Campaigners raise £87k to reopen 'loveliest view'

Access to Ruskin's View has been restricted since the footpath closed in 2021

Residents of a village with a view described as "one of the loveliest" in England have raised £87,000 to reopen a footpath to access it.

Ruskin's View in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, is one of the area's main tourist attractions.

Subsidence has left the path to the viewpoint at Church Brow unstable and the route was closed in September 2021.

It has been estimated about £1m will be needed for repairs.

The famous outlook has been painted by artist JMW Turner.

It takes its name from the Victorian writer and art critic John Ruskin, who described it as "one of the loveliest in England, therefore the world".

A gazebo has been opened by the nearby church to offer a similar spectacle while the original sight is inaccessible.

But Kirkby Lonsdale resident and tourist guide Tess Pike said it gave people "a view but it's not the view".

'Life-changing'

The charity set up to reopen the path, Friends of Ruskin's View, has a further £67,000 pledged, it said.

Peter Anstiss from the group said many people found the view "a form of therapy almost".

He said: "We've met people who have found it really quite life-changing."

Peter Anstiss from the campaign group wants to help people appreciate the natural world

Town councillor and civil engineer Malcolm Perrin is monitoring the site with a group of technical engineers.

He said some remedial work was needed but they were hoping to provide Westmorland and Furness Council with evidence the ground was fundamentally solid.

"There is no evidence of movement apart from a little bit in the corner," he said.

"We can take it back to the council and show that it's not moving and it's safe to open."

The authority has been approached for comment.

Ms Pike said coaches used to come on their way from the Lake District to the Yorkshire Dales.

“I used to really enjoy just coming down here, sitting on a bench and just looking out over the view and thinking," she said.

"It’s a great loss to the town, it really is."