Mend Our Mountains is helping fund a new footbridge at Cressbrook Mill that provides a crucial link across the River Wye linking the concession footpath from Cressbrook to Litton, to the open access land and on to the Monsal Trail and linking to climbing opportunities in Water-Cum-Jolly. It will bring back a vital access route which has been closed for some time due to the degradation of the bridge, increasing access to walkers and climbers.
The project is replacing an existing bridge that was installed in the mid 1980’s. A replacement bridge will enable existing access to be maintained and will facilitate access to important open access land, the trail and the crags of Water-Cum-Jolly (South Bank) e.g. Moat Buttress, Crunch, Central Buttress. It will also facilitate the enjoyment of the cultural heritage of Cressbrook Mill.
In essence, the replacement of the bridge will contribute to the second purpose of the national park and allow a range of recreational users to enhance their experiences.
Learn more about the invaluable work we are supporting across England and Wales. The BMC has raised over £1.4 million so far for the Mend Our Mountains Project. That's 50 miles of fragile footpath restored for future generations. 544 miles of upland repaired - the equivalent to over 67,000 double decker buses so far!
Mend Our Mountains will fund a ranger service to support the work of the 'Fix the Fells' teams in the Lake District National Park for a year. Money raised will be used directly for path repair and would allow the teams the flexibility to use the money when and where it is most needed.
Mend Our Mountains will be restoring the access routes on one of the North East’s most iconic peaks: Roseberry Topping. The Pathway Restoration project will focus on ten sections of path around and leading to the top of Roseberry Topping that need repair.
The South Downs Way National Trail climbs Washington Bostal (a sunken chalk trackway) up towards Chanctonbury Ring. The surface of the bostal, which is a public bridleway, has deteriorated with deep ruts making it difficult for walkers, cyclists and equestrians to negotiate. Mend Our Mountains will fund the regrading and repair of the 800m trackway.
Mend Our Mountains will be funding a new role of an Access Officer to facilitate and unlock a wide range of work focused on access and removing barriers.
'Get Stuck In!' is a key part of helping repair our paths, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. By signing up to a volunteer session you have an opportunity to get out on the hillside, learn new skills and meet like-minded people whilst making a real difference to our wild places. Take a look at the upcoming footpath repair volunteer days we have available this year on our Mend our Mountains projects. Get stuck in!
