AN ancient packhorse route south of Huddersfield will be given a new lease of life.
Yorkshire Water and Moors For The Future Partnership will work on the restoration of the ancient Cut Gate packhorse route across the Pennines.
The path goes between the Upper Derwent Valley, in Derbyshire, and Langsett, near Penistone.
It was used originally by farmers from the Hope, Derwent and Woodhead valleys to reach the local market.
In the past few years it has become a popular walk and horse ride in the countryside between Huddersfield and Sheffield.
But with so many people using it and because of the extreme Pennine weather, the surface has become well- worn and it is feared further erosion could prove beyond repair.
Some walkers have begun to follow different paths to avoid worst sections of the route, potentially spreading the problem across a wider area of the fragile moor.
Archaeologists from the Peak District National Park and advisers from English Nature have already been consulted on repairs.
Using their advice, contractors working on a brief drawn up by the Moors For The Future team will begin restoring the first 2km of the route early in the new year.
The route is part of the new circular bridleway around Yorkshire Water's Langsett Reservoir.
Yorkshire Water catchment and recreation manager Geoff Lomas said: "The erosion has reached a point where doing nothing is no longer an option and we are pleased to be able to help this important project."
