Cumbria’s storm-damaged A591 reopened today (11 May) following months of repair work on large sections of the road between Grasmere and Keswick.

A four-mile stretch had been affected between Dunmail Raise and Thirlmere, eroded by the unprecedented floods of winter 2015 to 2016 caused by storms Desmond and Eva.

The reopening, three weeks ahead of schedule, comes as welcome relief for communities that have been affected since the road’s closure on 5 December 2015.

A temporary link road that bypassed the damaged section was opened in February while the work was being done, allowing pedestrians, cyclists and a bus service, described as a “life-line”, to travel between the two towns.

Environment Minister Rory Stewart MP officially opened the road just after 9am on 11 May, calling the work “a great piece of British engineering”.

Construction teams have been working seven days a week to repair the road. A new 106-metre retaining wall has been constructed at Dunmail Raise, where part of the A591 was washed away, and repairs have been carried out on three bridges, seven other retaining walls and 91 drains alongside Thirlmere reservoir.

A total of 44,000 square metres of the road has been resurfaced – equivalent to the area of six football pitches – and rock netting has been fitted along a 90-metre stretch of the A591 to prevent rocks falling onto the road.

A minibus of schoolchildren from Grasmere Primary School was the first to travel along it, followed by vintage cars from Lakeland Motor Museum.

Rory Stewart added: “We are showing the country, and the world, that Cumbria and the Lake District are back open for business.”

This is also welcome news for the Club’s Lake District sites, particularly Keswick, which is open as usual following repair work.

To book your pitch at the Club's Lake District Sites go to the Club's website or call 024 7647 5426 or check out Your Big Sites Book 2015-2016.