Thirlmere West Road and Rough Crag

Our engineering teams are continuing to make good progress as they work to remove loose debris, rocks and trees from the face of Rough Crag. We expect to be finished ahead of the original 12 week estimate, and will have a more accurate timeline in the next couple of weeks.  However, until the road is reopened, members of the public are urged to observe the signage and stay out of the fenced exclusion zone for their own safety. These photos show the large rocks and other debris which are regularly falling onto the road throughout the work. We thank everyone for their ongoing patience and cooperation.

Works continues by our specialist contractors to remove trees and rocks. As can be seen in the photographs, debris is falling to the ground as a result of this work. We’ve had reports of pedestrians climbing fences to enter the working area during scaling activity. We would urge all people to respect the signs and barriers and stay safe.

Work has begun on the crag and specialist contractors are into their second week removing trees and debris, as can be seen in the first photograph on the left. The team is preparing to secure some of the boulders which are at high risk of falling and this 7.5 tonne boulder in the right hand photograph will be secured to the rock face with bolts and straps.

Specialist contractors will start work on 26 February to clear the storm debris from Rough Crag.  We expect this work will take around 12 weeks to complete, during which time the debris will be dislodged and fall onto the road beneath.  For safety reasons Cumberland Council has agreed that the West Road should be closed to all users, including horse riders and cyclists, for the duration of the work. The lakeshore footpath will also be closed during this time. Thank you to everyone for their patience while this work is completed. 

After the work is complete Cumberland Council will undertake their own assessment of the road prior to it being fully opened.

Natural England has given its official approval to carry out the work that will be necessary to make the crag safe, so our specialist contractor is currently mobilising resources and equipment and will be ready to start on site by 26th Feb. We estimate that the work to clear the loose debris from the crag will take up to 8 weeks and during this time we will need to close the lakeshore footpath again for safety reasons. We are however still awaiting approval from Cumberland Council to shut the highway for the duration of the work as it will involve debris falling onto the road and we cannot start until the closure is in place.

This week we were able to reopen the lakeshore footpath below Rough Crag, so walkers can now use this route to navigate a full circuit around the Reservoir. We’ve based this decision on the results of the surveys undertaken before Christmas which have given us reassurance that the footpath is safe for use.

We have started to develop the detailed plan for the mitigation works to make Rough Crag safe – this is a detailed study of all areas that require work, which will include tree removal, rock pinning and removal, de-scaling and debris removal.  We are doing this in collaboration with Natural England to expedite the approvals process while ensuring that activities will preserve the unique status of the crag.

We will provide an updated plan and progress later in January.

The initial investigations have now been completed and the good news is the surveys have not found a major issue with the overall crag - it is not at risk of sliding.

The investigations have though identified a number of hazards across the face.  We will be working through January with our contractors Natural England and Cumberland Council to establish a hazard by hazard mitigation plan in order that we can understand the precise order of activities and to make sure that we minimise any impact to the SSSI, so as to protect the ecosystem of this nationally important area, which we all have a statutory duty to look after.

A further plan covering these activities and the next steps will be provided in January.

Thank you for your patience whilst we work through this complex issue.

Though the icy weather conditions have been challenging, specialist surveyors have spent all week undertaking a rope access and mobile platform inspection to undertake an assessment of the rock face on Rough Crag. Also our forestry team and contractors have finished the work to clear the road of fallen trees and debris. 

We have also included an updated plan and are pleased to report that the plan remains on track with no changes to any of the dates.     

Our forestry team and contractors have been clearing the last group of pine trees which had fallen across the West Road. These were within the high risk section of road which is closed.

We are also felling and dismantling Ash trees which are infected with Ash Dieback, making them hazardous to the road and footpath. 

We have completed those that were safe to do from the ground and our next step is to complete the work that can only be done using an elevated working platform similar to a cherry-picker.

Engineering specialists accessed the top of Rough Crag via a safe walking route with one of our forestry team to carry out a 3D survey. They used a drone carrying specialised “LIDAR” (Light Detection and Ranging) equipment which uses pulses of light to accurately map the rock face in 3D. This will help to pinpoint exactly where all the cracks are in the rock face and identify any loose boulders or trees, allowing engineers to develop the best course of action to make the Crag safe.

The team also did a survey of the access routes up to the rock face so that the teams who will be carrying out the stabilisation work can do so safely.

Dobgil car park is now open again for access by the public, and work is continuing to make trees safe along the road.