Equestrians need to Think Like Cyclists and Just Ride it! - Keswick to Threkeld Railway Trail

I am normally a person who does everything by the book, but I do develop strong views if I believe something is not quite right. If your an equestrian the Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail (K2T) is one of these places as horses are not allowed on the trail.

On 22 March 2024 we decided to ride the Keswick to Threkeld Railway Trail after discussing the matter with other rights of way experts and decided that this is the only way forward to get equestrians access.

A few of us from Cumbria Bridleway Society have been campaigning for over 5 years to get equestrians access to K2T. After many letters, emails, meetings, reports (on both sides) we still do not have a genuine reason from the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) as to why equestrians cannot be included on K2T.

The LDNPA is the principal landowner of K2T and therefore in my mind this is public land. The upgraded trail cost nearly £8 million pounds of public money and the aim of the grant money was to get Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) off the A66. Equestrians are VRU and before 2015 and Storm Desmond equestrians did in fact use the trail.

Recently you may have seen that the nearby West side road of Thirlmere Reservoir has been closed and the only legitimate user was horse riders. This situation meant that cyclist still used the route but openly said ‘I am going to use this route as my bike identifies as a horse’. The Thirlmere situation and the fact that rights of way experts cannot see any reason why equestrians cannot use this permissive route (with no legal status) means we have recently been told on several occasions ‘equestrians need to think more like cyclist and just ride it!’. So that is just what we did and we hope other equestrians will boldly do the same.

Riding K2T

K2T links very well into the existing rights of way network and we completed a loop from Threlkeld over Latrigg Fell and then back via K2T.

Starting from the Cricket Club Car Park cross the A66 to the main lane through Threlkeld village. The sight lines to cross the road are very good and means it straightforward to find a window of opportunity to cross the A66.

Pass through the village and then take the last right our of the village heading towards Wescoe Farm. Onces at Wescoe Farm turn left and go down to Brundholme and keep following the track (marked on the OS map as green dots), which then goes over Latrigg Fell. Here there are a couple of gates to negotiate and the field may have sheep. The views of the high fells are fabulous and you can see down toward Borrowdale and toward Whinlatter Forest.

Going over Latrigg

The track comes out into a car park and then you pick up the bridleway that takes you down to Keswick. The bridleway has become quite eroded, stony and steep in places and for this reason we led the horses down. Once at the bottom we re-mounted and rode over the Keswick bypass bridge.

Lovely shared use signage by LDNPA as you come down Latrigg

This brings you out onto Brundholme Road, where you need to turn left. Along the road you may be greeted by the horses from Calvert Trust Stables ( https://calvertlakes.org.uk/calvert-stables/ ). You then reach a mini roundabout and take the second exist to the old train station. This is where the K2T trail starts and over the next 3 miles you will go over eight river bridges, through two tunnels and one underpass. The trail comes out via a zig zag path up to the the multi user pavement path back into Threlkeld village. Here you then retrace you steps back to the the car park. If you wanted to stop for refreshment I can recommend the village café and the there are a couple of pubs too. This is lovely varied routes that makes a grand day out.

Old railway station at Keswick

Bobbin Mill Tunnel 

inside Bobbin Mill Tunnel

Horse Shoe Tunnel 

End of trail at Threlkeld end going onto the multi user pavement

A short film of our ride can be found at https://x.com/GardnerKHannah/status/1771951780886179857

Things to note about the route –

Parking - Parking is available at Cricket club car park, CA12 4TZ . Cost is £3 all day.

Length of ride - 9 miles

Is the route too busy for equestrians? This is all personal opinion or perception as K2T is no different to many other popular shared use routes in the Lake District for example Lougrigg Fell and Loughrigg Terrace, near Grasmere, Langdale Valley, Whinlatter Forest near the Visitor Centre and the new West Windermere Way. Like with all these trails it is advisable to ride them when it is quieter for example mid-week, early morning or evening. K2T and Latrigg were nicely busy when we rode them (people passing every 5 to 10 minutes) and we saw everyone from cyclists, runners and dog walker and helped a lost couple who had no map! We spoke to everyone and were received with lots of smiles. K2T is 3m wide, meaning it is wider than many country lanes so there is lots of room for everyone.

