A HELICOPTER is being used to carry stone flags to restore and repair 2km - just more than a mile - of public footpath at Ingleborough, and to help protect wildflowers from the feet of walkers.

Limestone flags are being airlifted from Horton Quarry a distance of 1km to the section of path at Sulber Nick and High Brae, a route very popular with those walking or running the Yorkshire Three Peaks, Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

The latest work is part of the £180,000 three year Ingleborough Access Project, which started in 2019 and being funded by Natural England.

Some of the section is being flagged, while in other parts a subsoil and stone path is being constructed, and are being restored after being identified as in need of repair by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Ranger Service.

Sulber Nick is on the final section of the three peaks route on the way down from Ingleborough to the traditional finishing point at Horton- in-Ribblesdale.

Around 60,000 walkers complete the route in a normal year, together raising a ‘conservatively’ estimated £5 million for charitable causes.

Most walkers climb to the summit of Ingleborough from Chapel-le-dale before then descending down Sulber Nick and on to Horton.

A spokesperson for the national park authority said: “Due to the increased use of the three peaks route, and with the grazing of cattle all year round, the footpath has become severely rutted down to subsoil and in places boggy and spreading out to the surrounding ground.

“Walkers are now diverting to the adjacent ridge and this is worrying because this is an important habitat for early purple orchid, birds eye primrose, fell wort and Yorkshire sandwort.

“The route has never been engineered but now is in need of construction techniques to restore the path line and to repair the surrounding vegetation and ensure walkers stick to the correct path line. “

The work being carried out involves the construction of several sections of stone flags across the peat plug areas and the creation of a stone and subsoil path in other places with landscaping and water management.

All materials are flown in from outside of the site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and once completed the result will be a hard wearing, sustainable and free draining footpath.

“The national park is constructing a sustainable hard wearing path that is sensitive to the surroundings and ecology and keeps people to the correct path line and away from the species rich adjacent ground - a path that can withstand the huge volume of three peaks walkers as well as cattle, and which has been used in other areas with success,” added the spokesperson.

The work will continue next week, walkers are advised to follow advisory signs.