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At first I thought this was a joke, but seemingly not. There is a theme park to be built in the old quarry at the edge of Langdale which is one of my favourite places in the Lakes to ride, particularly the techy trail that comes over from Little Langdale and down into Elterwater, a trail which this development will now straddle. After the farce that was the Thirlmere zipline, now there is this. The Lakes is busy enough already at the best of times without resorting to this. Surely there must be a better place for it than here? If you agree, please share and sign or make your feelings known in whatever way you can.
Signed. Pretty sad building that there.
I don’t think it’ll change that bridleway. At that point your just riding through the upper level of the quarry aren’t you?
Signed. They have to be joking. Just the wrong attraction for Langdale.
Just what the area needs.....
I don’t think it’ll change that bridleway. At that point your just riding through the upper level of the quarry aren’t you?
The bridleway passes right through the quarry at one point, a fast section under a small tunnel and down towards the river. The proposer roller coaster element would be above the bridleway.
Knock down Chesters while they're at it, that'd get few thousand Q7s off those roads
It's bad enough at Honister or Thirlmere, but slap bang at the entrance to Langdale? A rollercoaster? They must be smoking something quite potent to imagine that idea's going anywhere. The Langdale Estate guys over the road must have a view on its guests being disturbed by it too.
The only potential effect on a bridleway is the one which circles around the quarry from the road. The techy descent from the LL byway is a little distance away.
Seems to be a bit over stated saying it's a roller coaster if you read/believe the elterwater quarry page.
There's a picture and everything.
It'll be similar to the one on the Zip World site near Betws. Basically an 'Alpine Coaster'.
Is there any evidence that what they're campaigning against might actually happen?
Is there any evidence that what they’re campaigning against might actually happen?
Errr, did you even look at the link? The plans so far drawn up, the history regarding Thirlmere, the statement of future intent from the land owner. Have a look here:
What Roller Coaster?
Other than traffic (though that is a major issue) I'm not sure what the problem is. The petition comes across badly worded and confrontational, if it gets the required votes I can only see that going against it. Reading the proposals there is neither a theme park not roller coaster suggested.
If that comes across as me being in favour then I'm not. Firmly on the fence as what is proposed would be better than the quarrying (again ignoring the traffic elephant).
Let's be honest though, that's no worse than a mountain bike trail centre. Or would you be opposed to them building one of those also?
It's not a bloody rollercoaster! Do some research. Looks fun to me, with minimal environmental impact, as they're proposing ropes courses and an alpine coaster that pretty much runs along the floor. I don't live there though, so don't really care either way.
Other than traffic (though that is a major issue) I’m not sure what the problem is. The petition comes across badly worded and confrontational, if it gets the required votes I can only see that going against it. Reading the proposals there is neither a theme park not roller coaster suggested.
Some of the issues are:
Traffic is already an increasing issue in this part of the Lakes, this will make the situation far worse.
There are already more than enough tourist activities in the Lakes to fill a lifetime of visits.
This is not in keeping with the local area and there are far better sites to locate this sort of thing.
Zip World exploit their staff with low pay, poor working conditions and a high staff turnover.
This is purely about profit for Zip World and the quarry owners, dressed up as though it is somehow green and about the safety of the old quarry site, nothing more, nothing less.
It is not in keeping with that which makes the Lakes a special place.
This development will spoil this special part of the Lakes for those who come to walk, climb, mountain bike or otherwise seek quiet enjoyment of a very special part of our natural landscape.
As I have observed when visiting Wales, Zip World attracts a 'tick list' kind of visitor. Those who wish to do the fastest, highest, longest but who care little about the natural landscape, its history or any negative impacts that a development would have on the local community.
Why not build this in any one of the countless vacant quarry sites close to population centres in the North West of England.
Be a lot fewer 32 tonne tippers running back and forth
I don’t live there though, so don’t really care either way.
Well that's great for you then!
Be a lot fewer 32 tonne tippers running back and forth
That will happen in any case as the quarry are planning to cease operations.
Zip World attracts a ‘tick list’ kind of visitor.
Yep, can't have the "wrong sort of folks" coming to the Lakes
Low pay and high turnover is pretty much the default for this sort of tourist attraction isnt it?
And looking at the plans, and site. It looks a pretty messed up post industrial hole in the ground where the majority of development will be in that hole? I also cant see any roller coasters as I normally think of them.
FWIW, id rather see it wholly turned over to a rewilding project.
To be honest, the Lake District could actually do with some attractive things for people with families to do and if it encourages those who wouldn't normally go into the lakes to actually see more of it...
It's also building something somewhat useful in an area that's already destroyed.
I can, to an extent, understand the "not in the national park" argument, but as above, it's already a blight and this will make it better whilst bringing in vital tourism to an area that doesn't currently get a lot of it. There's more than a bit of NIMBYism going on here - indeed many of the comments allude to that. Comments like "build it elsewhere" - So, it is useful, but you don't want it near you - check. "It ruins the area" - the area is already ruined and the traffic is high, this will potentially improve both.