As this is a popular route do lots of 'Be Nice Say Hi'( https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/where-did-idea-be-nice-say-hi-come ).

Horse dung on the trail – The best thing to do here is jump off and kick the dung it to the side of the trail. This is practiced general trail etiquette for equestrians.

Would advice doing this route anti-clockwise as there is a slight downhill slop on K2T (downhill to Keswick). If you did not want to ride over Latrigg Fell then you could take the Brundholme Woods Road (under Latrigg) to Keswick and the start of K2T.

You need to cross the A66 from the Cricket Club Car Park, Threlkeld and on leaving the K2T there is a short section of multi user pavement to do along side the A66 back into Threlkeld.

Other things you may come across – gates, fords, sheep in field, a steep section of bridleway at the top of Latrigg, which is fine but would advice leading your horse down, lots of bridges, 2 tunnels and 1 underpass bridge. There are quite a few boulders and benches to use as a mounting block if you would prefer to get off and lead your horse through these features. In 2020 I risk assessed all features on K2T and my report on this can be found in the files section of the Facebook group Ride Cumbria.

Map below and this route is a public route on the OS mapping app/website.

History of K2T and more info of why equestrians are not allowed to use the trail

The trail reopened on the 5^th December 2020 after Storm Desmond in 2015 took out two former railway bridges crossing the River Greta. A third bridge was left badly damaged and at risk of collapsing. Some of the path was also washed away. Funding of nearly £8 million pounds was sourced from various charities, Highways England and European bodies to turn the once footpath (with cyclists permitted and horse rider using parts of the route) into a multi user trail.

In 2018 equestrian users were first told they can use the K2T, then told horse riders would be allowed to use the trail but LDNPA would not publicising the route for equestrians, and finally informed (and only after being asked specifically) that ‘the new trail will not be open to horses’ via a Facebook post on 25th November 2019. Following this Facebook post the online press releases on LDNPA and Highways England websites were altered (see photos below).  Since then concerns have been raised by the local horse riders, Cumbria Bridleway Society, British Horse Society and Horse Access Campaign UK.

Original Press Release 6.12.2018 from Highways England

Amended Press Release 27/28.11.2019 from Highways England  

In 2022 we were further told by the LDNPA that the ban on horses on K2T would continue due to:

The path was not available to horses prior to Storm Desmond

Horse riders did use parts of the path before 2015 storm, but could not use the whole route as the previous trail used a board walk bridge that was unsuitable for equestrians. This board walk bridge has now been replaced by the reopening of the Bobbin Mill Tunnel. Now the tunnel has been reopened there is no reason why horse riders could not use the route. The trail is 3 metres wide, which is more than sufficient for a shared route when you consider that a lot of rural roads are not this wide.

The trail has unique and unavoidable characteristics such as tunnels and bridge, that mean equestrian use is not considered compatible with the design.

I do not believe that any of the tunnels or bridges on K2T are unique if you compared them to other features on bridleways, byways and roads or on other permissive routes. For example Lune Valley Greenway, Lancaster (also a permissive route on a disused railway line with bridges and underpasses), West Windermere Way (other LDNPA trail designated a bridleway), the Monsal Trail,Peak District National Park (permissive routes on disused railway line with long tunnels and bridges), the tunnels on the Thwaite Lane bridleway, Chapham, Yorkshire Dales, the new Gooseholme bridleway bridge, Kendal and new road bridge at Pooley Bridge.

A linear route which does not have particular good connection to public paths and where it does they have pedestrian status only

Taking into consideration the route we rode in March and viewing the OS map for the area it is clear that K2T does in fact link into the local bridleways and green lane network. Therefore, this statement contradicts what happens on the ground. 

Consultation did not identify a need

I am surprised that the LDNPA user policy for K2T is based on a survey conducted on the internet 2018. A return rate of 2300 responses to their online survey was good, but did it captured everyone’s views as not everyone is on the internet especially in a rural areas. We also note that Cumbria Bridleway Society was not consulted as a user group about the project. National Park Authorities have a remit for outdoor access and in particular ‘Access for All’. With this in mind I would have thought that equestrian users would not need to have to request to be included.

