'Many hands' help repair walking routes

Volunteers have answered a conservation charity's call to help repair areas around walking routes, but icy conditions forced the cancellation of a summit climb.

Friends of the Lake District’s Fell Care Day had been due to include a trip to the top of the Old Man of Coniston on Friday to restore footpaths.

Other activities were able to go ahead though, including dry stone walling, renewing a bridleway and cutting back invasive plants.

Kay Andrews, landscape engagement officer with the charity, said the volunteers' efforts had a "huge impact because the tasks need many hands".

She said it was "very difficult" for charities alone to carry out the work, so they rely on help from volunteers and local conservation groups such as Fix the Fells.

"For some people it's a nice day out, getting out and about on the fells, and for others, it's about giving something back.

"A lot of people walk the trails regularly and they want to help repair them."

More than 40 people were involved in the day's activities.

Volunteers and staff from the Lake District National Park carried out path maintenance and scrub clearance on a round trip totalling 3 miles (5km) along a bridleway running from Coniston Village to Yewdale Farm.

An acre of rhododendron was removed, with 2.5 miles (4km) of drainage clearance carried out on footpaths and culverts.

Earlier this year, Friends of the Lake District launched a campaign warning there are no "litter fairies" in the national park and reminded visitors to take home their mess or risk harming the area and its nature.

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].