Walna Scar Closed To Motor Vehicles

The Coniston Fells by John 2 from the OM Gallery.

The Walna Scar Road route running from Coniston over to the Duddon valley in the Lake District has finally been permanently closed to motorised vehicles after more than 30 years of uncertainty.

The track was recently the subject of a £10,000 restoration project intended to improve the durability of the path surface following damage caused by the 2009 floods. It was first closed to motor vehicles back in 2007 when it was classified as a Restricted Byway, then re-opened briefly after an appeal in June 2010, before being closed again two months later following a High Court appeal. 

What followed was a comprehensive investigation into the route's right of way status by a Government inspector culminating in the Secretary of State's decision announced on Wednesday.   

After assessing more than 600 pages of historic evidence, a Government-appointed inspector concluded that the route will be classified as a 'Restricted Byway', which means that it's 'open to all traffic, except motorised vehicles'.

The evidence considered by the investigation, which the National Park says was 'one of the most difficult ever' included guide books from 1835 to the modern era, maps from as far back as 1745, as well as highway surveyor’s records from the late eighteenth century, quarry leases from the late nineteenth century and photographs from the 1920s. 

It was the sheer volume of evidence combined with the complexity of the relevant legislation that made the assessment so complicated, but the end result is that unless legislation changes in the future, any motorist or motor cyclist using Walan Scar will be commmiting an offence and could be prosecuted.

More Lake District National Park information at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk.