Conserving Lakeland Summer / Autumn 2021

Conserving Lakeland The magazine of Friends of the Lake District | Free to members

Litter Research Findings N U M B E R 8 7 - S U M M E R / A U T U M N 2 0 21

Conserving Lakeland

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Contents 03 From the Chief Executive 04 Litter Research Findings 06 Project Round-Up

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Undergrounding

Dark Skies

08 Our Land 09 Supporter Spotlight – ‘Friendship Wood’ 10 Executive Update 12 Cards and Gifts

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14 Policy Update 16 Restoring Hardknott Forest 18 Little Asby Through the Keyhole 19 Planning Matters 20 Soil Stabilisation Research Outcomes

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22 Why Light Pollution Must be Tackled 23 Cumbria Book Reviews 24 Where is it? Photo Competition

Dates for your Diary

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The magazine of Friends of the Lake District, Murley Moss, Kendal, LA9 7SS Tel: 01539 720788 Email: info@fld.org.uk Website: www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk

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Edited by Christopher James Designed by Kuzio Creative | www.kuziocreative.co.uk Cover photo: ‘Holme Fell Heather’ by Jacqueline Griffiths.

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Charity Number: 1100759 | Company Number: 4878364

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Summer / Autumn 2021

From the Chief Executive We have been involved in some of the media activity surrounding the Lake District National Park’s 70th anniversary. Recognising that Friends of the Lake District was set up to campaign for the creation of the park, one of the questions has been, “Why are you still here?

Surely your work was done in 1951”.

Our archives reveal that back then we asked ourselves the same question, and answered firmly that “the society is not closing down”. In fact, our annual report in 1951 stated the park’s designation “might be considered a flattering result of the long, pioneering work …… Unhappily, there does not seem to be much in the result to flatter”. Budgets restricted the shape and staffing of the park authority, and there was no chief officer or independent planning team - it was 1974 before a National Parks Officer and the Lake District Special Planning Board appeared. To begin with, the park board had no control over road building, afforestation, or water and electricity supplies within the Lake District National Park. These significant issues within a protected landscape have demanded our attention on many occasions throughout our own long and influential history.

Friends of the Lake District is dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cumbria’s landscapes. We also represent CPRE – The countryside charity – and are the CPRE representative in Cumbria.

The past 18 months has been an extraordinary time for us all, bringing additional, often novel challenges to our special places. Along with many other members of the Lake District National Park Partnership, community groups, agencies and individuals, we have helped deal with the effects of littering and anti-social behaviour, while recognising the pressures on local communities and businesses.

All while remaining alert for what we believe would threaten our landscapes – damaging development, losing our upland farming families, visitor vehicle numbers and the effects of climate change. On the positive side, maintaining our call for the Southern Extensions to the Lake District, continuing the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership and Dark Skies Cumbria project.

campaigning for its best interests.

Sometimes in partnership, sometimes leading others, sometimes as a lone voice. That, to me, seems like a definition of a good, true and honest friend of the Lake District.

At one point, before the National Park was established, there was no formal single ‘champion’ charged with securing the protection of the Lake District as a whole. Friends of the Lake District filled that vacuum.

Since then, we’ve continued to support and criticise, challenge and raise money for those responsible for the Park’s welfare, all the while

Douglas Chalmers Chief Executive

Conserving Lakeland is your magazine – tell us what you’d like to see in it!

Send comments to the address above or email chris-james@fld.org.uk An online version of Conserving Lakeland edition 87 can be viewed here: www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/conserving-lakeland-edition-87-321534 Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Executive Committee.

Love the Lake District? Want to see it enhanced and protected?

For more information visit www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk

Become a member and join thousands of like-minded people in looking after this unique and beautiful place. Visit www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/join-us or alternatively, contact info@fld.org.uk | 01539 720788

Conserving Lakeland

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Litter Research Findings It has been a year in which we have been overwhelmed by the amount of litter left behind by visitors. The easing of pandemic lockdowns and the restriction on foreign travel has led to an influx of tourists to the Lake District, many of them for the first time.

The results are in from the survey we commissioned ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ (KBT) to carry out on our behalf. It revealed that more than a quarter of visitors (26%) admit to leaving litter behind, and many (52%) expect to find litter bins even in the remotest wild valleys and fells.

We took the decision to commission this survey because, although there are armies of local volunteers trying to clear up the litter, we felt that it was important to find out who the litterers are and why they litter, so their behaviour could be changed.

We must admit that we were taken aback by the number of people who admitted leaving litter: 26% of the 600 people interviewed by YouGov. Extrapolated over the 20 million visitors who visit the Lake District every year, that equates to five million people leaving rubbish and it has certainly felt that way at times.

The KBT report said the increase in visitors to the Lake District National Park resulted in significant problems with litter and related anti-social behaviour, causing harm to the natural environment and wildlife, and risk to the local community.

“Unprecedented amounts of litter and waste were left behind by visitors, including laughing gas canisters, leftover food, broken glass, toilet waste, condoms, and whole encampments. Other issues included fly-camping, vandalism to trees and dry stone walls, and use of disposable barbeques, posing a fire risk.

“In order to tackle the issues and develop effective solutions, we

believe that the triggers and barriers to responsible behaviour and respectful enjoyment of the Lake District National Park must first be identified”.

The report was commissioned on the back of an explosion of litter in the lockdowns in 2020, but the problem has persisted in 2021.

The KBT research was carried out in two phases; a qualitative phase of four video focus groups, followed by a quantitative phase consisting of a nationally representative survey via poll provider YouGov. Their main findings were: More than a quarter of visitors to the Lake District since May 2020 admit to littering (26%). The most commonly admitted-to-behaviour is leaving the item next to or on top of the bin (8%), followed by dropping unwanted food (7%), leaving behind toilet roll, tissues or wipes after going to the toilet outdoors (5%), leaving items of rubbish behind after eating (4%), and dropping rubbish because it was dirty, smelly or messy (4%).

Those who admitted to having done at least one of the littering behaviours presented are more likely to be male (64% are male, compared to 36% female), in younger age groups (58% are aged 34 years and under; 26% are aged 35 to 44 years), and are predominantly from London (20%) the North-West of England (20%), Yorkshire and Humber (19%). Half of litterers (52%) have children in the household, compared with 26% of non-litterers.

Those who admitted to littering were more likely to have visited the Lake District ‘many times’ (38%) compared to less than one in five first time visitors (17%).

When asked why, more than half (52%) of visitors say they expect to be able to find a public litter bin in the Lake District when they need one.

This is equally high among litterers compared with non-litterers. Visitors are not adapting their behaviour or expectations for the more remote, National Park environment.

One in five visitors (20%) believe it is not always possible to ‘leave no trace’ and take all rubbish and other items away with them, when visiting the Lake District. Among litterers, this increases to 40%. Visitors suggested there are certain situations where they are ‘forced’ to litter, such as not finding a bin and when the item is messy or smelly.

More than one in 10 (13%) visitors to the Lake District in the past year agreed that if they leave litter somewhere in the Lake District, someone will come by to clear it up. A third of litterers think this (31%). We know from other sources that some visitors believe the local council is responsible for picking litter in the National Park.

One in four visitors (26%) to the Lake District in the past year have never heard of the Countryside Code. This is higher still among litterers (30%).

Suggestions by those surveyed were largely focused on an increase in the provision of bins and other facilities, highlighting the inclination of Lake District litterers to shift responsibility away from themselves, says the report.

Such suggestions included providing water fountains to reduce the number of plastic bottles being used and subsequently littered in the National Park.

