Beauty spot fully reopens after four years
visitlakedistrict.comA path to a beauty spot described as "one of the loveliest" in England has fully reopened after a more than four years.
Ruskin's View in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, closed in September 2021 due to erosion fears, and the path to it partially reopened three years later.
However, a team set up by Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council monitored the site for 18 months and found there had been no "significant" movement of the footpath down towards the River Lune and called for it to reopen.
Town councillor and civil engineering surveyor Nick Hampson said: "I'm just absolutely delighted that the path is now open and people can enjoy the walk again."
The technical team, which included fellow town councillor and civil engineer Malcolm Perrin, shared its findings with Westmorland and Furness Council, which is responsible for the footpath, late last year.
The Liberal Democrat-led council said: "Our assets team has carefully reviewed the report's findings and is reassured that reopening is appropriate at this stage.
"We recognise how important this route is for the local community, providing a valued link for everyday journeys as well as recreational use."
SuppliedThe destination had previously attracted thousands of visitors.
It got its name because Victorian writer and art critic John Ruskin was so partial to the outlook from Church Brow, and described it as "one of the loveliest in England, therefore the world".
With sight of the River Lune, the scene was also immortalised by British landscape painter J.M.W. Turner.
Hampson said there had been an "enormous amount of frustration" in the town that the path had been closed for such a long time.
The team said a previous estimate of £1m for repairs could be foregone by instead proving the path's stability.
"It feels absolutely great, we've put in a lot of work over the last two years and it's very nice to see that plan come together," Hampson said.
"A lot of people just use the path as a walking route, because it's a very pleasant spot to walk along, so I think it's nothing but good for the town that it is reopened."
Hampson said remedial work might be needed in the future, and that the town council was working on a long-term strategy with Westmorland and Furness Council to protect the path from the river.
