In a bid to protect the landscapes, National Parks take tips from centuries ago and repair walking routes with stone flags.
Repairs to popular walking routes have finally begun after grants from Natural England have allowed the National Parks of the UK to purchase reclaimed stone flags from old mills and recycles sandstone flags. Flags were used in the same way centuries ago to create pack horse routes across the Pennines; an all-weather, sustainable solution for travel across what can be boggy and slipper conditions.
In areas where there is no vehicle access and regular damage to the surrounding areas have resulted from the erosion of walking paths, the funding has allowed the National Parks to not only purchase the solution to the damaged paths, but to use helicopters to deliver tonnes of stone to the areas and local contractors to install them.
Careful to preserve the surrounding areas, the reclaimed mill flags float on the surface of the vegetation, creating a stable walking surface for ramblers and hikers alike.
The Pennine Way through the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland received a huge delivery of 310 tonnes of sandstone flags to repair a wooden boardwalk over a boggy ground. It appeases not only the walkers but also the surrounding vegetation, which suffers in earnest when footpaths are damaged. In the bad weather that we are so accustomed to in England, flags can become slippery and even sink into the ground on popular walking routes, meaning that ramblers will divert into the vegetation surrounding the paths and ultimately damage the natural growth of peat and heather.
The Northumberland National Park Authority are in the middle of a continuous improvement programme and the upgrades to the eroded and damaged paths on the Pennine Way are just the first step in a long process to install high quality footpaths along popular and well-used walking paths. National Park Authority Right of Way Officer Lorna Lazzari said: “We’re delighted at last to have the funds to make these vital upgrades to the national trail.”
The Pennine Way is not the only popular walking route to have received new paving via helicopter delivery, with paths around Simon’s Seat in Wharfedale receiving 30 tonnes of mill floor flags from Lancashire to manage the erosion problems surrounding the paths.
From Simon’s Seat to Dalehead, the path is well-used by walkers, subsequently impacting on the underlying peat and surrounding vegetation. The stone flag delivery has been gratefully received by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, who are managing an on-going project to restore the peat and heather on Barden Fell. The flags will provide an all-weather path requiring little maintenance and protecting the fragile landscape and its inhabitants, including land-nesting birds.
In the last year, helicopters have delivered a total of 630 tonnes of sandstone path flags to National Parks across Northern England, helping to repair miles of walking routes and surrounding moorlands that were suffering. Taking care to preserve the natural areas and nesting areas of nature’s creatures, the National Parks have been thrilled to receive the funding to restore some of the most remote of footpaths.
Ili kuhifadhi mazingira, Hifadhi za Kitaifa huchukua vidokezo vya karne nyingi zilizopita na kurekebisha njia za kutembea kwa bendera za mawe. Urekebishaji wa njia maarufu za kutembea umefanyika baada ya ruzuku kutoka Uingereza ya Asili kuruhusu Hifadhi za Kitaifa za Uingereza kununua bendera za mawe zilizopatikana kutoka kwa viwanda vya zamani na bendera za mchanga zilizotengenezwa upya. Bendera zilitumiwa kwa njia hiyo hiyo karne nyingi zilizopita kuunda njia za farasi wa pakiti katika Pennines; suluhisho la hali ya hewa yote, endelevu kwa kusafiri katika hali ambazo zinaweza kuwa za mvua na slippery. Katika maeneo ambayo hakuna upatikanaji wa magari na uharibifu wa kawaida kwa maeneo ya karibu umesababishwa na uharibifu wa njia za kutembea, ufadhili umeruhusu Hifadhi za Kitaifa kununua suluhisho kwa njia zilizoharibiwa, lakini kutumia helikopta kupeleka tani za mawe kwa maeneo na wakandarasi wa ndani ili kuziweka. Kwa uangalifu wa kuhifadhi maeneo ya karibu, bendera za kinu zilizopatikana zinaelea juu ya uso wa mimea, kuunda uso thabiti wa kutembea kwa watembea kwa miguu na watembea kwa miguu. Njia ya Pennine kupitia Cheviot Hills huko Northumberland ilipokea usafirishaji mkubwa wa tani 310 za bendera za mchanga ili kurekebisha barabara ya mbao juu ya ardhi ya mvua. Haipendezi tu watembea-tembea bali pia mimea inayozunguka, ambayo huathiriwa sana wakati njia za kutembea-tembea zinapoharibiwa. Katika hali mbaya ya hewa ambayo tumezoea sana nchini Uingereza, bendera zinaweza kuwa laini na hata kuzama chini kwenye njia maarufu za kutembea, ikimaanisha kuwa watembea kwa miguu watageuka kwenye mimea inayozunguka njia na hatimaye kuharibu ukuaji wa asili wa peat na heather. Mamlaka ya Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Northumberland iko katikati ya mpango wa uboreshaji wa kuendelea na kuboresha njia zilizoharibiwa na kuharibiwa kwenye Njia ya Pennine ni hatua ya kwanza tu katika mchakato mrefu wa kufunga njia za miguu za ubora wa juu kando ya njia maarufu na zinazotumiwa vizuri za kutembea. "Lorna Lazzari, afisa wa haki ya njia wa Mamlaka ya Hifadhi ya Kitaifa, alisema: ""Tunafurahi kuwa na fedha za kufanya marekebisho haya muhimu kwa njia ya kitaifa, njia ya Pennine sio njia pekee ya kutembea inayopokea pavement mpya kupitia utoaji wa helikopta, na njia karibu na kiti cha Simon huko Wharfedale kupokea tani 30 za bendera za sakafu ya kinu kutoka Lancashire." Kutoka Simon's Seat hadi Dalehead, njia hiyo hutumiwa vizuri na watembeaji, na baadaye huathiri peat ya chini na mimea inayozunguka. Msaada wa bendera ya mawe umepokelewa kwa shukrani na Mamlaka ya Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Yorkshire Dales, ambao wanasimamia mradi unaoendelea wa kurudisha peat na heather kwenye Barden Fell. Bendera hizo zitatoa njia ya hali ya hewa yote ambayo inahitaji matengenezo machache na kulinda mandhari dhaifu na wakazi wake, ikiwa ni pamoja na ndege wa ardhi. Helikopta za Uingereza zimepeleka jumla ya tani 630 za bendera za njia za mchanga kwa mbuga za kitaifa kote Kaskazini mwa Uingereza, kusaidia kurekebisha maili za njia za kutembea na maeneo ya karibu ya mchanga. Kwa kuzingatia kuhifadhi maeneo ya asili na maeneo ya makazi ya viumbe wa asili, Hifadhi za Kitaifa zimefurahi kupokea fedha za kurejesha baadhi ya njia za kutembea za mbali zaidi.