As an aside, an interesting development in Scotland basically put a lid on the quarry and under it, built a climbing wall, via ferrata, a brilliant tracked zip thing and ropes course in the roof.... and it changed the landscape positively.
Pretty good for a quarry as the hole is already there and makes it an all-weather all year location.
Traffic issues, Langdale, I grant you will be a problem whichever way it goes but as long as there is a shop selling Fleece clothing, that's fine. You can never have too many Fleece Clothing shops in the Lakes.
There’s more than a bit of NIMBYism going on here
Don't forget that this attraction will also encourage the wrong sort of tourist as well...Drunks in the Penrith Tearooms no doubt.
Theyll be demanding the finest cakes no doubt
As an aside, an interesting development in Scotland basically put a lid on the quarry and under it, built a climbing wall, via ferrata, a brilliant tracked zip thing and ropes course in the roof…. and it changed the landscape positively.
You thinking of Ratho?
it’s already a blight and this will make it better whilst bringing in vital tourism to an area that doesn’t currently get a lot of it.
Are we still talking about Elterwater and Langdale here? It's generally rammed non-stop from April to October.
I don't see just leaving a quarried landscape to rewild itself as an issue - that whole area is dotted with disused quarries and their tips, they are an attraction to stroll/ride through in themselves (eg Cathedral Cave/Hodge Close/Tilberthwaite). There's no necessity to put something on that scale there because quarrying is stopping.
As for adding 'things for families to do', I've got no problem with that either, but I couldn't think of a worse location for it than this one. It makes the Thirlmere/Honister proposals look pretty considerate!
It seems like a good use for that land to me. The lakes get millions of visitors a year and many existing travellers will make a day trip here. I suspect a good proportion of people using the Timeshare will pop along. They want to build it here because they are guaranteed big visitor numbers because the people are already close by. I suspect the biggest issue would be finding enough staff to run the place.
For the record I lived more than half of my life in Keswick and still live in Cumbria. When I worked in tourism in Keswick the Lakes got 13m visitors a year but it was dead in winter even at weekends. Now the Lakes get about 19m visitors but it is vibrant all year round. This has potential to be a year round attraction.
You thinking of Ratho?
Yes, thats it. The international Climbing Venue I think. Used to bike past it on the canal.
This development will spoil this special part of the Lakes for those who come to walk, climb, mountain bike or otherwise seek quiet enjoyment of a very special part of our natural landscape.
This is exactly the kind of groundless throwaway sound bite statement that counter productive. It clearly won't, there is no evidence to back it up, and those people also contribute to the traffic problem 🤦♂️. Being opposed to it is fine but please don't use arguments like this, they just come across as NIMBYism.
There is the chance it could help. What if some of those visitors then do one of the local walks. But instead of parking anywhere and everywhere as currently happens they leave their car in the new carpark.
The Police Miss Blennerhassett!
Looking at the actual webpage, it looks the like the quarry isn't actually shutting down permanently. They have the license for another 20 years and are looking for something that will make them money but that can be easily removed if they need to return to production in a few years time!
This seems like a relatively neat solution to a big ugly hole in the ground!
Don’t forget that this attraction will also encourage the wrong sort of tourist as well…
Crust jugglers.
So it’s not a roller coaster, the right of way is not changing and it’s buried in a soon to be disused quarry.
This seems like a relatively neat solution to a big ugly hole in the ground!
And not paying in order to put it into a safe state since its now a "feature".
A zip line in the Langdales and the world goes crazy.. the bigger picture here is the point that Parkamor was sanitised !!
Joking aside my opinion is the Langdales dont need more traffic flow, there isnt enough infrastructure to cope at the moment.
This is exactly the kind of groundless throwaway sound bite statement that counter productive. It clearly won’t, there is no evidence to back it up,
It's not groundless, the poster clearly will have that viewpoint. And so will I. By all means dismiss that as elitism/ nimbyism, but don't try to maintain it doesn't exist.
I know Elerwater and the area well. I've had 20 plus holidays in the village.
Putting a high ropes course in that quarry isn't the end of the world
Not having the tipper lorries going through the village will be good
The valley I think has more employment than employees. They bus in people from the coast to clean the time shares
I think an increase in traffic is a concern. So I think I'd say they can have the development but not a car park. I think the car parking should be in Ambleside. People can then walk cycle or bus into the valley. Although should that apply to the climbers and hikers? Most of the traffic is people parking for the Langdale Pikes
The Lake District has been a theme park for years...so do it right: massive park'n'ride schemes at the park boundaries, ultra frequent buses. If you're not a resident/working there, you don't get in unless you bus, bike, walk (or paddle) in.
Just what the area needs….
I quite like the idea of it myself too. Of course I am not a local so have no real understanding, but just an entitled view as a user of the theme park that the Lake District is.
Although the views of outsiders are welcome I think it is unfair that a load of randoms from around the country and dictate what the local economy can achieve.
We need a petition to ban mountain biking from the lakes, they increase traffic, ruin trails, are noisy etc etc
I never knew that quarry was there. So I am doubting I would notice any 'theme park' that was built on it.