Keep Britain Tidy made recommendations for steps that could be taken to begin to address the litter, waste and anti-social behaviour issues created by some visitors to the Lake District National Park.

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Summer / Autumn 2021

The 10-point plan included: • Using social media to highlight the number of people who visit the park and leave no trace, so it appears normal behaviour.

• Putting up messages at gateways like railway stations and main roads to create a feeling that visitors are now entering a different type of natural environment to those they might typically visit.

• Producing a “How to leave no trace” guide, with quick, simple, practical tips for planning your visit to the Lake District and how to leave no trace.

• Producing a “Protect the Lakes” scheme for local businesses.

• Introducing “Last bin until...” message boards in car parks, town centres, and other locations with bins, to inform visitors that this is the last bin until the next village, destination, or for so many miles.

• Using humorous messaging to communicate that no one is coming by to clear up litter left in the Lake District. We know that people are more likely to respond to and remember messaging that they find amusing. This could take on a variation of Keep Britain Tidy’s

‘there’s no such thing as the dog poo fairy’ to emphasise that no one is employed to remove litter in the National Park.

• Using messaging to communicate the number of individuals (volunteers, rangers, residents and others) who work to maintain and protect the vast area of the National Park, to emphasise the very limited resource.

• Introducing an initiative to highlight the Lake District as a protected landscape, and encourage visitors to act in accordance with this.

This would simplify and condense current guidance into a few memorable rules for visiting the Lake District, as a protected area.

• Using messaging to communicate to visitors that a) volunteers pick up litter in the Lake District – no one is paid to do it; and b) these volunteers would like to be spending their time on other tasks to help improve the National Park, such as building paths, walls, and working on conservation.

This could be presented from the perspective of the volunteer.

• And introducing a scheme for local businesses, such as shops, accommodation, campsites and hospitality, to offer use of their bins for disposing of rubbish.

We have now shared the research with local authorities who we hope will trial some of the key recommendations raised. Recently, the Lake District National Park Authority has launched a series of anti-litter posters as part of a limited trial, with content informed by the outcomes of this research. We plan to share the research more widely in the coming months to inform approaches and assist other national parks and tourist destinations in tackling the issue of litter by challenging behaviours.

Conserving Lakeland

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Project Round-Up Undergrounding An additional stretch of power lines has now been undergrounded at Corney Fell. Electricity North West – the electricity company for NW region – has been removing additional overhead power lines and electricity poles at Corney Fell coming to a total cost of almost £200,000.

Our Overhead Wires Officer, Amanda McCleery, said: “This area enjoys amazing views north to Scafell Pike and south to the coast, so it is great to get more poles and wires removed in order to enhance this important protected landscape. Friends of the Lake District appreciates the hard work put into such undergrounding schemes by multiple staff within Electricity North West, from when the site is first surveyed to when the last pole is taken down.”

By the time the current programme finishes in 2023 approximately 37km of electricity power lines, costing over £4 million, will have been undergrounded in the Lake District National Park alone.

Dark Skies Cumbria We’re delighted with the progress that the Dark Skies Cumbria project is making and no doubt you will have seen plenty of articles detailing success stories in building partnerships and how we are working to engage communities and partners across Cumbria to tackle light pollution. We thought we’d say less and show more with a collection of image illustrating the project’s impact in 2021.

NightTune Road Light, Glenridding (Thorn Lighting)

The Corney Fell scheme has removed almost 1km of overhead wires and is the second scheme implemented in this part of the National Park.

Together the two schemes at Corney Fell have undergrounded 2.4km of power lines.

The work is funded by an undergrounding allowance from the regulator Ofgem, forming part of an eight-year programme. The Lake District National Park Authority has surveyed the electricity lines in the National Park and the most feasible are then submitted to Electricity North West to be incorporated in the undergrounding programme.

Heritage Lanterns Cliff Terrace Footway, Kendal

Emma Hunt pastel drawing Join artist Emma Hunt in one of her pastel tutorials, plus lots more other activities in the next Dark Skies festival 6 - 14 November.

Sky Quality Meter Key data - 255 additional sky quality meter readings taken by dedicated LDNPA and Friends of the Lake District volunteers last winter.

NightTune road lights Glenridding and Heritage Footway lights in Kendal Working with Cumbria County Council and Thorn Lighting UK installing innovative road and footway lighting to reduce light pollution and improve people’s quality of life.

Undergrounding Corney Fell

Old sodium road lights in Lorton

Summer / Autumn 2021

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Satellite comparison Light pollution up into the sky from satellite images between 2013-2020.

Eden District Council and community groups are keen to reduce Penrith’s lighting footprint and Friends of the Lake District is working with Sellafield Ltd to help make positive lighting changes.

South Lakes retail park Example of light pollution in LAAP Report Cundall Light4 Lighting Audit and Action Plan Report has identified approximately 100 light pollution sources. With the Town and Parish Councils, supporter groups and light owners will work together across the five pilot communities to make lighting improvements.

Satellite imagery

Ambleside Big Switch-Off Many lights were switched off overnight in Ambleside on 10th April thanks to wonderful community and council support. We hope next time visitors, as well as residents, can step outside to see thousands of stars revealed in the night sky in the heart of the Lake District.

Dark Skies Cumbria Festival 6 - 14 November 2021 As the evenings get darker, we’re busy preparing for our next Dark Skies Cumbria Festival, which will include a variety of events, both in person and online. Events include a Dark Skies fell walk near Coniston, a night-time wildlife sounds experience in woodland in Arnside run by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, a moonwatch event with the Eddington Astronomical Society in Kendal, a night-time canoe trip, an interstellar art exhibition in Grizedale Forest, Dark Skies art workshops, a ‘stargazing dinner and spoon whittling’ evening, and the very popular online planetarium shows for children and adults, by L’Universe at Lancaster University. More events and details will be made available on our website nearer the festival.

Conserving Lakeland

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Our Land High Borrowdale We have returned to monthly work parties and are steadily catching up on all the jobs that COVID prevents.

This includes the repair of beckside fencing after the beck undercut the banking, ditch digging, water gate repair, and the seemingly endless task of tree staking and management.

Little Asby We had our Little Asby Commoners AGM at the end of May, the first for two years. It was good to catch up with the commoners. Some good news is that our current Higher Level Stewardship Scheme may be given a five-year roll over. This would allow the new Environmental Land Management Scheme to settle down before we applied to join. More welcome news is that Natural England are doing an aquatic survey of Sunbiggin Tarn this summer, focusing on macrophytes and charophytes.

The Westmorland Dales project’s keyhole excavation archaeology work is scheduled for September.

Planning permission was received in July. This will be the most in-depth archaeology work we have done on the common and it will be really exciting to see what’s found and if we can more accurately date some of the sites. We are also delighted that the common and, in particular, a site above Potts Beck has been designated as a Local Geological Site

by Cumbria Geoconservation. This area is important for the Potts Beck Limestone Formation, which overlies the Ashfell Limestone Formation, both formed in the carboniferous period when northern England was covered in shallow tropical seas. At

one particular site the two subdivisions of the carboniferous period are clear in the limestone, and one of these the ‘Asbian substage’ takes its name from the area. The Westmorland Dales project will be producing more information on the site and other geological sites in due course.

