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

Footpath repairs at Allan Bank

Since finishing our upland path work for the year we've recently been working again at Allan Bank in Grasmere. We've done a lot of work there over the previous two winters creating a trail through the woodland, but there's always a few more jobs to do to keep on top of things.

Our first job was to build some stone drains. With a gravel path there's always a risk that during heavy downpours the path could be destroyed, so to stay one step ahead we've built a series of drains to divert the rainwater away from the path.

Drain building

Once we'd finished our drainage work we moved on to some path building. Using the same technique as previous years, we edged the path with logs, leading up to one of the view points.

Edging the path

With all the logs in place it was time to start gravelling. Once all the gravel was put down we finished it off with the whacker-plate which compacts the surface making the path more durable.

Gravelling the path

The photograph below shows a section of path that we were working on in February, we're putting in some drains before starting resurfacing. You can see just how wet and rough the original path was.

Working on the drainage earlier on in the year

The next photo shows what the path looks like now, and the drains certainly seem to have done their job. We're really pleased with the results, but don't just take our word for it, next time you're in Grasmere and you've got a spare hour why not pop into Allan Bank and have a walk around the woods? While working in the woodland we were also having daily sightings of Red Squirrels, so if you've always wanted to see one but not had the fortune, Allan Bank is certainly worth a visit.

The new path just a few months later

Rock Art in Great Langdale and Grasmere

No one likes shifting large rocks about more than us Fell Rangers, but that hasn't always been the case...

The National Trust owns and manages several important prehistoric sites in the Lake District. Castlerigg stone circle is probably the most famous. Situated just outside Keswick, Castlerigg is thought to be one of the earliest stone circles dating back to the late Neolithic around 3200BC.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

To the north of Penrith is Cumbria's largest stone circle, Long Meg and her Daughters. On the tallest standing stone is some impressive art-work (known as rock art) consisting of carved spirals and concentric rings. This site is privately owned but easily accessible to the general public.

 

Rock Art on Long Meg

There are known to have been in excess of 75 prehistoric stone circles in Cumbria although several have now been destroyed because of religious beliefs or/and used for building materials. It was believed that a circle was also present in Grasmere but it's exact location is unknown.

Recently one of our keen eyed rangers discovered some new rock art on a rock outcrop just outside the grounds of Allan Bank.

Rock Art at Allan Bank

These designs are known as "cup marks" and are the simplest form of rock art that can be commonly found. Maybe not as impressive as the spirals of Long Meg but nonetheless an important part of our cultural heritage.

 Close-up of the Cup Marks

Over in Great Langdale there are more fine examples of rock art. Copt Howe, also known as the Langdale Boulder is situated just outside Chapel Stile and has a variety of different motifs including both cup marks and concentric circles. It's been suggested that thousands of years ago it was used as a way marker to the Langdale "Axe Factories" on the Langdale Pikes, where stone axe heads were once crafted on an industrial scale.

These axes were of enormous value and were traded right across the country and Langdale axes have even been discovered in central Europe. It is thought by some that one of the uses of the stone circle at Castlerigg may have been for the trading of these axe heads.

In more recent years Copt Howe has become a place of pilgrimage for climbers and boulderers wanting to hone their climbing abilities.

Copt Howe

Another piece of rock art can be found in a small wooded area behind the National Trust campsite in Langdale. Although the views are now hindered somewhat by the trees, this boulder would have once afforded fantastic views towards the the Langdale Pikes once again pointing to the importance of the axe factories in these days gone by.

Boulder behind the campsite

All these sites are well worth a visit and only a few minutes walk from the road. Next time you're in the area why not pay them a visit and stand in the footsteps of prehistoric man?

Back working at Allan Bank

Since the last update we've been busily working away on the Woodland Trail at Allan Bank. It's a continuation of the work that we did last year and joins the two sections of path that we worked on to form a continuous loop.

Before we commenced work, the footpath was fairly level but rough and tended to be wet in areas. We want to make sure the trail is suitable for lots of people so we thought it'd be good idea to resurface it. It was unworked on last year as the other areas were of a higher priority due to the steepness and the likelihood that they may deteriorate.

