Vandals have taken an axe to a commemorative sign on the Old Coach Road above Threlkeld which was donated by the trail bike community.
The sign was put in place in 2018 after a team of volunteers who used the route — some from the Cumbria Trail Riders Fellowship (CTRF) — carried out repairs to the historic coach road which was badly damaged during Storm Desmond in December 2015.
The Old Coach Road, which runs between St John’s-in-the-Vale and Matterdale, was built for genteel tourists’ use to show them the local views such as the descent from Park Brow (Matterdale) to Ullswater.
A member of the trail bike community donated the sign as a thank you for the efforts put in to repair the route, and it was mounted on a stone and installed by Ian Hartland, from Threlkeld Mining Museum.
Trail rider Steve Stout, from Blennerhasset, near Aspatria, said the damage to the sign was done over the weekend of 3rd to 5th July.
He said: “It would appear someone has gone up to the sign with some pretty hefty tools, such as an axe, intending to do damage to an inanimate object.
“The materials used to make the sign were industrial grade and used around the country by councils and other authorities. The shards left over were razor sharp.”
The incident was reported to the police, but the CTRF wants the sign to be reinstated and the member who donated it is going to replace it as a gift.
User groups of the historic Old Coach Road include Cumbria Trail Riders Fellowship (CTRF), the Green Lane Association (GLASS), Bassenthwaite and District Motor Club, Cumbria Soaring Club, Threlkeld Mining Museum and individuals.
