The staycation boom has led to an increase in the erosion of the Lake District landscape, according to an organisation set up to protect the area.
Fix the Fells has carried out £10 million worth of work to repair paths and erosion scars in the Cumbrian national park since it was set up 20 years ago to protect the landscape and wildlife.
On the anniversary of its formation, those involved in the organisation said its work was needed now more than ever after visitors had flocked to the region for holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fix the Fells programme manager Joanne Backshall said: “The pandemic has led to people really appreciating the outdoors and the benefits that can bring. That’s brought more people here and more people into the outdoors and that’s all great, we’re not about stopping that, we’re just about managing the impact that it has on the landscape. It really has increased over the last 18 months, we have really seen an increase in people enjoying the Lake District, but increasing the erosion that that is causing and that increases the work and the money that is needed to maintain these paths.”
As well as the increased footfall on the area’s paths, climate change is affecting the environment, Ms Backshall pointed out. She said: “Climate change is having an impact by the increase in severe weather events and the heavy rainfall that occurs in the Lake District. It was always wet anyway but it is now even more so, so what we are seeing is when we have a really heavy storm event that leads to a significant increase in the amount of water that goes down the paths and damages them.”
If they’re not maintained, the hillsides will just wear away … 