145m Lake District footpath repaired on Whiteless Pike by BMC volunteers

Mynediad Newyddion
29 Awst
2 min read

A dozen BMC volunteers have repaired 145m of eroded path on Whiteless Pike in the Lake District with Fix the Fells rangers this summer.

The BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign has been in full swing this summer with our latest Get Stuck In path repair event on Whiteless Pike in the Lake District this August. Twelve new and returning volunteers worked with experienced rangers from Fix the Fells to repair the mountain's eroded path to the summit.

Get Stuck In founder and BMC Access & Conservation Trust trustee, Steve Charles, reports, "Our volunteers stayed at the FRCC (Fell and Rock Climbing Club) hut Birkness and worked on the zigzag path just below the summit of Whiteless Pike in glorious weather. The path was being eroded, leading to heavy rain running down the path, increasing erosion. By reprofilling (reshaping) the slope across the path we made a gentle slope (or camber) so that after heavy rain water will run down the slope, and across the path, reducing erosion. In total, 145m metres of eroded path were repaired."

The Get Stuck In path repair is funded by the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign. To support more work like this to protect the mountains for future generations, join the BMC and/or donate.

Steve continues, "As a bonus we were treated to a view of the solar eclipse from the shores of Buttermere, and took swims after hot days on the hill. At the end of the evenings we lay by the lake, staring up at the sky, and watched shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower.

"On one evening we had a talk by Danny and Maddy Teasdale from the Ullswater Catchment CIC who work with farmers and landowners to restore balance and resilience to the Lake District landscape, giving a different perspective on the work we do making the hills and mountains of the Lakes more resilient by our footpath work.

"On the third day we had a social hike over the summits of Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson (all Wainwright tops), and picked up litter over the 13km route. So many different experiences!"

A dozen volunteers worked tirelessly for two days to repair the zig zag path up to Whiteless Pike's summit in the Lake District.

Experienced, returning volunteer, Hannah Eames, commented, "This was my fourth volunteering event with the BMC Mend our Mountains, and my first visit to the Lake District. I keep coming back to help as every year I learn new skills, visit stunning places and make new friends. It genuinely feels like I'm able to do my small part in helping sustain our beautiful mountainous environments for many years to come. I've learned how to reprofile peat hags and why that's important; how to 'pitch' stones which means creating the stones steps you see on many paths; and most recently, to reshape and reprofile paths to prevent erosion from water.

"As well as learning a lot, spending time with a varied group of like-minded people who all have the same passion for the outdoors is one of the highlights. This year we got the opportunity to wild swim, watch the eclipse from the shores of Buttermere and bag some Wainwrights. Memories that will last a lifetime, just like the work we do on the fells!"

Another returning volunteer, Nona Toothill, said simply, "Thanks for a fabulous few days: you have boosted my belief in lovely, star-gazing, lake-dipping, hard-working, brownie-loving humans!"

The Get Stuck In initiative is funded by one of the BMC's charities, the Access & Conservation Trust, within our ongoing Mend Our Mountains campaign. To support more path repair work like this, join the BMC and/or donate to the trust.

Protect the Sheffield Moors from Wildfire

Help us raise £50,000 this year to protect the Sheffield Moors from Wildfire - 81.2 hectares (114 football pitches!) of this beautiful moorland, including the popular walking and climbing areas of Stanage, Burbage, Froggatt and Curbar Edges, has been lost to wildfire since 2018.

Did you know that you can donate to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust entirely FREE simply by shopping online as you usually would, at any time of the year with Easyfundraising? It only takes two minutes to set up, here's how.

If you want to contribute to upland and mountain access and conservation causes like the above, then simply click here to donate to The BMC Access & Conservation Trust via The Climate Project or Mend Our Mountains campaigns at any time. One-off or regular donations of any amount are always most welcome.

Volunteer

Fancy fixing footpaths in the Lake District, placing stepping stones in Eryri or planting sphagnum in the Peak District? Sign up to one of our Get Stuck In events here. And if you can't volunteer, why not gift us the amount you would have spent in fuel or on a train fare getting to a volunteer event?

Leave a legacy

A wise person once said, the most noble thing you can do is to "plant trees under whose shade you will never sit" and, likewise, fund path repair projects on which you will never walk and moorland restoration projects which you will never see. If you'd like to make a lasting impact on the landscape long after you've left this world, please consider leaving us a legacy.

Mynediad Newyddion

145m Lake District footpath repaired on Whiteless Pike by BMC volunteers

A dozen BMC volunteers have repaired 145m of eroded path on Whiteless Pike in the Lake District with Fix the Fells rangers this summer.

29 Awst
2 min read

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Get Stuck Inners are always lovely, friendly people...honest!

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