Beauty spot 'should never have been closed'

The viewpoint known as Ruskin's View closed in 2021 due to fears the embankment above the river was eroding

A beauty spot which shut four years ago due to erosion fears "should never have been closed", according to the team working to reopen it.

Ruskin's View, in Kirkby Lonsdale, was closed in 2021 by the then Cumbria County Council when cracks were spotted on some surfaces.

The team behind the project, set up by Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council, said after months of monitoring the key tourist spot, no "significant" movement had been found and called for it to be reopened.

Westmorland and Furness Council, which is now responsible, said it was taking the necessary steps to safely reopen the path.

The area, which attracts thousands of visitors, takes its name from Victorian writer and art critic John Ruskin, who was so partial to the outlook from Church Brow it became known as Ruskin's View.

A picture of the scene, painted by artist JMW Turner in 1822 impressed Ruskin, who said he did not know of a place "more naturally divine".

Boreholes with monitoring equipment have been installed on the path at a cost of £84,000

A technical team, which was set up by the town council two years ago, has been working to reopen the path.

Nick Hampson, a civil engineer and town councillor, said it could not find any "documented evidence" of movement so installed monitoring equipment.

"After 18 months of monitoring, we've established that there's very little significant movement," he said.

'We're nearly there'

When the path closed, it was estimated that £1m would be needed to reopen it and to date, more than £218,000 has been spent.

While some work has been done to install fences, and remove or cut back vegetation and trees close to the path, the majority of the money has been spent on technical reports and ground monitoring.

This includes £84,000 spent this year to install inclinometers and piezometers in boreholes to monitor movement and water saturation under the path's surface.

Councillor Malcolm Perrin, who leads the technical team and also has a civil engineering background, said the town council had not had access to technical skills before he and Hampson got involved.

"We've done steady, methodical [work], and we're nearly there, spending as little possible [meaning] value for money."

Perrin said he believed the monitoring data threw the original decision to close the path into question.

"[The monitoring data is] our proof that it's not moving, so as far as I'm concerned it should never have been closed," he said.

Liberal Democrat-led Westmorland and Furness Council said it was reviewing the town council's request to reopen the path and will carry out a survey and remedial works on the path's surface.

A spokesperson added: "These steps are necessary for us to undertake to ensure the path can be safely reopened in the coming weeks."