Brigsteer Road bridge indefinite closure!!! The way to Kendal Race Course and Scout Scar, our everyday way, is barred. The Brigsteer Bridge and the Underbarrow Bridge over the A 591 are both closed to vehicles, to cyclists and to pedestrians. Indefinitely, no idea how long. There's an apology to drivers for the inconvenience and suggested diversions. For walkers, runners and cyclists- no alternative is given. For twelve years I campaigned for a footway along the Brigsteer Road to give walkers and runners a safe and direct route to Kendal Race Course and Scout Scar. Now that footway goes nowhere. The bridge is closed.
A HIghwayman holds me up at the bridge, barring the way. He says the central section is so weak it could collapse onto the road below, of its own weight. I'd have thought they'd have to close the A 591 to traffic if that's the case. He suggests I drive the diversion route. I don't drive and we're all advised to take The Nature Cure and head for the countryside, on foot. To use our cars less. Inconvenience is not the word. For my community this impacts on our way of life.
Our MP Tim Farron is onto it and doing all he can to find a safe and speedy resolution. This week, one of the Lib Dems election aspirations is to create more National Parks. First, find walkers and runners a safe and direct way to reach the one on our doorstep. For many of us in this community walking is what we do, it's a way of life. It's about independence and the freedom to head for the countryside. We choose to live here for this amenity.
There is a Scout Scar community and I'm a part of it. For locals, Scout Scar is the air we breathe, inspirational. We share a delight in the place, an enjoyment of a spectacular cloudscape, the vistas. Away from the town, we seek peace and solitude. I meet my neighbours up there, we all take that same initial route. I've got to know not only neighbours but visitors from out of area. Some of us take on a stewardship, helping protect ground-nesting birds, reporting on unusual flora and fauna, sharing what we know and love. Being a nature writer that's my specific focus.
'You have Scout Scar on your doorstep and can go there whenever you like,' said a friend two days before this shock bridge closure on 12th June. Ironic, isn't it. We can't even get to Kendal Race Course and for some that's as far as they can walk. It's an open landscape, familiar and safe. I have a neighbour whose sight is severely impaired and it's the way he knows. It's useless to suggest he takes a diversionary route of an additional 3.4 miles before he even reaches the start. We seek the countryside on our doorstep. To set off in the opposite direction, to walk down into town, along a busy road, beneath an underpass to finish up with a section of road-walking to reach Kendal Race Course, an additional 1.6 miles each way. It's unappealing and unrealistic.
We understand the bridges need to be safe. We also know that the freedom to walk the route we've walked for years is essential to us. If the bridge really isn't safe even for walkers and cyclists we' d like a Bailey Bridge over the A 591. As soon as possible. For walkers and runners, Scout Scar is our destination. It's an SSS (so not for cyclists.) The Brigsteer Road gives cyclists access to a range of locations, with vistas along the way.
Our MP Tim Farron is onto it and doing all he can to find a safe and speedy resolution. This week, one of the Lib Dems election aspirations is to create more National Parks. First, find walkers and runners a safe and direct way to reach the one on our doorstep. For many of us in this community walking is what we do, it's a way of life. It's about independence and the freedom to head for the countryside. We choose to live here for this amenity.
There is a Scout Scar community and I'm a part of it. For locals, Scout Scar is the air we breathe, inspirational. We share a delight in the place, an enjoyment of a spectacular cloudscape, the vistas. Away from the town, we seek peace and solitude. I meet my neighbours up there, we all take that same initial route. I've got to know not only neighbours but visitors from out of area. Some of us take on a stewardship, helping protect ground-nesting birds, reporting on unusual flora and fauna, sharing what we know and love. Being a nature writer that's my specific focus.
'You have Scout Scar on your doorstep and can go there whenever you like,' said a friend two days before this shock bridge closure on 12th June. Ironic, isn't it. We can't even get to Kendal Race Course and for some that's as far as they can walk. It's an open landscape, familiar and safe. I have a neighbour whose sight is severely impaired and it's the way he knows. It's useless to suggest he takes a diversionary route of an additional 3.4 miles before he even reaches the start. We seek the countryside on our doorstep. To set off in the opposite direction, to walk down into town, along a busy road, beneath an underpass to finish up with a section of road-walking to reach Kendal Race Course, an additional 1.6 miles each way. It's unappealing and unrealistic.
We understand the bridges need to be safe. We also know that the freedom to walk the route we've walked for years is essential to us. If the bridge really isn't safe even for walkers and cyclists we' d like a Bailey Bridge over the A 591. As soon as possible. For walkers and runners, Scout Scar is our destination. It's an SSS (so not for cyclists.) The Brigsteer Road gives cyclists access to a range of locations, with vistas along the way.
This is a good community and I hope we'll work together to find a way forward. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, I love where I live and I'm not always seeking to be somewhere else. Here is fine, for many of us we are invested in this place, committed to it. So we really do need the freedom to reach the National Park on our doorstep.
It could be good news for wildlife on Scout Scar as it will be quieter, less disturbance. Walkers can't get there, drivers may choose somewhere easier to reach. Last week, I found a wheatear on Kendal Race Course. It should have a quieter life during the breeding season. Good luck to it.
The closure of these two bridges is causing a range of difficulties, for businesses, for communities in the Lyth Valley who now find their journeys are longer and indirect. We're all suddenly having to rethink how we live our lives from day to day. My concern is that walkers will be abandoned and all thought focused on motorists. That was the Highwayman's suggestion, get in your car and drive where you want to go.
It could be good news for wildlife on Scout Scar as it will be quieter, less disturbance. Walkers can't get there, drivers may choose somewhere easier to reach. Last week, I found a wheatear on Kendal Race Course. It should have a quieter life during the breeding season. Good luck to it.
The closure of these two bridges is causing a range of difficulties, for businesses, for communities in the Lyth Valley who now find their journeys are longer and indirect. We're all suddenly having to rethink how we live our lives from day to day. My concern is that walkers will be abandoned and all thought focused on motorists. That was the Highwayman's suggestion, get in your car and drive where you want to go.
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