[Closed] Lakeland Trail Sanitisation

Bottom of Garburn pass, will soon be fixed slate cobbles

which side ?

Bottom of the Troutbeck side (The Howe). Not sure how far up they are going.

Just to add Wain lane has also been ruined. It is a smooth silt/mud/clay rather than the rocky fun it used to be. A good flood will probably help but I will avoid it till then.

I'll get up there and ride it quick then before they wreck it!

[i]Back of Loughrigg (the only small remaining interesting section), will be graded gravel shortly.[/i]

The top section of that was really bad for a while, huge wide bogs where people had walked round and just ended up widening the puddles. I can't remember much of the rest being *that* technical? There's a nice drop off at one point on an alternative track although it's a bit of a surprise if you don't know it's there!

Bottom of the Troutbeck side (The Howe).

well, it did need fixing, as it had been severely scoured by the rain in December, and was difficult to pass on foot or bike:
[url= http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2009/19dec/DSC_0438_.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2009/19dec/DSC_0438_.jp g"/> [/img] click pic for bigger[/url] - and that's an easy bit!

To be fair the slate is being stacked from the bottom drainage channel up. It is being put in with the narrowest face up and looks at the moment to be far from smooth. So although it may end up being less technical it will be far from smooth and nice and fast. Hopefully it will stand up to the rain better as well.

If they put slate in flat side up it rapidly becomes VERY slippy especially in wet weather or on north facing slopes. Fine for local roofing tiles but for walkers/bikers/horses, as a trail surfact, it can be lethal.

Fine for local roofing tiles but for walkers/bikers/horses, as a trail surfact, it can be lethal.

YAY!! 🙂 Just bunnyhop the corpses...

The slate is going edge side up, like a dry stone wall lying on its side. The surface effect is about as inconsistant as a dry stone wall as well so should be relatively grippy.

Back of Loughrigg (the only small remaining interesting section), will be graded gravel shortly.

Do you mean the bridleway from Brow Head Farm over to Loughrigg Tarn? If so, which bit are they gravelling - first bit off the top down to the stream, lower down than that, or somewhere else entirely?

If so, which bit are they gravelling - first bit off the top down to the stream, lower down than that, or somewhere else entirely?

the top bit around the stream was done several years ago...

[u]Sanitisation [/u]- permanent changes to the trail that make it less challenging that it was

[u]Maintenance[/u] - periodic works to a trail that make them passable and get them back to what theyr'e supposed to be, highways suitable for use by all legitimate user groups

Haven't been down loughrigg for a while but I suspect it will be from the second (lower) gate down to the cottage at Tarn Foot.

has anyone been over to gatescarth pass recently? i was over there end of last summer to find jcb's flattening it & wonder what it's like post op.

simonfbarnes - Member
the top bit around the stream was done several years ago...

I know, I thought they might have been extending it from there or redoing some of the existing stuff due to erosion over the winter. Not been up there since last summer though, so no idea if that's required or not.

Just been down loughrigg tonight and can confirm that from the lower gate to tarn foot cottages is no hard packed gravel and as challenging and technical as a canal path. 🙁 sad face

Zulu-Eleven - Member

Sanitisation - permanent changes to the trail that make it less challenging that it was

Maintenance - periodic works to a trail that make them passable and get them back to what theyr'e supposed to be, highways suitable for use by all legitimate user groups

Do you mean this bit has been gravelled?
[img] [/img]

Could they not gravel half of it, for the sake of making it passable for horses/unskilled cyclists and leave the good bit as something for MTBers?
Surely it would cost less money to do, and by not destroying the 'good' bits not keep MTBers away from the area?

Hmmm, I think the thing to do is to follow that wall at the back - it should be quite a steep drop, and then join the BW when it swings left to meet the wall again.

Bugger, that was the best bit of the Loughrigg trail. But it's a multi user trail, so I suppose "they" are obliged to make it accessible to all potential users, not just keep it nice for our particular needs.