Cairns, a help or a hinderance?

Over recent years there's been a definite increase in cairns being vandalised. Much of this is presumably done with good intention, but based on inadequate knowledge.

We've often heard people suggest that "there are too many cairns" or "stones are better on the footpath than on a cairn". In some ways this is correct, but cairns still have a vital part to play on the fells. Cairns were originally built to help people find their way along a poorly defined path, and many have historical significance.

Large cairn on the right-hand-side of Stickle Ghyll

You can see a cairn in the photograph above that has become excessively large and no longer really serves it's intended purpose. The path is well defined and even when the cloud is down you'd struggle to get lost on a pitched path like this. The cairn has also reached a height where it is starting to fall back onto the path, which narrows the path and may make it difficult to walk on.

Having said that, there's very little surface stone around now so it's unlikely to get much bigger and cause much of a problem. It's also been around a long time, and it actually serves a purpose of keeping people on the path, which helps prevent erosion. So in this instance it'd be useful for those few stones on the path to be added to the top, but otherwise it can be left alone.

 Cairn at Rossett Ghyll, destroyed and thrown on the path

The photo above shows a cairn that has been knocked down for no apparent reason. We actually built this cairn as part of our footpath repair work to help guide people down the path. It's at a point where the path originally split, one route headed straight down the ghyll and the other followed the path we'd worked on. Before working on the path, the erosion in the ghyll was clearly visible from the valley below, but we've spent a lot of time revegetating it and it's now started to blend back in with it's surroundings. So by building the cairn, anyone who's a little unsure which way to go will hopefully follow the path, rather than causing more erosion in the ghyll.

 Rebuilding the cairn at the top of Rossett Ghyll

It seems strange that somebody would want to destroy this cairn, since it's not particularly visually intrusive and by looking at it you can tell there's been some effort made to build it and it's therefore likely to have a function. Also, why throw the stones onto the path, making it more difficult for people to walk on? This could possibly come from the idea that "stones are better on the footpath than on a cairn". The thought behind this statement comes from the fact of stones that are in the path are better left where they are, as they help it all bind together. Don't prise them out of the path to add them to a cairn.

Repairing the cairn at Stickle Ghyll

The above photograph shows another cairn needlessly scattered on to the path. This cairn was also built to help people find the path. In good weather it can be difficult to find this path, but in bad weather if you've never walked it before it's more or less impossible. This can, of course, have safety implications and there have been instances of cairns being removed, which has led walkers to become lost. This has led to Mountain Rescue Teams unnecessarily being called out.

We'd only ever really recommend removing a cairn if it is obviously very new, eg. two or three stones, and looks like it has been built by one person for no apparent reason. In this case it may be worth throwing the stones off the path to discourage others from adding to it. In this day-and-age unless it's for safety reasons, or to guide people onto a path, there's no real reason to be building new cairns, or indeed add to them.

So if you ever see a cairn and think you should add or remove stones from it, next time ask yourself a few questions.

• Is the cairn performing a purpose? 
• What would the surrounding terrain look like in bad weather, would the cairn then have a purpose?
• Does the cairn really need any stones adding or removing from it?
• What might the consequences be if I dismantled or built a cairn here?
• Is the cairn old, and possibly have historical significance?

If you're ever in doubt it's probably safest to just leave it alone, as generally if left alone it won't cause too much of a problem. Problems only really arise if a cairn becomes so large that the path splits either side of it which may lead to a wide erosion scar. But in this instance it's not a one man job to fix, and if we perceive it as a problem we'll arrange a volunteer work party to properly dispose of all, or part, of the cairn.

Replacing steps at High Close

After completing our work at Allan Bank we recently moved on to some path repair work at High Close gardens, just outside Grasmere. The house and gardens at High Close date back to the mid-1800's when they were purchased by Edward Balme Wheatley-Balme, a Yorkshire merchant and philanthropist, and planted up with many rare trees and shrubs from all around the globe.

