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.
