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Project

Riverlands: working to restore Cumbria's waterways

A view of Watendlath Beck Borrowdale, Lake District
A view of Watendlath Beck Borrowdale | © National Trust Images/John Malley

Rivers are life forces. They’ve helped sustain ecosystems, cultures and communities for millennia, their quiet power steadily shaping everything from landscapes to place names. But many of our rivers are under threat from climate change, pollution, and human-made changes to the landscapes and waterways, which is why the National Trust launched Riverlands.

The Cumbria Riverlands project stretches from Keswick in the north to Kendal in the south, across the central fells and finally out to sea. It encompasses the rivers themselves, the land which drains into them, and the rich array of wildlife and plants that call these varied habitats home. Together, these make up our ‘riverlands’.

Working with partners, our aim is to restore rivers and catchments to be healthy, clean and rich in wildlife; easily accessed and valued for their heritage and beauty; and with sustainable plans for their long term care.  We’ll post regular updates of the work we’re doing here, on this project timeline, so keep checking back to stay up to date.

Cumbria Riverlands Project

18 April 2025

Back to Barrow Bay

We’ve spent a bit of time recently visiting past projects and checking on their progress. As well as the visit to Armboth Fell a couple of weeks ago we were also over a Barrow Bay where we took down some embankments last year and installed a boardwalk along the lake shore. 

The boardwalk has been a real success, keeping feet dry whilst allowing Barrow Beck to move more naturally across the lakeshore. Giving the beck more space to move reduces unpredictable burst banks and also takes some of the energy out of the flow, meaning it drops sediments such as these gravels before it meets the lake. This is great habitat for insects and other small species who gain protection from predation by hiding amongst the stones. On this visit we managed to find mayfly nymphs and a stone-cased caddisfly under the first couple of stones we turned over! 

Barrow Beck flow across a floodplain field, leaving behind gravels and stones
Barrow Beck, Borrowdale | © Hannah Haydock