A Helping Hand at the Helm For some of our properties, we are reliant and very grateful to have local members who keep an eye on things for us and report back issues when they arise. This is of huge benefit to us, and if anyone would like to volunteer to cover any of our other properties, please get in touch. It does not have to be onerous or a big time commitment, just a stroll around checking on features and reporting back on any issues spotted.

eye on the stock and boundaries in particular. We owe her a huge debt of thanks. Here she tells us what she has been doing over the last few months: “As a volunteer for the Helm my regular priority is to check the resident Fell Ponies and heifers (no one has escaped or is injured) and importantly the fencing, wall boundaries and access gates which keep the stock enclosed.

“Work parties have been off limits during COVID and I have worked through some maintenance jobs which could be done solo. Moving old barbed wire and fencing from site, repairing tree guards and any areas of the ridge wall and reporting bigger issues to Friends of the Lake District. Since March 2020 many more local people started using the Helm for their ‘exercise slot’.

Jean taking a breather on her 80-mile Coast to Coast walk Our regular volunteer for the Helm near Kendal is Jean Savage. We could not manage without her dedication and kindness in keeping a watching

“If anyone wants to stop for a chat I’ll happily explain how we are managing the area. The wood is looking very good this summer. Over the past four years I have noticed a greater variety of flora and grasses and the moorhen returned to nest at the tarn for a second year”.

You’ll find more information about volunteering opportunities available on our website.

If you would like to know more or have a chat about any of the roles available, contact us on 01539 720788 or email info@fld.org.uk

Summer / Autumn 2021

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Supporter Spotlight We are fortunate to receive help from our membership and supporters in a number of ways. We were delighted to welcome Elizabeth, Denise and Kath earlier this year who joined us on our land at High Borrowdale to help plant saplings to celebrate their 60th birthdays. They were representing a group of 16 school friends who each bought a sapling.

They chose a range of native trees: eight oaks, rowan, hornbeam, willow, crab apple and silver birch. Another of the friends, Sheena Lanagan, wrote us a short article explaining the inspiration for ‘Friendship Wood’.

primary school or all came together at secondary school as it was the only one in the area. Ultimately somebody knew somebody else, from whichever route and we all became friends. One even went off to boarding school after being at the same primary school and re-joined the gang at 16, bringing another friend-to-be with her. For two of us, our parents were friends and we have known each other all our lives, except for the five days difference in our birthdays.

On leaving school, some at 16, some at 18, we all went into the world of work or further education. Some of us left the area and some stayed. That was in 1978 and we have kept in touch ever since, attending each other’s weddings, welcoming children into the world and generally being there.

‘Friendship Wood’ Growing up on the west coast of Cumbria in the 60s and 70s was a lot of fun, especially if you had friends like we did. Most of us either lived near each other, went to the same

Every Christmas we have a get-together.

It began as a night out and has now morphed into a long weekend and we always have a Secret Santa gift giving.

In 2019/20 we all turned 60 and had a celebration at Lingholm in Keswick, to mark that and the fact that we had been meeting up for over 40 years.

Secret Santa tradition going. This time we decided to gift each other a tree.

It had to be in the Lake District, so we contacted Friends of the Lake District.

They sent us the types of native trees that we could pick from, everyone made their choice and everyone received a certificate as a keepsake.

Once the pandemic rules allowed, three of our gang were able to help with the planting of 16 trees and so the ‘Friendship Wood’ was born.

Sadly one of our number passed away in 2020, but not before she had chosen her tree: an oak, symbolising strength, courage, wisdom and beauty. We will all go and visit our ‘Friendship Wood’ and watch it grow. Past, present and future.

We were unable to meet up in 2020 because of the pandemic but kept the

Welcome to our latest Corporate Supporter English Lakes Tours “We are delighted to be supporting Friends of the Lake District. We feel very strongly that our relationship with the Lake District, its people and its places, its wildlife and environment, is extremely important.

We always try to tread lightly on environmental issues and we respect the privacy, property, culture and lives of local people to make sure that our guests get a warm welcome wherever and whenever they go.

We want every visitor to fall in love with the Lakes just as much as we all have, but most of all we want the Lakes to be well cared for and looked after for future generations to enjoy and be at peace in this outstandingly beautiful place.” www.englishlakestours.com

Conserving Lakeland

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Executive Update Douglas Chalmers Chief Executive After John Campbell stepped down at our AGM earlier this summer, our trustees elected Judith Cooke as our new Chair. Judith brings a wide range of relevant knowledge and experience to the position and, having been a Trustee since 2015, she has a full grasp of how we operate and what we face in the immediate future. With the addition of co-opted Trustees Laura Doan, Robin Forrest and Tony Vaux and their diverse backgrounds and commitment to our work, our executive remains strong in its resolve to strengthen our influence and our ability to take on the challenges, threats and opportunities ahead.

The country may have had a number of false starts, but at Friends of the Lake District we are now looking forward to how we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Charity has come through the past year and a half in remarkably good heart. The determination, resilience and commitment of all my colleagues has meant that we have been able to continue operating effectively, even through the worst of lockdown conditions.

Our team were fully supported by the Trustees on our Executive Committee, and our members and supporters responded magnificently, with recruitment and income continuing at a high level. Thanks to all of you.

During lockdown, we prepared our strategic direction for the next three years, confirming our strategic aims as: protecting and enhancing the landscapes of the Lake District and Cumbria, supporting local communities, inspiring and empowering an increasingly diverse range of people, and securing our future.

We face the post-COVID world having evolved ourselves. The demands on our staff and resources have been increasing in recent years, and we face a diversifying demand on our time.

We have always had to allow time to “react”, but in doing so we must remain true to our Charitable Objects.

We examined our own structure and have made positive changes to ensure we can deliver our aims effectively.

Some of our colleagues have chosen to move on, mainly to fulfil personal ambitions and life plans, and do so with our thanks and best wishes. We will miss them as individuals, but their replacements will bring with them their own skills and contacts, new energy and enthusiasm.

“Lockdown and the consequences of re-emerging into the countryside have brought new threats to these landscapes we all love.

We have intensified our work to tackle increasing visitor numbers, littering and how to encourage car users on to more sustainable transport options.”

Lockdown and the consequences of re-emerging into the countryside have brought new threats to these landscapes we all love. We have intensified our work to tackle increasing visitor numbers, littering and how to encourage car users on to more sustainable transport options.

We continue pressing for wider acceptance of the Sandford Principle, and when Government fully reveals how it will react to the Glover Review, we may have even more lobbying to do.

It’s no secret that we were disappointed when our application for Southern Extensions to the Lake

District National Park did not make Natural England’s initial proposed new Protected Landscapes, but we consider this still ‘unfinished business’. The success of the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership and our Dark Skies activities has whetted our appetite for more projects.

“We face the post-COVID world having evolved ourselves. The demands on our staff and resources have been increasing in recent years, and we face a diversifying demand on our time.”

Following the generosity of our members and supporters, we will be looking at how best to use our reserves and some recent sizeable legacies to add value to our work.

Donations and legacies are not always simply cash, and through these the area of land we now own or manage has increased, giving us greater opportunities to develop and demonstrate policies, and to engage and excite people.

The bigger the challenge, the harder and smarter we must work in your name to continue championing the Lake District and Cumbrian landscape.

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Chair’s Comment Judith Cooke Chair I have recently become Chair of the Friends of the Lake District Trustees; I succeed John Campbell who has stepped down both as trustee and as Chairman. His positive and calm approach along with his hard work on behalf of everyone involved with the charity sets a daunting precedent.

I have been trustee here for six years so some of the work is familiar.

Previously, I was a member of the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) and a Patterdale parish councillor. I chaired the LDNPA’s planning (development control) committee and, as an LDNPA member, represented the parishes in the Eden District area of the national park.

I have worked with different criminal justice organisations (police, probation, prisons, youth offending) and I have been a non-executive director in the health service.

