Lake District Hierarchy of Trail Routes – First Report – 1997 Recreational use of the unsealed roads of the Lake District with vehicles has a long history; this Abraham photograph is at least 100 years old ———————————— Initial research by Amanda Wilkinson – this text by Alan Kind of Hodology Ltd Published by LARA and the LDNPA – with assistance from the Countryside Commission Original material copyright LARA 1997 – All rights reserved Reproduction of any part of this document for purposes which benefit motoring access is permitted, on condition that the source is acknowledged. ———————————— Design & Typography by C-type, 99 Cheshire Street, Market Drayton TF9 1AE ———————————— Front cover mapping dates from around 1770, 1810, 1890, 1910, 1930; page 10 from 1930 and 1940 Illustrations on pages 8 and 9 are from the Margaret Duff Collection LDNPA – the Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7RL LARA – the motoring organisations’ Land Access & Recreation Association, PO Box 20, Market Drayton TF9 1WR Lake District Hierarchy of Trail Routes – First Report – 1997 1. Introduction Contents page This report catalogues the first three years of a pioneering project: the Hierarchy of Trail Routes initiative (HoTR), located within the Lake Introduction 1 District National Park. HoTR came about as a reaction to a potentially serious situation: the National Park Authority was concerned at an Terminology 2 apparent upsurge in the use of four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles for recreational driving on the ‘green roads’ in the National Park. A focus of Background to the this general problem was two routes with dual-classification across an Lake District situation 3 area known as Bethecar Moor in the south of the Lake District. A meeting was called by the Head of Park Management of the Lake The Legal Minefield 4–5 District National Park Authority to discuss the situation. A key factor here was the invitation, from the outset, to LARA, Cumbria County Council Philosophy of the (as highway authority) and representatives of the Parish Council and Hierarchy approach 6 landowners. This made for a co-operative, rather than haphazard, ap- proach. There was considerable temptation to rely on traditional legal- Objectives of the istic measures; however it was eventually agreed that resort to the law Hierarchy initiative 7 had not previously led to sustainable solutions. The vehicle users sug- gested that the problem could be managed without recourse to bans and Major Participants 7 the adoption of hard-edged policies. To their credit, and with some bravery in the face of doctrinal opposi- Chronology of the tion from anti-vehicle groups, the Lake District National Park Authority Hierarchy initiative 8–9 decided there was potentially a lot to gain, and nothing to lose, from working with motor users to give their ideas an airing. This joint initiative Applying the Hierarchy became the Lake District Hierarchy of Trail Routes. in other areas 10–12 The Working Group for the Hierarchy set out to make the scheme immediately applicable to problem areas in the Park. As the doctrine and LARA principles 13 philosophy of the initiative were being discussed, so were pilot applica- (see rear cover for members) tions of management control being applied. The consequence of this was a very fast process of evolution, acceptance and application for Appendix 14–16 the concept of authority-approved, user-led, non-statutory management measures. Map inside rear cover Has it worked? Has anything useful been created? Three years on, the various groups involved are still active participants. Reports from field officers suggest that recreational motor use is generat- ing fewer complaints than when the project started, and most impor- tantly, where problems arise, or when complaints are received, the National Park Authority has a means of resolving these which is not a drain on their own resources. Perhaps a measure of success is that authorities in other areas of England and Wales have heard of the project and want to know what was done, how, and what has been achieved. This report explains the why and the how of the Hierarchy of Trail Routes initiative so that the lessons learned might be replicated and applied elsewhere. We, the partners, think that the Hierarchy of Trail Routes initiative has broken through the old, discredited, entrenched positions of ‘us manager – you user’ and shows how, in one of the most beautiful and popular places in Britain, a much-criticised minority recreation can be better managed, and accommodated, through a flexible, forward-thinking and above all non-legalistic approach. Bob Cartwright Head of Park Management, LDNPA Geoff Wilson Deputy Chairman, LARA, and resident of Cumbria LDNPA – the Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7RL LARA – the motoring organisations’ Land Access & Recreation Association, PO Box 20, Market Drayton TF9 1WR Lake District Hierarchy of Trail