AN UNOFFICIAL footpath near Hawkshead - which has been maintained by the National Trust for many years - is set to become a dedicated public route helping to provide improved access between Tarn Hows and Grizedale Forest.

Although only 325 metres long, the route has become a popular link in the footpath network near Wharton Tarn and is unlikely to require much future maintenance.

Members of the Lake District National Park Authority's Implementation Committee agreed to accept the offer from the National Trust to dedicate the route as a public footpath and thank it for the benefits its offer would bring.

Senior Rights of Way Adviser Nick Thorne told the committee that the route was easy to follow with just one short boardwalk section.

"The route offers a good link between the bus stop at High Cross (mid-way between Coniston and Hawkshead) and the rest of the footpath network. It also enables walkers to use a through route from Tarn Hows to Grizedale Forest with minimal road walking," his report added.

The proposal was supported by Cumbria County Council, Hawkshead Parish Council, Friends of the Lake District and the Ramblers Association, which all praised the successful negotiations between the National Trust and the LDNPA.