I take on the role of Chair at a time when the organisation is beginning to recover from the difficulties of the pandemic. Everyone has, in different ways, had a complicated time and it is wonderful that we come through it in a reasonably strong position.

Membership numbers have been maintained, our financial position is robust and, most crucially, staff have worked flexibly and carefully through this difficult period.

Inevitably there will now be some changes as we decide on future plans.

It will be vital to engage with external changes, for example, what next for national parks and all protected areas, how best to meet the challenges of

climate change and of different land management policies. In addition, many factors may change how the charity operates and how projects are developed and delivered. I believe that we will continue to be a strong voice for the landscape and work with partners and all its supporters through exciting and complex times ahead.

I hope that members and everyone else will welcome innovations and experiments as well as the return of well-established events.

My personal and immediate wants for Friends of the Lake District are: COVID recovery - hopefully sooner rather than later; develop the established as well as the new (within budget of course); support staff, trustee colleagues and volunteers; and take forward some innovative and well-established work with our membership, supporters and partners.

New Trustees Friends of the Lake District is delighted to welcome Tony, Robin and Laura who join our board of trustees. We are fortunate to have secured their help and they bring with them a wealth of experience to enhance the charity’s resilience and influence.

Tony Vaux Professional background: Worked for Oxfam for nearly thirty years. He supported community development in India and planned Oxfam's responses to emergencies. He later worked as an adviser to the UK Government and UN agencies on the links between poverty and conflict.

Local background: Moved to Caldbeck in the Lake District in 2003 and in 2018 published a history of that area - ‘Caldbeck - A Special Part of Lakeland’.

Interests: Fell-walking, hill-farming and public access to land in Cumbria.

Robin Forrest Professional background: Works as a fund manager focused on emerging markets; previously worked in banking.

Local background: Robin and his family split their time between London and Ullswater, having owned several properties in Cumbria over the past 20 years.

Interests: A focus on the outdoors with three active teenagers at home and an energetic dog. Fell-walking, getting on the water by kayak or dinghy sailing, and road cycling.

Laura Doan Professional background: Professor of Cultural History at the University of Manchester, based in the English department.

Local background: For over two decades, a resident of West Cumbria, living on the edge of a farm where her partner grew up.

Interests: Fell-walking, gardening, music, and cinema.

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Cards and Gifts

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C A L EN DA R

Calendar 2022 Inspired by the landscapes you love, our 2022 calendar features 12 stunning Lakeland scenes.

Printed on sustainably sourced materials, this year’s fabulous images were chosen from hundreds of entries submitted to our annual photography competition.

Size: A4 (21 x 29.7 cm) with a pre-drilled hole for hanging.

C RU M M O C K WAT E R

S C H O O L K N OT T TA R N

BUTTERMERE

WA S T WAT E R

TAW N Y OW L

B O R ROW DA L E VA L L E Y

JUNE 2022 MOND AY

TUESD AY

BORR OWD ALE

WEDN ESDAY

THUR SDAY

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S PR I N G B A N K H O L I DAY

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BUTTERMERE

C O N I S TO N WAT E R

20

D E RW E N T WAT E R

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WA S T WAT E R

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D E RW E NT WATE R F RO M BA R ROW F E L L

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NEWLANDS

21

28

8

15

22

29

FRIDAY

2

9

16

23

SATUR DAY

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VALLE Y

PH OTO : A L A N C A R R U T H ER S

SUND AY

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PL ATI N U M J U BILE B A N K H O L I DAY E

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24

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Rivers and rain might seem a given in the Lake District but Cumbr impacts flora and fauna, and the warmin ia has faced drough g of lakes leads to our Policy work, we ts in recent years. loss of biodiversity Drought tackle declining water and increasing algae. quality in our lakes As part of and restore importa SOFTH EL AKEDI nt wetland habitats STRICT.ORG .UK .

W W W. FRIEND

Christmas Cards A pack of 10 cards featuring five different designs (two of each design). Each stunning image is a winner from our 2021 photography competition. Printed on sustainably sourced materials, with the enclosed message: “Season’s Greetings”.

Size: A6 (10.5 x 14.8cm). Supplied in eco-friendly packaging with envelopes included.

£5.50

from

£5

£7

Buttermere & Haystacks Tea Towel & Art Prints

Notecards

The famous view of Haystacks as seen from Buttermere, illustrated in the style of old railway travel posters. Available as a high quality tea towel or beautiful art prints.

Tea towels: High quality cotton, hemmed on all sides. 76cm x 48cm.

Art prints: A4 and A3 options available, sold unframed.

A pack of 12 different notecards featuring spectacular Cumbrian landscapes. Perfect for any occasion. Blank for your own message.

Size: 10.5 x 14.8cm.

Envelopes included.

Order online now or via the enclosed form

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Summer / Autumn 2021

£18 Support a Cumbrian Hay Meadow As well as rare wild flowers, the meadows support bees and insects which in turn support birds and mammals such as bats and hedgehogs. Your gift will help wild flowers flourish and support the wildlife that make them their home.

£2 4

£2 0 Dark Skies Gift

Native Tree Sapling

Unnecessarily bright lights obscure our beautiful night skyscapes and can blind and confuse nocturnal animals so that they can’t find food or a mate. Your gift will help us to tackle light pollution.

Your gift of a tree sapling will be planted in the beautiful Cumbrian landscape. It will enhance the landscape and habitat value for wildlife, protect soils, improve water quality and increase resilience to the effects of extreme weather events.

£ 30

from

£ 30

£ 33

Home for Hedgehogs

Save our Squirrels

Gift Membership

Our dedicated volunteers create and maintain hedgerows, a vital source of food and habitat for many animals including hedgehogs.

They also provide safe places for hedgehogs to hibernate and raise their hoglets (baby hedgehogs).

We provide nuts and seeds for feed stations and manage our woodlands to give them the best chance of survival. Our feed stations also need cleaning regularly to reduce the risk of squirrel pox contamination.

Your recipient(s) will receive three copies of our magazine annually, great discounts at Cumbrian attractions and much more. They will also join thousands of likeminded people in protecting this unique and precious place.

Individual: £33 Joint: £45

Fund a Metre of Dry Stone Wall Dry stone walls are an important part of Cumbria’s cultural and rural heritage. One metre of wall requires just over a tonne of stone and could last for over 100 years.

£150

£99

£48 Footpath Gift

Landscape Tree

Your gift will help fund footpath repair work on Loughrigg, specifically the path from the trig pillar that runs north-west off the summit down to Loughrigg Terrace.

Buy a native tree which will form a beautiful landscape feature in its own right. Your tree will be protected from grazing with its own fence and will create new habitat for wildlife and secure soils from erosion.

www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/shop

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Policy Update Lake District National Park Plan The Plan went out for consultation in May and sets the direction of how the National Park and World Heritage Site will be managed over the next five years.

It is a Partnership Plan and not the Lake District National Park Authority Plan.

We are part of the Partnership and have helped to develop its content under very challenging circumstances. It has five key challenge areas as follows: • Vibrant communities and prosperous economy following COVID-19 • Climate action – achieving net zero and adapting to climate change • Future of farming and forestry, nature recovery and climate change • A Lake District for everyone • Sustainable travel and transport The challenge areas above are the right ones, and in general terms we are supportive of the plan. The important area of concern to us is the mismatch between the ambitions of the climate action section and the strategies and actions contained within the transport plan. While accepting that the partnership only has so much influence over transport, we are clear that the ambitions of the climate action section of the plan are not met by those contained within

the travel and transport section.