Some of the issues are:
Why don't they say that then, rather than sensationalist hyperbole?
As I have observed when visiting Wales, Zip World attracts a ‘tick list’ kind of visitor.
Really? This is nothing more than Little England snobbery. We don't want "those" sorts of people coming to our part of the country. Which, to a point, I do understand of course. No-one really wants "undesirables" in their back yard. But you need to be a little careful about that, it's the same argument historically used variously against blacks, gypsies, the Irish... It's hypocritical to sit there counting your money from living in an area made affluent from tourism whilst whining about attracting the wrong sort of tourist.
What's on this list that you're ticking anyway? Last time I was at Honister it was awash with middle-class white families.
Theyll be demanding the finest cakes no doubt
I for one appreciated this reference.
Is that “I”, as in Cougar, or “I” as in the title of the film?
I never knew that quarry was there. So I am doubting I would notice any ‘theme park’ that was built on it.
It is amazing how well hidden it is. Most visible to mountain bikers riding in from Little Langdale
This is what it looks like at the moment
This last view you can only really see from the viewing platform
Lake District local living in exile here.
I absolutely love that little singletrack descent, first rooty and rocky, then through the quarry yard and into the clattery loose slate down to Elterwater. If it went or was significantly-changed, I would be gutted. I think my biggest concern would be that they would try to "improve" it, or maybe divert the ROW.
However, the petition text appears to exaggerate the threat. It is not for a theme park. I've been to the equivalent thing in Wales. It has a small carpark, i think two buildings, some low level, small scale, go ape type stuff and then what they call the Fforest coaster, a little sledge on rails. There was no "traffic chaos" near it. We went in the summer holidays and I'd be surprised if there were 100 people in the whole place. This was 2018 I think, so preCOVID etc. It is not exactly Alton Towers.
The writers of the petition do themselves no favours by shrieking about "the thundering theme park rides" and overstating the threat.
"It’s hypocritical to sit there counting your money from living in an area made affluent from tourism"
Tourism doesn't help everyone. My father worked in state education, working at the teacher training college in Ambleside, so it's hard to see that we took any benefit from tourism. I doubt he was paid a "lake district weighting". On the other hand, many things were/are much more expensive, slower, more crowded.
Friends at school in Windermere were the children of farmers, the postman, a policeman, a newsagent etc. They didn't all own hotels, restaurants, bike shops etc. The ordinary people who work in those businesses are hardly raking it in either.
Most people I went to school with have moved away, as did I, as they couldn't afford to stay.
Not everyone in the lakes depends on, or benefits from, tourism.
However, the petition text appears to exaggerate the threat. It is not for a theme park. I’ve been to the equivalent thing in Wales. It has a small carpark, i think two buildings, some low level, small scale, go ape type stuff and then what they call the Fforest coaster, a little sledge on rails. There was no “traffic chaos” near it. We went in the summer holidays and I’d be surprised if there were 100 people in the whole place. This was 2018 I think, so preCOVID etc. It is not exactly Alton Towers.
I was there last summer. There wasn't any traffic chaos at all - in fact I drove straight in with no queue, having barely seen any other cars on the narrow roads leading to it. There were plenty of people inside the centre, and plenty riding at the attached trail centre. When we finished we drove straight out and once again were not confronted by road carnage. The place isn't visible until you drive into it.
Traffic in the Lakes is a major problem, every time I've been on the road between Windermere and Ambleside its been slow unless you travel early / late, especially on a nice day, Keswick gets just as bad between the roundabout near Booth's and Borrowdale road.
I doubt that this will make much impact on what is already a major problem, and measure may be introduced to alleviate some of the traffic problems, but the same issues can be seen in North Wales too, however not at the Zip World sites, more around Ogwen / Pen-Y-Pass where our good old salt of the earth rock climbing / biking / hiking tick-listers are heading.
I go to Langdale a lot as have access to a house there. Traffic is pretty bad but then I am traffic so can't moan about that. Do any people still live in Elterwater or is it mostly holiday homes now. I think the decision should be made by year round residents not us visitors.
I think the car parking should be in Ambleside.
Ambleside doesn't have enough parking as it is! The main P&D carpark is normally full most of the time. Not a lot of room for more cars.
where our good old salt of the earth rock climbing / biking / hiking tick-listers are heading.
Inconsiderate bastards, if only they'd go zip lining instead, I could have Tryfan to myself!
I think the decision should be made by year round residents not us visitors.
Which it will be (and a few nationally appointed non-locals) on the National Park planning committee.
Every time the local planning department in Cambridge turns down something controversial, the secretary of state just intervenes and approves it. Makes a mockery of the local development plan which the council are legally obliged to have and which new developments completely ignore.
Is that “I”, as in Cougar, or “I” as in the title of the film?
Well played. My post sadly wasn't that clever, that was accidental.
That Fforest Coaster looks brilliant. Wish there had been something like that about when by kids were young. No idea if the location is right at Langdale... but the cart on rails thing gets the thumbs up in principle for me, if hidden away.