The estate was left to the National Trust in 1951 and the house was leased to the Youth Hostel Association shortly afterwards. Much of the garden has been in disrepair for many years but recently a National Trust volunteer group has taken ownership of the garden and cleared back areas of rhododendron and unearthed much of the original path network.

Steps in need of repair.

You can see in the photograph above some old steps in urgent need of repair. Much of this original work has at some point been dismantled and the stone removed, presumably to be used elsewhere on the estate. This is not uncommon, as slate is an expensive resource, so as the garden evolved, pathways would have changed and it would have been decided that the stone could be put to better use.

New steps after a few days work.

We decided that the work should be in keeping with the rest of the garden, so it was on obvious choice to use slate from the nearby quarry.

Steep incline where new steps need to be added.

The slate was all hand picked at the quarry and loaded into our trailer. From there we drove it the short distance up to High Close where it was then moved by power barrow to each of the areas that needed to be worked on.

New section of steps

To build the steps, we used two or three large rectangular stones as the front of each step. These were filled in behind with smaller stones built in courses, much in the same way as a drystone wall. All of the slate had to be hand finished with hammers to make it all fit together tidily.

Starting work on another section

It's been slow work, with each step taking roughly a day to construct, but the effect looks really good and in a few years time it should blend in seamlessly with the rest of the stonework in the garden.

Shaping a stone

There's still plenty of work to be done in the gardens, and we're likely to be spending more time here in future years. To see some of the fantastic work that the volunteers have been doing to help restore High Close gardens click on the following link...Album of High Close garden restoration work

Working with volunteers on Gowbarrow

Over the course of the year we've spent a fair amount of time repairing the path up on Gowbarrow in Ullswater, and to help us achieve this work we've had fantastic support from numerous volunteer groups.

Although the path had previously been worked on a few years back, those sections that have been left had really started to worsen. You can see here just how bad the path was getting, with bare sections of peat which were steadliy getting wider and wider.

After some consideration on what would be the best method to repair the path we decided we needed additional materials as there was little suitable rock on site. So earlier this year several tonnes of gravel and rock was delivered to a nearby site and we filled the bags.

With the bags all filled, the next job was to get it up to Gowbarrow. A helicopter was used to fly it in, with the bags dropped near to the most eroded areas.

With the bags now in position we arranged our first work party. A group of Fix the Fells volunteers came out with us for a couple of days. Our job was basically to dig a shallow trench through the peat and fill it with the gravel from the bags to create a hard surface for walking on.





The next group to help us was from the Environment Agency's North West team. Once again we struck lucky with the weather and by the end of the day we'd completed another good section of path.

Shortly after this we were joined by a National Trust Working Holiday for a week. The section that we were working on is shown to the left. We decided to move the path from it's original location (in the first picture above) higher up the bank. We did this as the line was less undulating and so the new path will be more sustainable and less likely to erode at a later date.


So we set to work. Although it always seems wrong putting a path through an untouched area, given a bit of time the original path will green over and, in this instance, eventually the heather will return and nobody will be any the wiser.

Due to the close proximity of the crag, the bags had to be dropped a fair distance away from the new path.

To overcome this we filled buckets with gravel and created a chain of people moving it to where it was needed.

After a few days the new path was really starting to take shape.












To help make the path more durable we used a whacker-plate to compress the surface.

Our next group of volunteers were school children aged 10 & 11 and accompanied by the Field Studies Council. They joined us for an afternoon to help them understand the impact that visitors to the Lake District have on the environment.Though only with us for a few hours they managed to get another decent section of path completed and also seemed to have great fun doing it.

As there was still a bit more work to do on the section, we arranged another Fix the Fells work party to finish off where we'd started with the school group.




Word had obviously spread from the Environment Agency about our work up on Gowbarrow, and later on in the year we were joined by another group, again from the North West.

Even though the weather had noticeably started to deteriorate since earlier in the year, we completed another good section of path.

With the days now shortening we had one more day to finish our work for the year. We were again joined by the Fix the Fells lengthsmen with numbers bolstered by staff from the Lake District National Park Authority, including Richard Leafe, the Chief Executive.