The climate section recognises that, by the 2050s, events such as Storm Desmond will be much more normal and the transport section recognises that such threats would have impact upon the transport network and visitor economy. It mentions creating resilience for the network but a better position would be to have stronger transport ambitions, other than the emphasis on more active and sustainable forms of transport.

Our own Sustainable Transport Conference produced a range of options we think should be used to address climate and transport challenges. We fully understand the need to help the visitor economy recover from the pandemic, but the plan itself recognises that the transport network is vulnerable and this should be addressed.

Glover Review Julian Glover and his independent panel’s Landscapes Review made a series of recommendations, setting out a plan “for a brighter, greener future”. Government released a written statement earlier this year, with a fuller response due later.

Other than the new and extended AONBs, the statement from Government also included proposals

for specific funding for farming in protected landscapes for projects to improve nature and to allow for more access. This will advance a ‘renewed drive to support nature recovery within England’s protected landscapes’.

During the review, one of our key asks was that a National Landscapes Service be created and this was one of Glover’s key recommendations.

This is not included in the current statement, but more detail on this aspect will come later. Another Glover recommendation was for a new approach to coordinating public transport piloted in the Lake District, and new, more sustainable ways of accessing national landscapes. We called for studies to address the transport problem in our recent response to the Lake District National Park Partnership Management Plan.

Lake District National Park Southern Boundary extension Natural England has announced that it will take forward the Prime Minister’s commitment in the 10-point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution to designate more national landscapes by considering the designation of four new areas: a new Yorkshire Wolds AONB, a new Cheshire Sandstone Ridge AONB, an extension to the Surrey Hills AONB and an extension to the Chilterns AONB. Our application for an extension was one of 21 considered, which were ranked on three considerations: Nature Recovery and delivery of the 30 x 30 agenda, Levelling Up across the country, and Supporting Access to Nature.

We were disappointed that these parameters did not confirm our case, which we still believe is very strong. Natural England will start

© Terry Abraham

Summer / Autumn 2021

discussions with us later this year, and, as the area was in the original Hobhouse map and we have been working on behalf of the local Parish Councils, we remain optimistic.

Agriculture and Uplands Direct Payments to farmers: Lump sum exit scheme and delinked payments in England The policy and support systems relating to agriculture are changing rapidly at the moment with new schemes coming out all the time, e.g. for peat, trees, sustainable farming, etc. Alongside these, we have responded to a consultation regarding direct payments to farmers to retire. The lump sum exit scheme builds on evidence that some farmers would like to retire or leave the industry but have found it difficult to do so for financial reasons. The Government proposes to offer them a lump sum payment in place of any further direct payments to help them do this. Part of the justification for the scheme was to encourage new entrants into agriculture. However, it is our view that Defra have missed a trick in not linking the lump sum payment scheme to the proposed new entrants scheme on which we still have no information. As such, there is a danger that any land coming free will be snapped up by existing farmers so we will have fewer farmers overall. It is hard to see how young and new entrants could compete for land for rent/sale and have capital to purchase equipment and stock.

There is a proposed cap on payments of £100,000 but the farming industry calculate the average payment would be £50,000. Given that Defra is basically just using the money the farmer would have been given in direct payments until 2027 if they did not retire, it is hard to see this being very attractive.

The same consultation also covered delinked payments – Defra state direct Basic Payments currently offer ‘poor value for money and are based on how much land a farmer has, which

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inflates rent and can stand in the way of new entrants’. The Government plans to phase direct payments out over the gradual seven-year transition period, to move to a fairer system.

The consultation includes plans to separate the payment from the amount of land farmed from 2024.

Farming in Protected Landscapes Scheme Defra have announced a new funding scheme for farmers in protected landscapes. All designated landscapes areas will receive a pot of money from Defra covering 2021-24 to deliver a programme called Farming in Protected Landscapes. This is one of the suite of funding measures under the Agricultural Transition Plan.

Money will be allocated for a planning delivery team, advice team and will also provide financial support. There will be the provision of 75% funding in support of actions by farmers and land owners addressing the four themes of nature, climate, people and place.

We have five protected landscapes in Cumbria so it will be interesting to see the progress of the scheme across all five areas. We are also investigating if we can apply for some of our land to see how the schemes operate.

Water United Utilities Drought Plan United Utilities (UU) have to produce a Drought Plan every five years and have consulted with us on the plan for 2021- 26. During this time, the West Cumbria pipeline from Thirlmere will come into operation (2022) which means UU will no longer abstract water from Ennerdale, Crummock and other smaller sources. We have responded to the consultation, noting that we find it strange that they are only proposing drought level indicators (showing water levels and trigger points for action) for Haweswater, and not for Ullswater or for Thirlmere. We have also flagged once more the need for messaging to customers about helping protect the Lake District by reducing their water consumption, and also the need to link

messaging about drought to climate change and the need to reduce our consumption of resources.

Commons Langstrath and Coombe Fells common have begun negotiating a new Countryside Stewardship scheme. Several new areas of planting are now proposed in these wild valleys. These would be a mix of wood pasture changing to scrub at higher altitudes, all needing sheep fencing for 15 years. This application raises a number of strategic issues: • The lack of any overall strategic plan for agri-environment schemes for these valleys and commons as a whole, from Borrowdale to Langdale. There needs to be some strategic level thinking about what common land covering massifs and catchments can deliver for natural and cultural heritage.

• Scale – the proposed exclosures are big and there are issues of skylining, fencing and height of planting up the fells.

• Success rate – 10 years ago there was a 66ha exclosure but growth over the last 10 years has been minimal.

• Impacts of some of the proposed fences on long-term sheep movements – commons by definition are open, with no divisions for miles between commons.

• Timing of assessments. The applicants have to submit an application for common land consent to the Planning Inspectorate. However, they also have to produce Heritage Impact Assessment considering impacts on the World Heritage Site, and Environmental Impact Assessment and Landscape Assessments.

The next step is to work up some of the proposals further and produce some visualisations and additional information. It is unlikely any application for works will be submitted before autumn at the earliest.

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Restoring Hardknott Forest John Hodgson Restoring Hardknott Forest Project Officer The history of Hardknott Forest in the Duddon Valley has long been linked with the history of Friends of the Lake District and in fact can be traced back to the 1930s and some of the events which prompted the creation of the charity.

The acquisition of land by the relatively newly formed Forestry Commission, (prompted by the huge timber shortage post WW1), led to the controversial afforestation of parts of the Lake District such as Whinlatter, Ennerdale and the remote upper reaches of the Duddon Valley.

After its formation in 1934, the first major campaign undertaken

by Friends of the Lake District was against this afforestation, seen as inappropriate within the context of the traditional Lake District landscape.

All the more positive then (at a time when we need positivity about the environment more than ever), that Friends of the Lake District and Forestry England (the Forestry Commission agency responsible for the management of the nation’s forests) are now working together on restoring the site at Hardknott to beautiful and biodiverse native woodland.

Formation of the Restoring Hardknott Forest project In the early 2000s, felling and harvesting of timber was well underway on the site, but the logistical difficulties of transporting timber out of the valley, coupled with the broadening environmental remit of Forestry England, meant simply replacing the felled timber with more of the same wasn’t the best option.

This was the background to Restoring Hardknott Forest, a partnership between Forestry England and the University of Leeds, which began in

2003. The project has grown and it is now a leading example of habitat restoration and of how different organisations can work together to achieve positive benefits for people and wildlife.

