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Community Snapshot Campaign 

We’re running a campaign to achieve something special for Kendal and the wider Towpath Trail initiative – by making the unique Kendal to Stainton section of The Towpath Trail accessible to everyone. This stretch of the Towpath Trail is currently very muddy through boggy fields making it inaccessible to most users, except the most determined and able-bodied walkers!

Together with our partners, we want to upgrade the existing route between Kendal and Stainton by levelling and improving the existing footpath so it can be enjoyed by wheelchair users, buggies and those with walking difficulties. 

Towpath Trail improvements will provide young families with direct access to rural, traffic-free routes that they can explore directly from Kendal. The path will also be suitable for wheelchair users and those using mobility aids, giving elderly and disabled people level access to the beautiful countryside, with rest stops where they can sit back and take in the tranquillity.

As regular newsletter readers are aware, we’ve created improvements before. 

You may have seen our partnership work to upgrade the Crooklands to Holme stretch of the Towpath Trail which was completed earlier this year (please see the picture above). If you’ve walked it yourself, then you’ll have seen first-hand how the upgrades have opened up the countryside for the whole community, making the beautiful landscape fully accessible and bringing extra footfall for the brilliant businesses along the Towpath Trail.

We want to do the same for the Kendal-Stainton section of the Towpath Trail, but we need you – Towpath Trail supporters, valued local community members and businesses – to help make this happen.

To unlock significant funding from the Local Authority, we need to show that there is positive community support for accessible change. To do that, we need at least 1000 likes, comments and/or ‘shares’ to demonstrate support from the local community.

That’s where you come in. 

Starting today (!), via our social media channels, we’ll be sharing videos featuring supporters and current Towpath Trail users explaining why they would like to see improvements to this section of the Towpath Trail. 

We’re reaching out to ask you to show your support by liking, commenting and sharing our campaign content on Facebook or Instagram via the @lancastercanaltowpathtrail channels.

Alternatively you can send a message of support via this link.  

To really show your support, can you encourage your family, friends and networks to do the same? 

Maybe you know some of the supporters who will feature in the films highlighted below? Keep checking the social media channels to see what they have to say! 

Disclaimer, Doug the Pug does not talk in his film!

If your keen to support but are unsure how.. please get in touch and we can provide some tips and tricks to help the supporter videos reach as many people as possible.

Please check the videos out, give them a like and give us a shout if you need any additional help via [email protected]  Thanks in advance for your support! 

Hincaster Tunnel – Access Feasibility Study

Thanks to generous funding from Westmorland & Furness Council and The Lancaster Canal Trust, we commissioned Kendal based Heritage Architects, Crosby Granger Architects to explore improving accessibility along the Lancaster Canal Towpath Trail.

Crosby Granger Architects prepared a feasibility study which focused on the future potential of Hincaster Tunnel – a 346m Grade II listed structure, owned by Canal & River Trust and one of the Towpath Trail’s most significant heritage assets.

The study considered:
👉 How level access might be achieved
👉 How the tunnel’s historic character can be better revealed
👉 How this remarkable structure could become a true ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Towpath Trail

Early options have focused on how level access might be achieved while respecting the tunnel’s historic fabric and unique character – current ideas under review include options such as installing a boardwalk and a ‘Roman Road’.

These ideas form part of an early-stage assessment, intended to help understand what might be possible in the future. Further structural and ecological investigation will be essential to determine how access improvements could be delivered without compromising the heritage asset, biodiversity or the surrounding environment.

We spoke to Hincaster residents about the initial ideas and received some great feedback!  

“The old canal is a wonderful environment and any access improvements to allow more people to enjoy it should be encouraged and applauded” 

“Better for it to be in use in some way, rather than derelict”

 “It would enable those who can’t walk up the hill beside the tunnel – on the old horse path – to continue a very pleasant walk”

“It would be great as it would be a less muddy way to get to the canal path. I walk down there a few times a week and this would be a great addition” 

Together with the Canal & River Trust, we’re excited to be moving this aspiration forwards and will keep you posted as it develops! 

Funding Progress!

Thanks to the positive community feedback following the surface improvements at the Crooklands section of the Towpath Trail, featured in the picture above, Westmorland & Furness Council have announced that upgrades for the Holme to Burton-in-Kendal section are now a top priority for Community Infrastructure Levy funding!  

We’re delighted to be at the start of a three stage process to secure the funding which will see the current improvements extended to Burton-in-Kendal. The next step is to make the business case and secure the funding together with the Canal & River Trust who will deliver the improvements to the Towpath. 

 To reassure readers that we haven’t forgotten about the sections within Lancashire, we’re also pleased to announce that Regeneration Partnership member, The Canal & River Trust have secured funding to design Towpath improvements for the Burton-in-Kendal to Carnforth section.

Canal & River Trust have also successfully placed the Hamerton Hall Lane (North Lancaster) to Cragbank section of the Towpath Trail (7.6km) on the Sustrans long list to fund improvement designs.

Designing improvements provides an overview of indicative costs and makes it easier to secure improvement funding in the longer term.  

And finally, we’ve secured ‘Thrive Heritage’ funding from Westmorland & Furness Council again! Last year the funding paid for our brilliant Social Media Co-ordinator to shout about the Towpath Trail far and wide. This year we had planned to utilise the grant to improve some of the identified heritage structures, however, due to timescales and weather complications, this is no longer possible. As an alternative, we are planning to utilise the funding to make footpath improvements to better connect the Towpath Trail and the brilliant Dairy Shed (as featured in the last newsletter) instead. This improvement will enable Towpath Trail users to access The Dairy Shed for a well deserved refreshment stop! 

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to support our campaign to see more Towpath Trail improvements!