Work has been completed on a key stretch of the Coast to Coast Walk ahead of the route being designated a National Trail.
A three-kilometre stone-flagged surface has been laid over a notoriously treacherous peat bog in Birkdale, part of the Kirkby Stephen to Keld section of the trail.
It is the biggest single project ever undertaken by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s ranger service.
The work saw thousands of reclaimed flagstones hauled to the upper dales and airlifted the final few hundred metres from the road to the fellside path.
A helicopter pilot dropped pallet-loads of flagstones every few metres.
The work has been praised by Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak, who led a ten-year campaign to have the path officially recognised and funded.
He said: “The scale of the project is very impressive. Getting the flagstones up to one of the most remote parts of the park and then laying them across almost two miles of moorland has been a massive task.
“The work protects the landscape and will improve the experience for the growing number of walkers who will be attracted to tackle it when it becomes a National Trail next year.
“The national park team has done a fantastic job.”
Member champion for recreational management at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Lizzie Bushby, said: “Rishi Sunak’s advocacy for the designation of the Coast to Coast as a National Trail has been essential to the project’s success.
“It’s great that he came to meet our rangers to see the upgraded route in Birkdale. The public funds spent on upgrading the trail will prove to be excellent value for money, providing a way to enjoy the National Park while conserving peatland and giving a boost to local hospitality businesses.”
The £800,000 cost of the project on White Mossy Hill came from the £5.6m Mr Sunak secured for the work needed to bring the entire 197-mile route to National Trail standard.
The 197-mile path from St Bees in Cumbria and Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast runs 70 miles through Mr Sunak’s constituency, bringing 6,000 visitors a year to the area.
That number is expected to increase further when it is promoted as National Trail.
The completion of the work was marked as the chairs of three neighbouring councils joined forces to champion the route.
The chair of North Yorkshire Council, Cllr George Jabbour, today (WEDNESDAY) welcomed his counterparts from Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council to the full council meeting at County Hall in Northallerton, where he highlighted the commitment made by the three councils to champion the Coast to Coast.
Cllr Jabbour met with Cllr Andy Semple and Cllr Doug Rathbone to discuss their love for the Coast to Coast Walk and also their desire to maximise its benefits for both residents, visitors and businesses.
In August, Cllr Jabbour raised more than £4,000 for his chosen charity, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, by completing the walk in two stages.
The Coast to Coast Walk was first documented by fellwalker and author Alfred Wainwright in 1973.