Since those early days, volunteers including local people and school children, university students and members of groups such as the John Muir Trust and Friends of the Lake District, have contributed thousands of days of volunteering, including planting trees, but mainly selectively weeding out regenerating non-native tree species, to allow native trees to thrive.

We’ve always had great support from Friends of the Lake District.

We’ve worked together not only with the grant funding, but on Fell Care Days and the Leaders Landscape Training programme as well. We’ve also had Friends of the Lake District members, staff and trustees at our volunteer events.

The natural regeneration of trees at Hardknott is one of our major success stories, and is a powerful illustration of the restorative power of nature, (given the right circumstances and a helping hand). A comprehensive study of the site in 2019 produced the impressive figure of over 3,000 naturally regenerating native trees per hectare (100m x 100m). As it turns out, the combination of open ground after conifer crops are felled and removed, plus the local seed source from the established broadleaf woodland nearby, is a near perfect recipe for natural regeneration. For this native woodland to really succeed, one of our major tasks is the removal of the dense regeneration of conifer species such as Sitka Spruce, which tend to shade out slower-growing broadleaf trees.

We use a combination of volunteers removing smaller trees with hand tools and trained project staff and professional contractors to remove trees large enough to need a chainsaw to fell them.

This is where assistance from Friends of the Lake District in the form of a Landscape Grant comes in. Along our northern boundary, and overlooked by Wrynose Pass, we had some very distinct hard edges of conifer regeneration. We worked with Forestry England to draw up two contracts to tackle these, with one being funded by our successful application for a Friends of the Lake District Landscape Grant.

The work done has made a huge difference visually, as well as improving access to a popular walking route through the forest.

More significantly, in ecological terms, the native tree species which were already growing in amongst the conifers will now have the chance to grow to maturity, with associated benefits for biodiversity.

Grant - before

Grant - after In the coming year we are making use of a second instalment of the Landscape Grant to clear another area which will open up views onto an attractive crag. We’ll begin work on this over the coming season.

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We look forward to future generations enjoying the forest as it continues to develop. It will also make a valuable contribution to the various environmental issues we currently face as habitat is restored and growing trees remove carbon from the atmosphere. Not least, it is a resource to educate and inspire people about the natural world and what we can do to look after it.

We also look forward to continuing to work with Friends of the Lake District on our project, and we are grateful for the support.

Volunteers at Duddon Fell Care Day

Supporting the Project We always welcome enquiries from new volunteers, and also offer tours of the site or presentations about the project to interested groups. Enquiries: j.h.hodgson@leeds.ac.uk Website: https://bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/restoring-hardknott-forest

Not just trees: Peatbog restoration With the help of expertise and funding from Forestry England we have rewet an area of previously drained peatbog, restoring another rare habitat and important carbon store. Drains previously created to dry out land to allow successful tree planting have been blocked and the peatbog habitat is now able to restore itself. Planting on deep peat is no longer carried out in forestry, in line with the UK Forestry Standard.

Schools and colleges We have regular visits from local primary and secondary schools and colleges that help with practical conservation and engage in educational activities. We have a successful partnership with Furness College who regularly attend our volunteer events as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. We have annual visits from the local comprehensive school at Millom which has adopted a small part of the forest and has been planting oak and hazel trees. Several primary schools visit every year, and we have set up remote trail cameras with the children to record visiting wildlife.

“Our visits to Hardknott Forest are a great way to engage our pupils with science, the natural world and their local area.”

Deputy Head, Millom School

Wildlife at Hardknott Forest Hardknott Forest is an increasingly attractive place for wildlife. We have so far recorded over 50 bird species on site and our camera traps have recorded otters, stoats, badgers, foxes and red and roe deer. Buzzards, kestrels, woodpeckers and jays are seen regularly, with rarer summer visitors such as redstart, pied flycatchers and whinchat recently recorded.

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Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme

‘Little Asby Through the Keyhole’

Little Asby Common, which lies in the heart of the Westmorland Dales, is owned by Friends of the Lake District and managed in partnership with its commoners. It is part of a large swathe of upland limestone, stretching from Crosby Ravensworth Fell in the west to Ash Fell in the east, which is protected by various designations including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Limestone Pavement Orders. Less well known is the fact that this area has a rich archaeological heritage too, much of it undiscovered, under-explored and under-recorded.

Our walk-over survey of neighbouring Great Asby Scar has already revealed more than 1,200 sites to add to the Historic Environment Record. And at Little Asby Common, because it is within our ownership and surveys have already been completed, we are now able to take this a stage further.

Previous walk-over, geophysical and photogrammetric surveys have revealed evidence of a succession of settlement and farming from prehistoric times through to the early medieval period with cairns, parallel walls, stone enclosures, round houses and long houses. What we need to do now is to add some further detail and understanding to this evolving

picture through a series of keyhole excavations. These will look for further detailed evidence, particularly of the likely age of the various structures and features, where possible through the carbon dating of any organic artefacts. All this is explained in much more detail by Jamie Quartermaine, from Oxford Archaeology North, in the recording of “Round House to Long House” on 4th August which is available via the events section of our scheme website: www.thewestmorlanddales.org.uk So, with the necessary permissions now in place, Hannah Kingsbury, our cultural heritage officer, working with Jamie and his team, is coordinating our first season of excavations running from 4th – 19th September 2021.

These small excavations, perhaps 20 or so in number and each measuring 2m long by 1m wide, will be dug by volunteers under the watchful eye of Oxford Archaeology North. All being well, these keyhole excavations should give us a much clearer idea of exactly when the area was settled and help us identify a site for a more extensive excavation in 2022.

Our ‘Little Asby Through the Keyhole’ project is one of the 21 projects within the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme, grant funded by

the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is now making good progress after the challenges of the last 18 months.

Other news This autumn, Electricity North West is hoping to complete an undergrounding project to remove unsightly overhead cables from the vicinity of Gamelands Stone Circle.

Eden Rivers Trust is planning to implement a major river restoration / natural flood management project on a tributary of the Lyvennet near Crosby Ravensworth. We are particularly delighted to have welcomed our next group of Countryside Worker apprentices Liberty Firby-Fisk, James Taylor, James Renwick-Smith and Sam Barden. They started with us at the end of August and will be with us until February 2023 when their apprenticeships are completed.

The timing couldn’t be better as they’ll be able to spend a couple of days at Little Asby helping with the excavations. Later in the autumn we hope to appoint a cultural heritage trainee to work with Hannah and colleagues within the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority on a number of other projects.

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Planning Matters Since the last planning update, it seems to have been a case of lodge, caravan, pod, hut, repeat! This seems to be a result of increased demand for ‘staycations’ and has included proposals for entirely new sites as well as extensions to existing sites.

Several of our members and supporters have been in touch to highlight concerns about some of the proposals and we’ve had some success in working with them to challenge the most inappropriate of these and securing beneficial changes to others.

a suggestion we had made and another at Hutton John has also been revised in a way that responds to our comments regarding layout, habitat and dark skies. These changes will reduce the landscape impacts of the proposals which is great news.

The smorgasbord of camping accommodation applications across the county has included 10 glamping pods on a sensitive site in the immediate setting of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Renwick in Eden; a re-submitted plan for 20 lodges at Rosthwaite Farm in the countryside east of Windermere; a large extension to an existing caravan park on the shores of Bassenthwaite; six lodges in tranquil open countryside near Crosthwaite; eight pods on rising land at Outgate; six pods on a prominent open countryside site in a historic landscape near Wetheral; three shepherds’ huts in open countryside near Lupton, and 103 lodges that would significantly extend an existing holiday park on the Lake District National Park boundary at Berrier.

