THE river path through Lydford Gorge this week re- opened to the public, following a period of safety work. Visitors can now once again enjoy this demanding but delightful walk by the River Lyd and complete the full 3-mile circuit of the gorge. Adrian Shaw, head warden, said: 'It's brilliant news that the river path has re-opened and visitors can again enjoy this beautiful and spectacular stretch of the gorge walk. 'We manage the gorge for visitor safety and access which is why it was necessary to close the path and carry out remedial work to stabilise the rock faces. 'We would like to thank all of our visitors for being so understanding and patient during the path's closure.' The river path was closed at the end of March after several potentially unstable rock faces were identified through routine rock face inspections. This year's inspections were above the river path at Post 18 and identified three sections which were unstable. The work involved consulting geologists and specialist contractors who removed any loose material, installed safety fences to catch falling rock and installed rock netting and dowels to secure unstable sections. Specialist teams worked from ropes on vertical rock faces as well as slopes of 45 degrees. Adrian said: 'It was tough and slow going at times. We encountered some problems along the way which meant we had to review and adjust things a bit. 'All of the equipment and materials had to be carried down into the gorge by hand. 'Going down isn't too bad — it's coming back up at the end after a long hard day of physical work on the slope which is tiring!' The work has been carried out sympathetically because the gorge is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Visitors will not notice any difference as they walk along by the river as any fencing and netting has been camouflaged to blend in with the surrounding vegetation. The gorge is open daily between 10am and 5pm, with last admission at 4.30pm.