Routes – First Report – 1997 2. Terminology This is not an exhaustive glossary of the terms used in this report. A more detailed exposition can be found in the LARA Access Guide, available from LARA HQ. Trail Route A non-statutory descriptive term indicating a minor public road open to vehicles, but generally without a surface for the passage of everyday motor traffic. Route indicates that such a road is usually enjoyed as part of a longer outing. Trail Bike A road-legal motorcycle designed to cope with rough roads. Not designed, or intended, for competition use. Four-Wheel-Drive, In the context of trail routes, denotes a conventional road-legal 4WD 4WD, 4x4 motor car, used for recreation, but mostly the owner’s usual means of transport. Scrambler/Scrambling A traditional, but now largely obsolete, misunderstood and inappropriate term for motorcycle riding on rough country. Sometimes still used as a description for organised motorcycle competition (now usually called Moto-Cross or Moto-X) but in many management and structure plans is used (mistakenly) to describe casual – sometimes illegal – motorcycling on open countryside. Byway or BOAT A Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) is a class of minor vehicular road recorded in the ‘definitive map’ of public rights of way. By definition, a BOAT is mainly used by non-vehicular traffic and is not usually surfaced suitable for general vehicular use. Unclassified (County) Road A publicly-maintainable road at the bottom end of the scheme of ordi- (UCR) nary roads (lower that A & B roads). Some UCRs have never been tarred, and there is some debate as to whether all UCRs are public vehicular roads, but in the countryside there is a general presumption that they are. The term ‘county’ road is obsolete but still used. Road Used as a Public Path RUPP was a statutory description of minor highways introduced by the (RUPP) National Parks (etc) Act 1949, as a way of recording green roads. RUPPs are ‘highways other than public paths, used by the public mainly for the purposes for which footpaths and bridleways are so used’. Dual-Status Road In Westmorland many RUPPs were also recorded as UCRs. After the reclassification process these are recorded in two official registers: the definitive map and the list of streets. One road might be a UCR in the list of streets and a bridleway in the definitive map, hence dual-status. Traffic Regulation Order TROs are the orders by which highway authorities manage traffic: no (TRO) entry; no waiting; weight limit; prohibition of driving; etc. TROs may be permanent (eg typically ‘no entry’) or temporary (eg prohibition of driving during road repairs). Heritage Byway A description advocated by LARA to denote an old carriageway with special character and history. A Heritage Byway would attract protec- tion against modern surfacing, street furniture and development, but reasonable use would be encouraged to maintain its physical nature as something other than a bridleway or footpath. Green Road A commonly-used description for a road without a sealed surface for motor traffic. A green road might, in law and practice, be just a bridleway or footpath – or even completely private – but general usage, especially in the various ‘Green Road Codes’ uses the term to denote a general- purpose road not provided with a surface for the everyday passage of modern motor traffic. –2– LDNPA – the Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7RL LARA – the motoring organisations’ Land Access & Recreation Association, PO Box 20, Market Drayton TF9 1WR Lake District Hierarchy of Trail Routes – First Report – 1997 3. Recreational use of Trail Routes Wordsworth – 1820 There is nothing new in the use of motor vehicles on the minor highways of the Lake District. In the days preceding the First World War, the doyen ‘... that travellers after pleasure of Lake District rock climbers, George D Abraham, was making pioneer- have become not less active and ing ascents of Lake District passes. In Motor Ways in Lakeland (1913) he more numerous than those who in recalls and pictures the first car to cross the Hard Knott and Wrynose former times left their houses only Passes, years before either road was tarred. Motorcycles, being some- for the purpose of gain.’ what ahead of cars in development, had long since surmounted these roads. LDNPA Management Plan This ordinary use of what locals viewed as ordinary roads continued (Draft) through the century. Cumberland and Westmorland became home to a Aug 1997 (page 24) number of respected motor and motorcycle clubs, and many early ‘... but whether an activity is a ‘reliability trials’ used what we now describe as Trail Routes. For means of enjoying the Lake Dis- decades, local men and women have driven their cars and motorcycles trict or the Lake District merely a on these old roads for the love of the fells and valleys and the enjoyment convenient area in which to enjoy of travel and exploration.