Ullswater Steamers, the National Trust and a range of other partners welcomed Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain, to Ullswater in the Lake District last week.
During her visit, Balcombe learnt about the extensive work that has been undertaken at Aira Green and Aira Force to enhance the visitor offer for both the domestic and international visitor markets.
Both Ullswater Steamers and the National Trust have been actively collaborating to maximise the potential of this location, which has been a visitor attraction since Wordsworth’s day – Glencoyne Bay is famously the place that inspired his now legendary poem ‘Daffodils’.
To maximise the opportunities provided by this heritage the partners have worked together to provide an additional stopping point on the Ullswater shore, which, once complete, will be the first new stopping point for more than 50 years.
Alongside this, a range of other significant enhancement work has been undertaken, including a new boardwalk and footpath linking Aira Green to Aira Force, as well as footpaths around Aira Force itself, improved visitor information points, a refurbished tearoom and extensive footpath enhancement linking Aira Force with Glenridding.
Once final structural testing has been completed, the new Aira Green jetty will be open to visitors from 6 June, who will then be able to sail from Glenridding to the new stop and experience all that Aira has to offer.
“We know that enjoying natural beauty is very important to our international visitors, so we need to make it as easy and accessible as possible for them to explore Britain’s rural areas,” said Balcombe. “This is precisely why the type of development work undertaken here in Ullswater to improve connectivity and facilities is so important, and demonstrates what can be achieved when partners work together to achieve a common goal.”
Comments are closed.