A LARGE section of eroded footpath at Whernside, near Ingleton, is being remade thanks to Hanson UK’s Ingleton Quarry.

The donation of 130 tonnes of high quality Greywacke gritstone has meant some 200 metres of the eroded Bruntscar Path - which is used by thousands of people every year - can be repaired, for the benefit of both walkers, and the landscape of the highest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Rangers from the Yorkshire Dales National Park authority sorted and bagged the stone, which is around 400 million years old, before it can be flown - in the next few days - by helicopter some five miles from the quarry to the flanks of the peak.

The Hanson donation was made as part of the Pitch in for Whernside campaign to raise £46,000 for the repair of the path, which serves as the main descent off the summit,.

Contractors are due to start rebuilding the path soon, and to have it finished by July. The existing damaged path will be removed, before the installation of just more than 200 metres of new stone pitching as well as 20 cross drains.

Rob Ashford, area ranger for the national park, said: “Thousands of people a year are likely to use the new Bruntscar path, so we are delighted that we have managed to source such high quality local stone. The Greywacke that comes out of Ingleton Quarry doesn’t wear smooth easily, so will remain grippy underfoot. It’s a generous donation and I would like to thank Hanson UK and their staff at Ingleton Quarry, who have been very helpful.”

Philip Pitt, head of communications and marketing at Hanson, said: “We were delighted to support this improvement project for the national park authority, ensuring walkers can continue to enjoy Yorkshire’s highest peak.”

So far, the Pitch in for Whernside appeal has raised more than £30,000, through cash donations or by crowdfunding. It is part of a national campaign being coordinated by the British Mountaineering Council.

The Bruntscar path runs down from the summit of Whernside heading towards Chapel-le-Dale and is on the main route of the Yorkshire Three Peaks walk.

Slates and greywackes are coarse grained sandstones. They are collectively known as the ‘Ingletonian’ series of rocks because they are uncovered in Chapel-le-Dale and around the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. To find out more about the geology of the Dales, visit: dalesrocks.org.uk