Status: Preliminary design
Funding: Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal
Policy Framework: Heart of the Lakes Active Travel Infrastructure Strategy (ATIS)
Project description
We're part of the See More Lake District Cycling project, funded by the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
The project aims to improve cycling and walking facilities in the National Park. It will allow visitors and residents explore and experience more of the Lake District in a sustainable way. The proposals will provide key links between communities and plug gaps in the existing National Cycle Network (NCN).
The project team developed an Outline Business Case (OBC) for the project between 2021 and 2024. The OBC identified three distinct sections for improvement.
We're developing the designs for one of the sections, between Grasmere and Dunmail Raise.
Our early designs propose a mixture of:
- on-carriageway 'quiet lanes'
- a new off-carriageway shared pedestrian and cycle path, adjacent to the A591.
The remaining two sections will be developed by the Lake District National Park, Highways England and Cumberland Council.
When the three sections are combined, existing gaps in the NCN will be filled to provide a safe connection all the way from Grasmere, past Thirlmere and onwards towards Keswick.
Timescales
- preliminary design - June 2025 to May 2026
- detailed design - autumn 2026 to summer 2027
- government approval of Final Business Case (FBC) - winter 2027/28
- construction - 2028 (subject to FBC approval)
Consultation and engagement
We are consulting on our preliminary proposals for improvements between Grasmere and Dunmail Raise. You can respond to our questionnaire between Monday 9 February and Monday 2 March 2026.
A report summarising the feedback received and how this has informed the design will be published on this page in April 2026.