Some of the forest trails through Whinlatter are to close temporarily from Monday to allow tree felling work to take place safely.
It is expected to last for three months and while work is taking place visitors are urged to follow all closure and diversion signs.
The trails closed/diverted will be: Walking: Wow Trail, Comb Beck Trail, Seat How Summit Trail, Gruffalo Trail. Cycling: Red North Loop, Blue Quercus Trail (closed north side of the forest, open south side), Gorse Cycle Trail (closed north side of forest, open south side). Running: Pink 5km trail, Turquoise 5km trail, Purple 10km trail, Purple Half Marathon trail. The WildPlay trail will also be closed for a shorter time from January.
Diversion maps are available online and in the visitor centre.
Meanwhile, work has now finished at Revelin Moss and the car park and affected trails are now open again.
On site businesses Cafe Ambio, Whinlatter Forest, and Go Ape Whinlatter will be open as normal, as will the car park, visitor centre and shop. Cyclewise will be open as normal apart from a short closure for safety reasons whilst work is ongoing nearby.
Most of the work is thinning – removing about 20 per cent of the trees in the area being worked in order to open up the canopy and develop stable future trees better suited to the stormy climate. One small section is unsuitable for thinning and all the trees in this area will be felled to avoid potential storm damage and help the forest diversify in the future.
Whinlatter is a working forest and the income produced from these works helps to look after the nation’s forests for wildlife, people and the climate, as well as supporting local jobs.
‘’This work may look dramatic at first but the forest will grow again, and the timber we use will be used to make sustainable products or fuel,’’ said a Whinlatter Forest spokesperson.
Regular updates will appear on social media and on the Whinlatter Forest website.
