work was particularly challenging as it entailed breaking through the exposed bedrock with crowbar and sledge hammer, to create six sections of stone path.

Section 1 (during)

The first section was through a deep gulley, which created additional difficulties with landscaping. The large peaty bank on the left hand side had to be graded back to produce a more natural looking bank. The soil generated was used to fill in other areas that had been eroded just to the top right of the path and also below it. We then had to cut turf from areas that were well away from the site and we used this to cover over the areas of newly exposed peat. The areas where the turf had been cut were then seeded, to help them recover.

Section 1 (after)

The next section had even more exposed bedrock, meaning that even more of it had to be chipped out to get the path in, and the deeper into the rock you go the harder it gets! This is because the exposed surface of the bedrock has generally been weathered and broken down to some extent by the elements, whereas the deeper rock is unweathered and therefore much more solid.

Section 2 (before)

Section 2 (during)

With so much exposed bedrock, the area had to be carefully landscaped with large stones against the edges of the path and plenty of turf to cover over the rubble and bedrock.

Section 2 (after)

Section three of path followed the line of least resistance through the bedrock via a natural water-worn gulley.

Section 3 (before)

Progress on all sections was slow, with generally no more than one step built each day, and many days were spent just breaking the bedrock.

Section 3 (during)

You can see in the photos above and below how the path follows a natural fault in the rock. Each rock for the steps has to be carefully selected to fit the gap with very little room to spare.

Section 3 (up close)

 

Section 3 (after)

Section four involved pitching the path through another gulley to remove a narrow awkward drop off.

Section 4 (before)

Section 4 (after)

Further up the path, section five again followed the line of the gulley. Working in these tight gullies meant there was often not enough room to swing a sledgehammer, so the rock had to be chipped out using only crowbars and any fine tuning was done with a small stone hammer.

Section 5 (before)

Section 5 (after)

The final section was a short length of path, and again the side of the path was turf lined to cover over the rubble that was generated and to give a more natural feel to the surrounding area.

Section 6 (before)

Section 6 (after)

 

In addition to the work above, we also added five stone cross-drains to remove rainwater from the path, which should help prevent any further damage.

It's been a very challenging job, but it's made a huge difference for people coming down the path carrying large heavy rucksacks, which made it a struggle for them to safely navigate the bedrock, meaning they were forced to take other, less sustainable routes.

Path repairs at Allan Bank and replacing a bridge in Windermere

Back in 2012, we started work on creating a woodland trail at Allan Bank. This consisted of repairing the old stone steps and linking them together with a gravel pathway edged with timber. We also added wooden risers to the steeper sections and improved the drainage. We then continued making further improvements to the path in 2013. You can see all the work that was originally carried out here... Allan Bank Woodland Trail

Working on the footpath at Allan Bank

As it's been over ten years since we started the work, several pieces of the timber path edging had started to rot away, so it was time to replace a few sections to give the path a new lease of life.

Moving a large trunk for the path

We made use of a few trees which were felled as part of the woodland thinning operations but we also used timber that had been previously felled. We found a nice pile of Larch that was felled several years ago but was still in great condition, though a little on the large side. We only had to move the trunk around 50 metres, so using bars, posts (for rollers) and a fair amount of brute force we managed to (slowly) move the trunk into place.

Rare video footage of tree trunk moving in progress

Using some of these larger pieces means that the path edges should last many years, which is great as future repairs could become a problem if there's a lack of suitable timber available.

Path with log in place (at top of picture)

The path was looking in great condition by the time we'd finished, although a few of the wooden risers were still in need of repair, so we'll pop back later and fix them if we get the chance, or volunteers will carry out the repairs later on in the year.

Finishing off the path near the Walled Garden

Another site that we'd previously worked on was this bridge at St. Catherines, Windermere. Back in 2019 we replaced the treads and handrails of the bridge as the beams still had some life left in them. Unfortunately over the last six years the beams had become much worse, so the decision was taken to replace the whole bridge.

Removing the old bridge

To make the new bridge last longer and give it some extra strength, it was decided that we'd use steel I-beams for the joists and the rest would be made using untreated Larch. The joists needed to have holes drilled into them so we could attach them to the rest of the structure. This proved to be a slow job with the holes taking up to thirty minutes each to drill.

Drilling the beams in the workshop

Once the wooden beams were bolted on to the I-beams we started to position them in place, being careful to level each one, by building up the dry stone wall abutment. 

Getting the first few beams level

We temporarily fixed the beams to each other, to hold them in place while we built up the wall between each of the joists.

All the beams in place

After carefully calculating a suitable sized gap between each tread, we attached each one in place and also connected each of the three uprights. All that's left now is to fix on the handrails and build gravel up to the right level on each side of the bridge.

Just the handrails to go on

Back repairing the footpath on Loughrigg Fell

After finishing the work over at Ullswater on Glenridding Dodd, we headed over to Loughrigg to continue the work that we'd started back in 2020. This work was again supported by a grant received from the Westmorland and Furness Shared Prosperity Fund.

We resumed repairs on some of the path that we'd last been working on in 2022 and then started on some fresh sections of footpath higher up towards the summit.

The first section was about five metres in length. Where some of the original path had started to fall out, people were avoiding the big step-off and exiting the path to the side, causing further erosion.

Section of pitching in need of repair

This bit of footpath was probably built in the 1990s. We extended the lower section of the path, starting it in an area that had a more shallow gradient, so would be less likely to erode in the future.

Pitching after repair work

Higher up the path is a large area of exposed bedrock that has caused people to find alternative routes in order to avoid the scramble over it. In the following photo you can see how eroded the path is above where we're working, but it's difficult to capture the full extent of the damage.

Looking down on the site

You can see in the photo below, as we approach the exposed bedrock section, how eroded the footpath is and how it has started to widen.

Lower section of path before starting work

After a few weeks of work, the new path is starting to take shape.

Lower section of path after work

Higher up, the path is still badly eroded and unlikely to recover without intervention. 

Mid section before starting work

Mid section of path after work

The photo below shows the problematic bedrock. As lots of people tend to avoid it rather than scramble over it, the decision was taken to build the path straight through to get everyone on to one line, so that the extensive damage created by people trying to find a different route down can be be restored.

Upper bedrock section

Upper section of path before starting work

You can see in the next photograph how we're taking the path through a narrow gulley in the bedrock. This is having to be widened out where possible. Fortunately the bedrock is breaking pretty easily (so far), although it's creating a lot of spoil that we'll have to remove from site or/and bury with soil generated lower down the path.

Pitching up and through the bedrock

We've got a couple more weeks of work left on Loughrigg this year and then we'll return to complete the work most likely next spring.

To finish off this post, here are a couple of before and after photographs of a section of path that we'd worked on in 2022. Before being replaced, the original path was a mix of high steps and steeply sloped footpath. This had caused people to walk off the path and cause damage to the surrounding area.

Path before work in 2020

Path after work in 2024

It's been great to hear the positive feedback from regular walkers on Loughrigg who had disliked the original path and tended to use it only as an "up path" due to the awkwardness of descending it. It certainly justifies the decision to replace the old path with a more user-friendly footpath.