Work on other proposal types has been keeping us busy too though.

We’re still keeping an eye on updates regarding the controversial car park proposal at Ullock Moss, near Portinscale and now understand that a decision is not likely until October – so there is still time to make your views known. Meanwhile, we were glad to see that the new car park proposed on greenfield land next to the Swan Hotel near Grasmere has been refused.

“Several of our members and supporters have been in touch to highlight concerns about some of the proposals and we’ve had some success in working with them to challenge the most inappropriate of these and securing beneficial changes to others.”

Fortunately, three of these have now been withdrawn, at least in part due to significant levels of objection. We will remain alert to these though as it is possible they may be re-submitted with changes. We await the outcomes of the proposals at Rosthwaite Farm, Outgate, Wetheral, Lupton and Berrier.

There’s been a flurry of consultations on local planning policy and guidance documents too.

We’re also continuing to work with the Solway Coast AONB team and Natural England to help secure changes to plans for a major caravan site extension and a separate new holiday park in the AONB. In relation to other huts’ proposals we had previously responded to, one at Santon Bridge has been resubmitted with an altered layout partly reflecting

We had concerns about the Supplementary Planning Document being prepared for the large ‘Windermere Gateway’ development near Windermere railway station. We had been expecting a masterplan-type document that would help to ensure matters like landscape enhancement, biodiversity and sustainable travel were incorporated into the design and

layout of the site from the start, but the document deals predominantly with off-site car-based highway improvements. We’ll continue to press for a more comprehensive approach.

We’ve responded recently to the Eden Local Plan partial review (which covers climate change and design) and will be responding soon to consultations relating to new plans for South Lakeland and the Yorkshire Dales. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have taken an approach of undertaking multiple focused consultations – they are currently asking specifically about the important issues of local occupancy restrictions and traditional barn conversions, so we’d urge anyone with an interest in these topics to have their say.

Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework have been confirmed recently too, some of which we had supported during consultation. However, we are yet to find out what many of the wider changes to the national planning system will mean for our landscapes and communities.

As always, you can find out more about our planning work on our website or by getting in touch – planning@fld.org.uk. There are now dedicated pages providing guidance on responding to both planning applications and local plan documents.

“We are yet to find out what many of the wider changes to the national planning system will mean for our landscapes and communities.”

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Soil Stabilisation Research Outcomes In a short article in 2018, Prof. Lois Mansfield explored the landslide issues we faced on our land at High Borrowdale.

It outlined why this site was particularly susceptible and described a plan for a pilot research project to stabilise the slopes using natural geotextiles. In this final report, Lois reports back on the outcomes of the three-year project and what has been learnt.

Prof. Lois Mansfield University of Cumbria Natural geotextiles exist in three mat-like forms: artificial (e.g. plastic); natural (e.g. coir) or biopolymers, which are blend of the first two. They are draped over the exposed eroded terrain and pinned down. The theory is that their net-like design allows vegetation to grow through and restabilise the slope. For this slope stabilisation trial, we focused on the use of natural geotextiles to be inkeeping with the local environment, keep costs to a minimum and ensure we did not introduce unwanted pollution at the end of the process. We chose to test three types of material; sisal (agarve sisalana), an untried product on slopes in the UK alongside the better known products of jute (corchorus capsularis) and coir (formed from waste product of cocos nucifera processing) [see Figure 1].

these, three exposed scars were selected in one of the gulleys. Working with volunteers from Friends of the Lake District, the textiles were stitched into large sheets, spread over the bare soil and pegged down using giant metal tent pegs (see Figure 2). Every

Carrying sisal up steep ghyllside

Fig. 2 - Metal tent pegs month for three years (except during lockdown), a diligent volunteer went out and photo-monitored each of the geotextile plots and a control one, which had no textile on it and was

Stitching sisal into large sheets on-site

Fig. 1 - Sisal jute, coir textile samples The study had two main aims: to test the efficacy of sisal as a tool for slope stabilisation in comparison to other geotextiles and to re-stabilise the debris flow scars at High Borrowdale in order to prevent further slope destabilisation. In order to answer

Pegging down sisal on steep ghyllside

left to the elements. This involved standing in the same place in front of each plot and taking a photograph of how well the vegetation was growing through the textile.

The photographs were then analysed using a piece of free software called ‘Image- J’. This software allowed me to calculate the area of each mat that was still bare or had vegetation cover; thus plotting the change in cover over time, the results of which are shown in Figure 3.

From the field trial results, coir outperforms jute and sisal with regard to re-vegetation rates. Jute and sisal perform to roughly the same effect for re-vegetation, despite their very different weave densities.

The control plot recovered the least of all trials. Overall, the sisal retained more water than the other textiles.

Jute is the cheapest product with the greatest open space, easiest to manipulate on steep slopes and lightest. Coir and sisal after 36 months still had integrity, the jute was at the point of disintegration.

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% vegetation cover

Fig. 3 - Performance Comparison between three Geotextiles and Control with regard to Vegetation Cover June 2018 to July 2021

It is evident from the field trials and data analysis that coir is the most effective geotextile for the revegetation of slopes and stabilisation.

These results contradict other research into geotextiles where sisal was much more effective than coir or jute on slopes suffering from soil erosion.

There could be several explanations for this; first, the wetter climatic conditions between research areas, second, angle of slope was twice as steep at High Borrowdale (380 compared to 170) and third, the sisal weave density was much tighter than other research trials (see Figure 1).

In relation to weave density, the three textiles used were ‘off-the-shelf’, deliberately to use what is generally available to all land managers. It is evident from this trial that weave density could have a role to play in relation to textile efficacy and makes logical sense; larger gaps allow light to penetrate to encourage seedling re-growth. This was particularly evident in relation to the sisal, which was acting more as a suppressant than support, and in turn demonstrates that its current weave density is more appropriate to water retention uses such as in peat dams.

Regional modelling of climate change does suggest we could see drier summers (-23.82%) and wetter

winters (+26.20%) by 2050 in the Lake District. In fact, the contemporary experience of increased debris flows (our particular form of landslide at High Borrowdale) in and around the Lake District as seen in 2015 (Storm Desmond) could be indicative of our climate crossing a threshold, whereby these sorts of mass movement become more typical. Second, the site angles in this study were excessively steep.

They ranged from 38 to 460, which is not untypical of many glaciated valleys in the Lake District.

Together, climate change and slope angle are two of the main triggers causing debris flows to which we can add other factors of ‘availability of material’ (glacial till from the valley sides) and land use. Consequently, there needs to be a better understanding as to the extent of these types of factors across the region to aid in proactive slope stabilisation management rather than reacting to catastrophic slope failure.

A proactive management tool to address this was tested in North-East Wales by some University of Chester researchers in 2012. They constructed a landslide susceptibility map to divide the area into low, moderate and high classes. Whilst land use was not included in their tool, it did show its feasibility to be proactive for the whole of the Lake District.

For High Borrowdale, performance for the three textiles showed any use of geotextile was better than nothing at all (the control). Coir performed best with regards to re-vegetation, but not so well regarding its inherent physical properties. Sisal performed the worst, in terms of re-vegetation, cost and its manual handling potential.

Interestingly, jute came out the best in terms of summative performance, with only its integrity ranking worst after 36 months. Such a set of results suggests that there are different appropriate contexts for the use of geotextiles. Coir is best used for 300+ slopes in need of three or more years’ work or sites needing quick regrowth; jute is best for 300+ slopes under three years, and sisal is best where water retention is of primary concern.

Having said this, manoeuvrability on steep slopes such as those at High Borrowdale needs to be factored in.

