Iron Road in the Sky - first Via Ferrata in the Lake District
September 2007
Many of us who have enjoyed walking in other parts of Europe, will have come across a Via Ferrata. The term is italian and means iron road. (The plural is Vie Ferrate).
For those not familiar with the term used in the context of walking or climbing, a Via Ferrata is any combination of bridges, ladders or fixed cables used along a mountain route to make it more accessible.
They are graded - the lowest grade (1) being the least challenging and within the capabilities of most experienced hill-walkers (albeit those with good heads for height) whilst the highest grade (5) demands quite significant climbing skills.
The Dolomites has probably the greatest concentration of Vie Ferrate in Europe and it's here that they first appeared during the First World War as aids to the infantry who were frequently traversing the area.
Now they are used as a way of experiencing stunning (often very exposed) mountain scenery without having to carry a lot of equipment.
It now appears that plans are well advanced for the opening of a Via Ferrata in the Lake District.
It is planned to follow a route used by miners along Fleetwith Pike and is being developed by the owners of the Honister Slate Mine in Borrowdale.
If all goes according to plan, it will be open in May 2007.
Although only recently reported, there is some opposition to the plan which some see as yet another onslaught on the landscape.
The views expressed by contributors to this discussion are not necessarily those held by go4awalk.com.
Add your comment to THIS article | Start a NEW Discussion
To contribute to go4awalk.com or to contact us about anything at all
- see Talk To Us. For help see Help.
NB. To see our navigational hills you must have the Macromedia Shockwave/Flash Player plug-in installed in your browser. This is free and comes as standard with later versions. If you have an early version browser - click here and follow Macromedia's installation instructions.
go4awalk.com and go4awalk.co.uk are registered trademarks of TMDH Limited.
Copyright © 2000-2010 TMDH Limited. All rights reserved.
Copyright | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Statement
A - Z Walks Home Log On / Accounts Photo Gallery
Walk Ideas and Collections Fell Facts Places to Stay Hill Skills
Walking Questions and Answers Your Stories News Competitions
Product Reviews/Gear Tests Walking Gear Guides Contents
Peaks and Mountains Peak Bagging Find New Walking Friends
Ordnance Survey Walking Maps Camping GPS Waypoints for Walking
Walk Search Talk to us go4awalk.com Help Free example walks
