Donated stone for new path in Yorkshire Dales

Stone donated from our Horton quarry is being taken by helicopter to the top of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dale National Park to build a new path, which will provide a safe route for walkers and conserve important habitat.

We are donating 600 tonnes of aggregate to build the new path, which is part of the popular Three Peaks walking route. The path through Sulber Nick had become badly rutted and the damage has been spreading over an increasingly wide area as walkers tried to avoid the boggy terrain.

Rangers and volunteers from the National Park Authority are using the aggregate, which is being lifted to site from Horton quarry, a kilometre away, over 10 days, to build a 1.3km path.

Nick Cotton of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said: “The Sulber Nick path has never been engineered, but anyone who has been there of late knows how much-needed these works are.

“The path has become so boggy people are diverting to an adjacent ridge, which is an important habitat for early purple orchid, bird’s eye primrose, fell wort and Yorkshire sandwort. An engineered path, constructed in sympathy with the surroundings, will bring walkers once again to the correct path line and prevent further erosion.

“Heidelberg Materials has been very generous in gifting the huge quantity of aggregate required. Allowing the ranger service to use the northern tip of Horton quarry as a helicopter lift site has also been a great help. Our thanks go to the company and its excellent local staff.”

Simon Garner, unit manager for the quarry, said: “We are delighted to donate the stone for this important project. Horton quarry is an integral part of the area and we are happy to be able to support the local community in this way.”