I do hope that thsi does not mean that there is going to be a "four lane motorway", such as on the Snowdon zig-zags, at the top of Striding Edge. Whilst I do not profess to know the solution to footpath erosion, short of placing access limitations, I do not believe that the solution lies in creating some sort of artificial, reinforced pathway. By its very nature this only serves to encourage even more people(very often the "wrong sort") thus exacerbating the problem.
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 "very often the "wrong sort"" and why do you think you are the "right sort"? "I do not believe that the solution lies in creating some sort of artificial, reinforced pathway" - it keeps people to a set path but no doubt will not deter those "who know better".
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 I was up striding edge last sunday and the last push after the ridge where they are starting to repair is very eroded in places and most people just went up the scree, that i could see, although I do not always agree with all the repairs or paths laid i cannot see another solution to stop the major damage occuring IMHO.
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 I have walked on some paths/repairs that over time have become almost naturalised. Disapearing into the vegitation but still adding that much needed anti-erosion protection. I know not all paths go that way but as already said i can't think of another solution.
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why do you think you are the "right sort"? I was alluding to those misguided souls who seem to misinterpret a "renovated" path(and I have seen many of them) as rendering a route to be nothing more than perhaps a gentle stroll.
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 The path that's being stabilised is on a steep and very eroded slope between the summit of Helvellyn and Striding Edge. Obviously, anyone using that path will either have walked the whole of Striding Edge, or they'll have climbed the whole of Helvellyn first. Either way, they'll have proved themselves more than gentle strollers long before they get to that path!
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The path that's being stabilised is on a steep and very eroded slope between the summit of Helvellyn and Striding Edge. Obviously, anyone using that path will either have walked the whole of Striding Edge, or they'll have climbed the whole of Helvellyn first. Either way, they'll have proved themselves more than gentle strollers long before they get to that path! I take your (valid) point but, sadly this is not always the case on other popular mountains. Interestingly I have walked extensively in the Pyrenees and there does not seem to be anywhere near the same level of erosion problems despite their popularity. It may well be that they are able to naturally regenerate themselves during the quieter times of the year.
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The short stretch of path linking Striding Edge to Helvellyn could NEVER regenerate itself. It can only get worse. There's no option but to create a single, stable path. Once it's in place, no-one will show the remotest inclination to scrabble about on a disintegrating slope, so only then will it have a chance of regenerating. If no-one fixes the path on Helvellyn, the fellside will just get ripped off it and the rare arctic-alpine plants will go with it. Some things are worth saving, and even if that path looks like a building site for the next two or three years, I'll support it, because I've seen similar work done in other places, and the end results have been splendid and sustainable.
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Paddy, as usual, is right!
Paths have to be maintained to a level that supports the traffic that they carry. The path from Rosthwaite to Lining Crag was once horribly eroded but is now in excellent condition and pleasant to walk on as well as blending into the landscape. It will only be a matter of time before the section between Lining Crag and Grasmere, most of which is in poor condition and unsightly, will have to be repaired.
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 Interestingly I have walked extensively in the Pyrenees and there does not seem to be anywhere near the same level of erosion problems despite their popularity. It may well be that they are able to naturally regenerate themselves during the quieter times of the year. No. The Pyrenees have literally thousands of times the volume of Lakeland. Many, many times I have walked for a day in the high Pyrenees and seen nobody. Nobody at all. Lakeland is like Soho by comparison. Jerry
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