K2T is a permitted path, not a bridleway.’

Bridleways have been shared use/multi user paths since 1968 when cyclists were given a legal right to use bridleways under the Countryside Act 1968. In addition, cyclist and equestrian have equal status under the Highway Codes ‘hierarchy of road users pyramid’ for Vulnerable Road Users (VRU). With this in mind there is an argument that bicycle tracks/cycleways should also become inclusive of all users like bridleways. 

As the project cost nearly £8 million pounds of public money it would be wise to give the route legal protection by becoming a bridleway or restricted byway. Currently at any time the LDNPA (or the landlord of leased land as outlined below) could stop people using this trail. The legal solution could be one of the following:

• The route could become a bridleway or restricted byway via  creation agreement under Section 25 of the Highways Act 1980.
•  The route could become a bridleway or restricted byway at Common Law.
• Under Section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000 a open access linear route could be created for walkers, disabled users, cyclists and horse riders (this is how the new King Charles Coastal Path has been created in places). Section 16 land under the CROW Act also provides land owners with the ability to close a route for a number of days a year, which can be very helpful when needing to do maintenance work.   

The LDNPA have indicated that the route cannot have a legal status as the route should always be available to once again become a railway line. However, it should be noted that a lot of the disused railway is now in private ownership and has been built on.

Surfacing - the surfacing is asphaltic concrete which is not an ideal surface for horse riding. The ideal surface for horses is something like wood chips but this surface ranks very low for both pedestrians and cyclists.

I would agree tarmac (or asphaltic concrete) is not the ideal surface for horses, but equestrians use this every day when we go out on the roads (which we must use to access off road riding). I would also state that wood chip is not the ideal surface for equestrians, firstly is is not long lasting and secondly it would be completely inappropriate on a multi user path.

The surface I would of recommended would of been of forest road standard (local quarry stone aggregate surface) similar to that on the West Windermere Way or for a sealed surface Flexipave (https://www.kbiuk.co.uk/flexipave) or Nu-Flex (https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/strategies-policies-plans/roads-parking-and-travel/major-transport-schemes/east-lancashire-strategic-cycleway-network/latest-news/) which are both mixed rubber compounds. Flexi pave and Nu-flex both have some give and are suitable for all users, do not melt in summer, are porous, have a low carbon footprint and are cost effective compared to tarmac.

Conflict between users - The LDNPA say 'there is clearly a conflict between the use of the trail by horses, pedestrians and cyclists'.

This I would say is a perception of the LDNPA and was stated without evidence.

Natural England the government body who is responsible for providing advice on outdoor access states 'For cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and others, shared use routes are an increasingly important resource, providing sustainable transport links and car free travel to and from the wider countryside. That they are safe, and are perceived to be safe, is a key factor in their promotion, though there is a view that when different users (eg. cyclists and walkers) share routes, it leads to conflict. However, this research found that conflict is a rare occurrence. When it occurs, structural issues (eg. width and maintenance of the route) are important factors. Route owners/managers should be developing within user groups a ‘culture of thoughtful and tolerant use’. A Code of Conduct should focus on the rights and responsibilities of all user groups in order to reduce ambiguities concerning issues such as right of way, passing etiquette, the meaning of bells, control of dogs, and the speeds that should be adopted for safety and courtesy.The policing of shared routes would ensure that users know they are actively managed. Shared use routes should have information panels at their access points detailing the Code of Conduct as well as the contact person in the responsible agency for maintaining the route and to whom comments, complaints and reports of conflict should be directed' (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/83036 )

Furthermore from a freedom of information request (https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/jo_harris ) to Cumbria County Council, the LDNPA and the Peak District National Park Authority (who managed the permissive route known as the Monsal Trail https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-visit/trails/monsaltrail) there have been no reported incidents on Rights of Way or multi user trails with horses.

As stated above as bridleways have been shared use paths for walkers, cyclists and horse riders since 1968 it is not surprising that when we rode K2T all we were met with were smiles.

