Diners enjoying lunch at a Michelin-star restaurant in the Lake District dropped everything to join staff in rushing to the scene of a serious three-vehicle crash over Mother’s Day weekend.
A pair of motorcyclists on the descent down Whinlatter Pass on Saturday afternoon were involved in a collision with a car coming the other way as it turned into the car park of the award-winning Cottage In The Wood.
The restaurant with rooms, situated 1,000ft up the winding B5292 near Whinlatter Forest, was brisk with spring trade over the special weekend with those in the conservatory hearing loud bangs on the road outside at around 1.20pm.
The collision involved a Suzuki, a Kawasaki and a Renault Clio, with a third motorcyclist also reported to have avoided the pile-up, which led to all 6.2 miles of the road between Lorton and Braithwaite shut for hours.
Cottage in the Wood co-owner Kath Berney, who has a background in nursing and runs the venue with husband Liam, was among the first on the scene to help the injured parties with the aftermath described as “quite bad”.
By a stroke of good fortune, not only did a doctor happen to be in the house – from the Castlehead Medical Centre in Keswick – but a nurse too.
They were among those to help, while restaurant staff alerted oncoming motorists to the accident scene by putting out cones and calming traffic on the mountain pass.
This week, Liam praised the response but said for the safety of all now using the pass, the time had come for highways chiefs to revisit the long-standing 60mph rural speed limit.
The venue is on one of the few straight sections where some see an opportunity to floor it and overtake, but Mr Berney warned that a mix of users were increasingly found on the road, from cars, cyclists, motorcyclists, walkers and wildlife, including Roe deer.
As a Red Squirrel Conservation area, carcasses of the endangered species were also sometimes found on the road, he said.
This year, the Berneys celebrate 20 years at the venue and in that time have noticed that the road outside had become “significantly busier”.
The appeal of the Lake District, the availability of more activities, and increasing numbers of people having discovered the Lake District after the pandemic, had all been factors contributing to more people using the pass, he said.
While not apportioning any blame for the collision, Liam said: “The speed limit is 60mph and is probably something that needs to be addressed as some people will always feel the need to travel at exactly 60mph.
“It’s a road where there’s a combination of people driving leisurely and enjoying the scenery, and those who are in a rush and wanting to belt along.”
A 40mph restriction could be an option, he added.
Cumbria Police said the Suzuki rider, a man, aged 31, from Lancashire, was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital by HeliMed, with injuries described as “serious but not life-changing”.
The Kawasaki rider, a man in his 40s from Lancashire, also received medical attention for non-life changing injuries.
Anyone with information can contact www.cumbria.police.uk/reportit or by calling 101. The log number is 100 of March 26.