We had some more resurfacing work to do and also a large side drain that needed to be dug out.

It's really been a fantastic team effort to get this work done but there's still plenty more to be done. We'll be back working on Gowbarrow again next year for Phase 2, so maybe we'll see some familiar faces again then.







Over the course of the year we clocked up an amazing 162 volunteer days. Although we said it at the time we'd really like to reiterate how thankful we are for everybody's help. The work on Gowbarrow is incredibly labour intensive and there's no way we could have completed it without all the additional help. Thank you.

A few more photographs from our time on Gowbarrow can also be seen here... Gowbarrow photographs.

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

Lakes Appeal

National Trust rangers have been repairing and maintaining upland paths in the Lake District for over 25 years. To help us continue our repair work the National Trust has recently launched a new appeal.

We need to raise a total of £300,000, so please make a donation today. With your support, we can help keep the Lake District special for future generations.

Repairing the path at Mires Beck, Ullswater

We've recently been working on realigning a section of path at Mires Beck in Ullswater. The job was relatively short and only took a couple of weeks to complete, but was essential nonetheless.

You can see in the following photograph the secton of path that was in need of repair. A landslip had caused the edge of the path to fall away into the beck below. If left unattended it is highly likely that more of the path would have fallen out over the next few years.

 Landslip

To avoid the most unstable area we decided to divert the path higher up the bank and rejoin it again above the landslip. We'd already flown a few bags of rock to site by helicopter earlier on in the year, but additional rock from the old path and the surrounding area was also utilised.

 Before starting work

The next photograph shows the path shortly after work began. The old section of path has been blocked off with large boulders and the new route curves around to the left.

 Starting work on the new path

The area where we were building the new path had a lot of water running along and just under the surface. To help remove this water we incorporated several drains into the path. Removing the water at regular intervals should also help prevent another future landslide.

 Drain building

With much of the pitching stone removed from the old path, and with all of the rubble and soil that we generated from the new path also being used to cover over it, it wasn't too long until the original path line was indiscernible.

 Making progress

While building the new path we removed all the turf that was dug off and put it to one side. This was later used to cover over the soil that we generated. This will help blend the path back in with it's surroundings and reduce potential erosion.

 The completed path

The old path line was also blocked off at the top, meaning our new section of path blends in seamlessly with the original.

Looking down the new path

Drain building on the Red Tarn path, Ullswater

Since finishing work on the path to Esk Hause most of our time has been spent working up on the path leading from the Helvellyn Youth Hostel, in Glenridding, to Red Tarn.

The path we're working on is a sub-soil path and was built several years ago using a digger. Since then with all the heavy use that it gets the path has started to become mobile and this has been made worse by surface water running down the path when it rains.

Although there are numerous drains already in the path we decided that to slow down the erosion process more drains were required.

Almost completed drain

So earlier on in the year we selected some suitable drain stone and had it flown to site. The picture above shows the work in progress. The piles of stone around the drain is some of what had been flown in but has not been used. The majority, in this instance, is smaller stone used to build the base of the drain. The sides of the drain are built using much larger stone (stones in excess of 2 feet deep are not uncommon) this means if the path below the drain should ever erode it will be a long time before the drain falls out.

Finished Drain with Landscaping

The photograph above shows the completed drain. Left over stone has been used to narrow the path. By doing this it also protects the top end of the drain by stopping people walking there. If a track was to develop in this area it's possible for water to bypass the drain thus making the drain redundant.

 Clearing the end of a newly built drain

The photograph above shows another drain almost completed. The end of the drain is being dug out to allow water to flow smoothly through the drain and away from the path. This is something that we also do as part of our regular maintenance work. 

The soil that has been generated while building the drain will later be seeded making it nicely blend in with the rest of the area. 

Finished Drain

Altogether we've put in roughly an extra 12 drains which should mean a lot less water running down the path. Of course all these new drains will have to be maintained regularly throughout the year by both ourselves and the Fix the Fells lengthsmen.