Insurance – The advice the LDNPA have received is if the trail has not been designed for use by horse riders, and there are some elements which are not possible to alter to ensure safe use, it is not advisable to allow horses to use the trail.  The LDNPA insurers used the example of signage; in their view, signage is not likely to be sufficient as it may not be seen or adhered to by riders, likewise although gates would be a physical barrier these would have an impact on other users. The underwriters of their insurers provided further comments about risks of the authority knowingly opening a route to horses and increasing the risk of more Public Liability claims and increased insurance costs, even if the risk improvements were implemented in full.  They also raised concerns that signage and other physical improvements would not be sufficient to mitigate the risk of being sued. For this reason, the LDNPA does not consider that the opening the trail for equine users outweighs the potential increased liability risks and costs associated with implementing it.’

One of the best ways to mitigation again any risk is to make K2T a legal route. A right of way such as a bridleway or a linear Section 16 CROW Act land have a lower public liability.  It is noted that the LDNPA have stated this is not a option as outlined above and therefore each feature could be risk assessed.

Looking at the features on K2T and comparing this to Sustrans Traffic-Free Routes and Greenways Design Guide it is clear that K2T may not of been designed for cyclists either. By looking at the below table and information we must conclude that the LDNPA must of risk assessed the route for cyclists. K2T does have ‘cyclists slow down’ signs at the entrance of every bridge and therefore we must deduce this is part of the measures to mitigate the fact that the parapets are not 1.4m high (as advised by Sustrans). 

For equestrians each feature could also be risk assessed similar to cyclist. To solve the situated on the single low underpass and on some of the bridges where the parapets are below 1.15m equestrian could be asked to dismount and lead their horse through the feature.  Mounting blocks (or boulders and benches) could then be placed at either end of any feature to assist riders to remount.

The guidelines from both British Horse Society (BHS) and Sustrans is that such features should not be a barrier to access and should be mitigated against. Horse riders would not be put at any more risk than any other user if they were allowed to use the route and other users would not be put at any more risk by welcoming horse riders onto the trail, which is the case on other permissive railway trails as listed above. Maybe the LDNPA should look to change their insurance provider in line with Lancashire County Council or the Peak District National Park Authority who have similar permissive trails.

Ownership of the trail - The leased land at Bruntholme Bottoms does not allow horses

The LDNPA is the primary landowner with the exception of around 240m of trail (with no bridges or tunnels) on a 999 year lease from a neighbouring landowner at Bruntholme Bottoms and the entrance at Threlkeld end of the trail owned by Highways England.

The LDNPA have stated that the 999 year lease allows for pedestrian and cyclists use (not equestrian). From a freedom of information request the lease outlines that the permitted use is for a 'Multi user footpath/bicycle track'. Putting my land agents hat on I would say as the words 'multi user' have been used in the lease there is a argument that horses are part of this. In outdoor access terms multi user cover all recreational users and if the LDNPA are saying that horse riding is not permitted then you could also question if other current permitted uses should be allowed. For example in addition to walking and cycling K2T is also used for running, wheeling (wheel chair users, scootering, skateboarding, roller skating) bird watching, picnicking, art work, photography, walking a dog or even a alpaca (quite a few alpacas in the Keswick area).

The definition of recreation was recently discussed in last years wild camping court case on Dartmoor National Park. 'Lawyers for the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) arguing it hinged on a narrow definition of open-air recreation, where only activities such as walking, horse riding and picnicking were permitted. This could rule out activities such as bird-watching, landscape painting or stargazing, they argue (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/wild-camping-dartmoor-court-appeal ). The same augments could in my opinion be made for what is a 'Multi user footpath/bicycle track' and I would suggest that horse riding is included within the permitted use of K2T.

By writing this blog and riding this route I hope it shows the LDNPA that including equestrians is possible. Over 80% of equestrian are female (over 70% of cyclists are male) meaning the equestrian outdoor sport is really import for women and girls, who I understand are a difficult group to reach in sporting terms. The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail represents a valuable resource for the Lake District's diverse community of outdoor enthusiasts. By extending access to equestrians, we can enhance safety, promote inclusivity, boost the local economy, and foster a spirit of shared use. It is time to reconsider any restrictions and embrace a more inclusive approach that benefits all who seek to enjoy this beautiful place.

*Photo Credit - With thanks to Bridget Pickthall and Liz Davison for letting me use their photos*