'Stunning and varied' 120-mile walking route opens

2 hours ago

Ed Hanson,in Garrigilland

Pamela Tickell,North East and Cumbria

News image — The Westmorland and Furness Way is estimated to take between eight and 17 days to complete

Westmorland and Furness Council Two women walking on a grassy hillside and smiling. One, on the far side, is wearing a blue cap, greeny-blue T-shirt, dark trousers and brown walking boots. She is carrying a yellow rucksack. The walker nearest the camera has sunglasses perched on her head and her long dark hair tied up. She wears a pink T-shirt that has a sort of tie-dyed pattern of yellows and very light blues. She carries a black rucksack and wears dark green shorts and brown walking boots. She also has two thin black hiking sticks. There are large rolling peaks in the background and clouds high in the sky. The path is stony but clearly marked and well trodden between the short grass of the fell. — The Westmorland and Furness Way is estimated to take between eight and 17 days to complete

A new 120-mile (193km) walking route taking in high fells, moorland, rivers and the coast has officially opened.

The Westmorland and Furness Way is a signed trail across Cumbria from the ruins of Furness Abbey to Alston and is estimated to take between eight and 17 days to complete.

Westmorland and Furness Council hopes it will boost trade in towns and villages along the route, with councillor Adrian Waite saying the walk was for "people of all ages, all levels and fitness".

He encouraged walkers to take in the "wonderful countryside, the wonderful wildlife, the wonderful geology and the historical sites" along the Way.

The route, which was built on an initial concept by local walker and guidebook writer David Pitt, has been split into six continuously linked sections.

Alston to Milburn - 16 miles (25km)
Milburn to Kirkby Stephen - 23 miles (37km)
Kirkby Stephen to Sedbergh - 16 miles (25km)
Sedbergh to Bowness - 27 miles (43km)
Bowness to Ulverston - 21 miles (33km)
Ulverston to Furness Abbey - 17 miles (27km)

Westmorland and Furness Council A map showing the route of the Westmorland and Furness Way from Alston down to Barrow-in-Furness, going southwards through Milburn and Appleby-in-Westmorland, before turning west at Sedbergh to Windermere. It then heads south-west through Ulverston towards Barrow and Morecambe Bay. — The multi-day trail covers 120 miles (193km) from Furness Abbey to Alston

The council said the route used existing trails where possible and linked to both the Pennine and Cumbria Ways.

Split into six sections for the purposes of guides, it takes walkers through the North Pennines National Landscape, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Lake District National Park and alongside Morecambe Bay.

Westmorland and Furness Council Two adults and two children are walking away from the red-bricked ruins of Furness Abbey. The structure has tall arched holes where the doors and windows were, and is covered in white splotches. — Section six takes walkers from Ulverston to Furness Abbey

Tim Grantham, from Garrigill Village Hall, said: "We are already on the Pennine Way, the Coast-to-Coast cycle path and the Roof of England walk - to add another walk is really exciting.

"Any increase in visitor numbers passing through Garrigill, using the bunkroom, using the camping ground, is bound to help our finances and put Garrigill a little bit more on the map."

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