Before starting work

Before surfacing, the first job was to sort out the drainage. We piped three areas where rainwater runs off from the bedrock and we also put in two new stone drains. The pipes were finished off with stone so you would never know they're there.

Digging in the new pipes

With this done we had to have access to get the gravel from where it was delivered to the rest of the path. In one place there was a set of steps with no way around. We therefore built a wooden ramp over the steps out of two tree trunks and some fencing rails. We'd now be able to access the path without ruining the steps.

Building the ramp

The next job was to edge the path. As part of the woodland management program at Allan Bank quite a few trees are required to be thinned out, this will allow more light to reach the ground and encourage plants such as bluebells, primroses and violets to flourish. So we took advantage of all the surplus timber to edge our new path.

Fixing the edging in place

Finally it was time to start moving the gravel. In total we'll have shovelled 30 tonnes of gravel and moved it around the woodland with our mechanical (power) barrows. It's not the speediest of jobs but it's the only way to do it.

Starting the gravelling

The new path is really starting to take shape now and when finished will provide a fantastic route around the woodland.

New section of path

Completion of the Woodland Walk at Allan Bank

Since our last update we've been continuing the path repair work at Allan Bank. With the house opening to the public for the first time on the 31st March, we've had a job to get everything finished in time!

A lot of drainage work had been carried out over the years, but due to lack of continual maintenance it has fallen into disrepair. Much of the water entering Allan Bank comes through a gap in the wall at the top of the wood and is sent through a stone culvert underneath part of the path, and from there down to the walled garden. The culvert had collapsed and become blocked by stones and tree roots.

Blocked culvert

This meant that during heavy rain the culvert overflows and water is forced off-course so that it runs down the path, which has started to cause damage. It was therefore essential that we should make some improvements, so it was decided that the culvert should be taken apart and rebuilt.

Repairing the culvert

The first job was to remove the top stones to gain access to the drain. Next, the sides of the drain (which are like small sections of dry stone wall) were taken apart and replaced with more substantial stone. The culvert was also widened so that it would be able to cope with heavier downpours. Once any interfering roots had been removed, the top stones were placed back in position and wedged tight.

The finished culvert



Since the last blog post we have completed the restoration of a further four sections of stone steps. The steps in the photo below had become unstable and the ground had eroded beneath them, meaning they were on the verge of falling out



Old steps in need of repair

The original steps were completely stripped down and then cemented together to add extra strength. An additional step was also added.



The restored steps

To help gain height up to the steps, five wooden risers were constructed just below the new bottom step. It's hoped that eventually the risers will be removed and replaced with more stone steps which would be more in keeping. But due to our tight time scale and lack of materials, wooden risers were the only option.



Steps with the added risers

We have also continued to improve the quality of the path surface. The path below was a particularly steep section with bedrock and large boulders just below the surface. If this had been left unattended it's likely that the path would have eroded away to the rock below making it extremely difficult to walk on.

Steep section of path before commencing work

A series of wooden risers were built to make it easier walking down this steep slope and also to prevent the soil from eroding.



Section of path with new risers in place

The Fix the Fells volunteers once again helped us move the wooden edging into position next to the risers.

Moving the edging into position

With the edging now securely staked into position it was time to gravel the path.

Gravelling and edging the risers

With only hours left before opening time, we finished off the final bits of gravelling and edging. Our last job was to walk the path and put in marker posts to direct people around the new trail.

So if you get the chance to visit Allan Bank, we'd love to know what you think. Either post a comment below, or if you're on Twitter, tweet us a message @NTCentralFells.

Continuing work at Allan Bank

Over the past couple of weeks we've continued our work at Allan Bank, where our work has focused on a section of path which is very undefined. To cope with the number of visitors when Allan Bank opens to the public in a few weeks time we've had to make the route more obvious and also sustainable. 

The first job was to decide which route to take and start clearing back the leaves and digging out a shallow trench.

