Free event celebrates new North Walney active travel route
A new 1.4 mile route for walking, wheeling and cycling has been enjoyed during a free event to encourage more people to walk and cycle to help improve health and fitness as part of everyday travel.
As part of a week-long walking festival in Barrow, free guided walks and a cycle ride were held on Thursday (31 July) to celebrate the completion of the North Walney Active Travel Route.
The event featured a ‘Walk with the Mascots’, where walkers were joined mascots from Barrow AFC, Barrow Raiders, Active Cumbria and YouthAbility, alongside a cycle ride where participants could try out an electric bike, three-wheeled trikes or borrow a bike to explore the recently completed route between Vickerstown Park and Earnse Bay.
Organised by Westmorland and Furness Council’s Travel Actively Barrow and Active Travel teams, the cycle ride part of the day was arranged in partnership with social enterprise Barrow on Bikes, to give access to their fleet of bikes and allow people the chance to experience the new route on two (or three) wheels.
Designed for all ages and abilities, the North Walney route provides a safe, mostly vehicle-free space, enabling people to confidently choose active travel as their mode of transport across the island.
The continuous route weaves through the green spaces of Vickerstown Park, passing the bowls club, Park Vale Sports Stadium, a playground and skatepark, before reaching the site of the new Earnse Bay Hub by the coast. It links the communities of Trent Vale and West Shore to Jubilee Bridge, providing better access to growing employment and education opportunities across Barrow.
The design was shaped by feedback from residents, disability and inclusion organisations, community and cycle user groups and blue light services, during a public consultation held in May 2023.
By improving infrastructure, the council aims to encourage more people to choose walking, wheeling, or cycling, reducing reliance on cars for short trips and contributing to a healthier, low-carbon transport network.
The event formed part of a week-long celebration of walking in Barrow, called the ‘Walk this Way Festival’, which runs until Sunday, 3 August.
The ‘Walk this Way Festival’ is all about community, movement, and fun and included various events from history trails to social strolls and family-friendly rambles, all aimed at getting more people out walking and travelling actively.
Councillor John Murray, Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services at Westmorland and Furness Council said: “The new North Walney route was completed a few weeks ago and is already proving popular.
“Since it opened we’ve been putting the finishing touches to a few areas and this event was a great chance for people to walk, wheel or cycle the route and tell us what they think.
“The infrastructure improvements not only provide a safe, largely car-free environment for people of all ages and abilities to walk, wheel, and cycle, but it also offers a direct and enjoyable way to reach key places across the Island.
“By investing in better paths, lighting, crossings, and traffic calming measures, we aim to make active travel the easiest and safest option for everyday journeys.’’
The £1.8 million scheme has been funded by the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund, providing ring-fenced monies to improve infrastructure that encourages active journeys.
The council has also commenced the next phase of active travel infrastructure in Barrow, with construction starting on a 0.7-mile walking and cycling route along Abbey Road.
The alignment of both the Abbey Road and North Walney routes support Team Barrow ambitions to better connect residential areas with major employment and education sites such as BAE Systems, Furness General Hospital, Furness College and the town centre, as well as allowing better access to green spaces and the coast.
Team Barrow, a partnership between the Government, Westmorland and Furness Council and BAE Systems, is investing £200 million over the next 10 years to improve the lives and livelihoods of the community and its residents – both present and future.
The Government’s long-term commitment to the UK’s submarine programme has further underlined Barrow’s importance to national defence and security, and this is expected to create thousands of new jobs, both at BAE Systems and within the town’s other businesses and industries.
As a result, Barrow’s population is forecast to grow significantly over the next decade.
To enable this growth and ensure the town continues to deliver critical UK defence programmes, Team Barrow aims to use the Government funding to deliver transformational improvements in housing, transport, health care, education and skills, town centre, and economic growth and diversification.