Both the coir and sisal were heavy and difficult to move manually, especially on slopes with little traction or integrity, whereas the jute was much easier. The other characteristic to consider is the inability of coir to absorb water, which means it is possible coir work could be ‘washed out’ by similar high level precipitation events like those experienced in 2009 and 2015, with the water getting under the matting.

In conclusion, whilst coir may seem the most efficacious for re-vegetation, jute may be a better solution for volunteer teams or land managers interested in keeping costs down.

Further work remains to explore what happens when the weave density of sisal is changed along with some form of landscape-scale ‘landslide’ susceptibility mapping for the Lake District. It would be interesting to explore these ideas further.

If anyone is interested in reading the full report please go to: www. friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/ the-efficacy-of-sisal-for-soilstabilisation-on-slopes

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Why Light Pollution Must Be Tackled Bob Mizon Co-ordinator of the British Astronomical Association’s Commission for Dark Skies A parent and child on a holiday night-walk in the countryside glumly seek a star or two through skyglow caused by light spill from a small rural industrial estate.

A householder tries to sleep as a neighbour’s ‘Rottweiler’ floodlight, activated by urban foxes or cats, constantly fills her bedroom with light through closed curtains. A glow-worm seeks vainly to attract a mate in a rural backwater near an over-lit farm. They’re all victims of light pollution.

For over 70 years now, the night sky, and environments here below, have been invaded by wasted light as unregulated public and private lighting has become far more widespread and ever brighter.

LEDs, efficient, versatile and easily directed, have been a sadly wasted opportunity to reverse this tide of light pollution: instead, we have

blue-rich, glaring ‘cool white’ types, far too bright and, especially in the case of domestic, commercial and sports lighting, indifferently aimed sideways and upwards.

What are the negative effects of not keeping one’s light to one’s own patch? People enjoy seeing the night sky, but skyglow has stolen the experience from most wouldbe stargazers. More alarmingly, ecologists warn that the current ‘insect apocalypse’ is caused not just by habitat loss and pesticides but by the slow disappearance of true darkness. The night itself is a habitat – a moving habitat covering half the planet and increasingly frayed around the edges.

Light pollution is the most visible example of energy waste. The glowing night that most of us unthinkingly tolerate because we have all grown up surrounded by

poor-quality lighting, wasting fossil fuels and contributing to climate change.

Tens of thousands of years ago, our remote ancestors gazed in wonder at the blanket of stars above, riven by the stream of the Milky Way and punctuated by flashing meteors and mysterious, wandering bright lights we call planets. It inspired them to thoughts, both religious and scientific, and caused them to investigate their own existence. We owe much of our culture to the stars – even our very being, as ancient stars forged within their broiling interiors almost every atom in our bodies. They are our chemical parents. The light from distant stars and galaxies takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to reach our eyes. What a tragedy to lose it in the last millisecond of its immense journey.

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Book Reviews The Impact of Motor Transport on Westmorland c1900-1939 Author: Jean Turnbull With the current concerns over the number of visitor vehicles on our county’s roads, can any lessons be learned from The Impact of Motor Transport on Westmorland c.1900-1939?

It is a remarkable record of a very local social and economic history which is rapidly disappearing beyond living

A String of Pearls Compiled by: Margaret Wilson Photographs by: Helen Shaw In this illustrated anthology, Margaret Wilson compiles Lake District literary extracts, each of which photographer Helen Shaw illustrates with a stunning landscape image.

In pairing extracts from some of the nation’s most celebrated writers with contemporary landscape images, there is the risk that you restrict

memory. The period covered almost matches that when the number of licenced vehicles in the country rose from one million to over three million, including a dramatic increase in Westmorland, with tourists travelling to and around the Lake District particularly responsible.

In the same period, Westmorland County Council had to upgrade their roads, even then having to balance the demands of the motorists’ lobby and conservation groups.

The book also explains how people and commercial interests began to recognise the benefits of motor

the vision, freedom and breadth of emotion expressed in some of our most cherished texts.

It is testament then to the quality of the photography provided by Helen Shaw and the deft touch of the compiler Margaret Wilson that we are left with an anthology where image and words are complementary.

Together, they achieve the feat of depicting the drama of the Lake District landscape and the depth and richness of the areas cultural heritage.

As expected, Wordsworth, Wainwright and Beatrix Potter feature but there

transport, the spread of bus services and shopkeepers’ vans across rural areas, and the development of businesses to service the increasing number of motorists. The longer term legacy of these developments is also examined.

Fascinating maps and photographs will interest those familiar with the present day area.

Reviewed by Douglas Chalmers Publisher: CWAAS ISBN 9781873124888 RRP - £20 (£18 to CWAAS Members)

is a wealth of content that was certainly new to me. The balance between the familiar and the new in terms of writing and the locations depicted was another positive in this edition and will I’m sure provide much that is new to even the most well-versed of Lake District lovers.

Reviewed by Christopher James Publisher: Merlin Unwin Books 1913159248 RRP - £20

Our Benefactors We would like to thank the following people for their kind support of the Lake District: John Berry, James Brockbank and Louise Ronane, John Campbell, Richard Coates, Philip Cropper, John Entwistle OBE, Margaret Haigh, John Harris, Peter Hughes QC, Brian Leigh-Bramwell, John and Margaret Jackson, Rosamund Macfarlane, Jim and Sue Martin, Angela Monkman-Brushett, Elizabeth Reddaway, David Salter, Mr and Mrs Eric Thomas.

To find out more about becoming a Benefactor please contact Vanessa on 01539 720788

Conserving Lakeland

24

Where is it? Competition Do you recognise this Lake District view? If you do, write it on a postcard and send it to the editor marked ‘Where is it competition’. Or email chris-james@fld.org.uk.

One winning entry will receive a copy of ‘A String of Pearls’ (reviewed on P23). Closing date Friday 26th November 2021.

The photograph of the mystery view in the last issue was of Wet Sleddale.

The winner was Nicholas Green who wins copies of ‘Boundary Markers in Cumbria’ and ‘The Tour of the Lake District’. Thank you to all who took the time to enter.

Send a photo for our competition of not-too-easily-recognisable Lake District views to chris-james@fld.org.uk.

Dates for your Diary Exhibition: Lake District Reflections Saturday 4th September – Sunday 10th October Featuring photography and painting which explores lakes, mountain becks and waterfalls from under and over the water surface. It opens at the Gaddum Gallery in the Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole on Windermere. The exhibition will be free to enter with the gallery opening daily from 10am to 5pm. Photographs in the exhibition will be available to purchase with all profits being donated to Friends of the Lake District.

£2 4

Native Tree Sapling Your gift of a tree sapling will enhance Cumbria’s landscape and habitat value for wildlife.

Haweswater Fell Care Day | Friday 5th November Join hundreds of volunteers in carrying out practical conservation tasks.

Dark Skies Cumbria Festival Saturday 6th November – Sunday 14th November Events include a Dark Skies fell walk near Coniston, a night-time wildlife sounds experience, a moonwatch event, a night-time canoe trip, an interstellar art exhibition in Grizedale Forest and the popular online planetarium shows for children and adults. More events and details will be made available on our website nearer the time.

Stay in touch Do we have all your correct contact details? Please let us know your email address, and your phone and mobile numbers. Email info@fld.org.uk or call us on 01539 720788.

Volunteer Conservation Days 2021 Volunteer Conservation Days are available online - visit www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/volunteering to view all of our volunteering activities for 2021. Alternatively, you can phone us on 01539 720788.