Ourea Events’ Day with Fix the Fells
By Shane Ohly
The Ourea Events team recently spent a day volunteering with Fix the Fells.
We worked to repair a short section of footpath in Far Easedale used by at least 10,000 walkers and runners each year, because it is on the Wainwright Coast to Coast path (England’s most popular long-distance hiking trail). Our SILVA Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse events also use this section of footpath, so it was a logical location for us to work.
Fix the Fells is a conservation collaboration between various organisations including the National Trust, Nature England and the Lake District National Park. The purpose of Fix the Fells is to repair and maintain a network of 344 upland footpaths covering 661km with the Lake District.
Ourea Events has been supporting the work of Fix the Fells for a decade, with an annual donation as part of our 1% For The Planet commitment. We certainly feel, as an event organiser operating in the Lake District, it is important to make a contribution to the maintenance of the footpath network, and it is clear that Fix the Fells are leading the way. It’s a natural partnership and we are delighted to support their work.
The team hard at work!
After a short briefing about the safe use of mattocks, shovels and lifting trugs we got to work. Our job was to create a berm on a slight bend in the footpath, so that walkers would not be tempted to cut across some sensitive boggy ground. There was already an obvious desire line on the ground forming where walkers had been diverting. The initial task was to remove all the turf and carefully place this to the side for later use. We then moved several tons of soil and rocks to create a 50cm bank (the berm) on the footpath bend to encourage walkers to stay on the established path. At the same time, boulders hidden in the bracken from the surrounding area were dug out and rolled (this was very physical work!) into holes we’d dug where the new path was developing. This helped to disguise the line of the path to a casual glance. The turf was re-laid onto of the berm and the result was quite incredible as you can see from the photos.
Before – many people were diverting off the path to take the desire line
After – the path is much clearer, and the desire line now less obvious
The final job was to remove clumps of tussock grass and bracken from the established path to make this more obvious and easier to walk. The tussocks we removed were blended into the vegetation lower down the slope to create a natural barrier to the desire line that was forming when approaching this section of path from the opposite direction.
It was a physical day of manual labour for the Ourea Events team, but worthwhile, and our reward was not just the cold drink and ice cream in Grasmere, but making a small contribution to the maintenance of the footpath network.
We’d certainly encourage other organisations and individuals to support the work of Fix the Fells.
Taking a break for lunch in the stunning Far Easedale Valley