The highlight of the last few months was undoubtedly our event at Shap Wells Hotel in early September celebrating what has been achieved over the last four and a half years. We were blessed with fine weather so after a morning of informative and inspiring presentations, we were able to get out and explore the immediate area around Shap Wells and further afield in the Westmorland Dales. There have been a number of other “final” project events too with a traditional farm buildings conference in late September, an online webinar on our Little Asby project and an introduction to geology event in October, all very well supported. Our Singing Drumlin event at Bowber Head in early October was also a great success, attracting perhaps our most diverse audience yet with over 400 people attending across the three days.

Project work has continued on the ground too, despite some significant challenges thrown at us by the wet weather and site conditions. We were pleased to host drystone wall training days for agriculture students from Kendal College over six days in September, rebuilding a section of wall near Ravenstonedale. The conservation works at Smardale Limekilns are now complete (as are the separately funded resurfacing works to the Smardale Gill viaduct so Smardale is now fully accessible again). River restoration works at Bowber Head commenced in September with the in-channel works completed within the window allowed; further works are planned site and weather conditions allowing. We’re also undertaking some drystone wall conservation work, targetted at walls around the restored barns at Pendragon and Raisbeck, and the walls surveyed at Asby.

There’s lots to share in other ways. The highly popular Our Common Heritage exhibition has now moved from Appleby to Rheged, and our booklet packs are available for people to learn about the area’s geology, churches, farming landscape and legends. They’re free for now but will be on sale from the tourist information centres in the future.

There’s other work to complete too but the Scheme will draw to an end early in 2024. We’ve already said goodbye to Hannah, although she’s returned for one or two key events, but now we say goodbye to Nicola. She’s been with us since April 2017, for the Scheme’s development as well as the delivery phase, so we’ll miss her hugely. So much of what we’ve done bears her stamp. But she’s not going far, off to work with RSPB and other partners to the west of our area as part of Cumbria Connect. The rest of the team remain at Tebay for the next couple of months.

David Evans, Scheme Manager
November 2023