Starting to create the new path

It's been great that we've had so much volunteer involvement as they've really helped speed things along. The Fix the Fells volunteers have managed to find some spare time in between their "day job" of attending to the upland paths, and managed to fit in several work parties.

The path begins to take shape

With the new path line properly defined, we've again used tree trunks that have been felled as part of our woodland thinning programme to edge the path.

Edging the path

The next job was to add some wooden risers to the steepest sections of path. These are needed as due to the incline it is more likely to erode and also more difficult to walk on.

Digging in the risers

With all the risers in place we needed to get the gravel from a pile next to the house over to the new path. First we had to shovel the gravel from the heap into a trailer, so we could transport it a short distance by road to the nearest access point. Once here it was shovelled out of the trailer and into a power barrow. Finally, the gravel was moved over to the new path and shovelled back out again. This was repeated numerous times throughout the day, and that's a lot of shovelling!

Moving the gravel to site

Once the gravel was nearer to the path it was then moved using wheelbarrows to exactly where it was needed.

Gravelling between the risers

By creating a path like this it will make it much easier for everyone to get around and enjoy the woodland at Allan Bank. Given a little time the path will start to blend in more with it's surroundings, but it'll still do the job it's been designed for.

The completed section of path

Path improvements at Allan Bank

As part of our ongoing improvements to the network of footpaths at Allan Bank we've been working on a section of wooden risers (steps) that run from the slate steps to the entrance of the tunnel. We decided that wooden risers were needed for this section as it's pretty steep and if left alone it's likely that the path would have deteriorated.

Constructing the risers

The risers are constructed using wooden posts and rails. The rail is cut into lengths the width of the footpath and once the ground level has been established a trench is dug out for the rail to sit in. Once this is done, two posts are knocked in at either side of the rail and the rail is then nailed to the posts. Another one or two lengths of rail are then attached depending on how high you want each step to be. This is repeated until you reach an incline that is less steep and therefore less likely to erode.

Once all the risers were in position the next thing to do was to edge them with timber. Several small trees have been recently felled both for safety reasons and also for thinning the woodland. So we took advantage of this and cut them into suitable lengths and put them into position against the edge of the path.

 

Edging with some felled tree trunks 

With the edging in place it was time to gravel in between the risers. For this we were assisted by the Fix the Fells volunteers.

 

Moving the gravel 

With all hands on deck we shifted the gravel with a fleet of wheelbarrows and we soon had the new risers filled in with a good layer of gravel.

Freshly gravelled risers

After a lot more shovelling and many more wheelbarrow loads we were finally gravelled all the way into the tunnel.

Entrance to the tunnel

Repairing the steps at Allan Bank

Since our last update we're still busily working away at Allan Bank, in preparation for opening the doors to visitors at the end of March.

Our first job was to repair a section of slate steps. There are several sections of similar steps scattered around the woods at Allan Bank but over the years they have all fallen badly into disrepair.

Steps in need of repair

Firstly we removed most of the moss from the steps and photographed them for our records. With this done it was time to take them apart.

Stripping the steps down

Once the steps had been dismantled we began to re-assemble them but this time we used cement between the courses so there would be no risk of the steps coming loose. For their intended purpose they would have been fine without the cement (although we did find a few patches of mortar when we took them apart) as few people would have ever walked up them. With the gardens soon to be opened to the public it is important for them to be much more durable.

Battling on through the snow

After just over a weeks work the new steps were all finished and ready to be used.

 

The completed steps

To improve the bit of path leading to the steps we rebuilt a couple of sections of retaining wall (revetment) which is there to stop the path from falling away as it is built across a slope. There was an old retaining wall, but little of it remained so it was a case of stripping down what was left of the old wall and rebuilding it more or less from scratch.

 

Retaining wall during construction

Once the wall was finished we topped it with some slates, to tie it in it's appearance with that of the steps, and put down a layer of gravel to improve the surface.

Finished wall with the gravel in place

For more news on what's happening at Allan Bank why not pop over to Facebook and give us a "like"? Just click on this link...National Trust Allan Bank Facebook page