FAQs - Routes at Risk Appeal

FAQs on this page

• Contact the Supporter Care Team
• Why are you asking for support right now?
• Why are we asking for support right now?
• What does "Routes at Risk" actually mean?
• What are the routes at risk?
• Are routes really closing because of this?
• Are these routes safe to use right now?
• Why is extreme weather affecting routes so badly now?
• How will my donation help?
• Will my donation go to my local route?
• How quickly will my donation be used?
• How time-critical is the donation matching work?
• What is the limited time only?
• Who is the match funder?
• Is my donation definitely going to be matched?
• Does Gift Aid come on top of the match funding?
• Why can't local authorities or government pay for this work?

Contact the Supporter Care Team

Please contact our friendly Supporter Care Team using the following details:

Email: supporters@walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 303 2604
Post: 2 Cathedral Square, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5DD

Why are you asking for support right now?

Supporters may want to understand what makes this moment urgent, especially with references to extreme weather, landslips, and routes being in critical condition.

We’re asking now because acting now helps us carry out urgent repairs, protect routes, and make them more resilient before the damage becomes too costly to repair or even irreversible.

Extreme weather is damaging routes across the National Cycle Network more often and more severely than ever before. This is because extreme weather is becoming more common and we are experiencing wetter winters, due to the impacts of climate change. Heavy rainfall events are causing flooding and landslips up and down the country. This leads to drainage failures, which are putting some routes at risk of long-term closure. 

What does “Routes at Risk” actually mean?

Routes at Risk are sections of the Network that we have identified as vulnerable to extreme weather damage in the next 18 months. Specifically, this could mean damage from flooding, erosion, landslips, fallen trees, or degrading paths.

Without an urgent repair in the next 18 months, these routes could become unsafe, closed or inaccessible for the people who rely on them. Ultimately, we could have to close routes to protect our path users. But we know how much people rely on the Network for safe, accessible journeys, and so we’re asking today to help us address these problems early and fix as many as possible.

What are the routes at risk?

Here is a list of routes we have identified that are vulnerable to extreme weather damage, which we are aware of and that need our attention in the next 18 months. This list is not exhaustive, and is only a small percentage of the challenges we’re aware of:

• Route 1 – Warkworth flood
• Route 2 – Lydd
• Route 3 – St Austell, Bawdrip, Tiverton Parkway link
• Route 4 – Black Mill
• Route 5 – Kennington, Chester Millennium Greenway
• Route 6 – Fallowfield Loop, Irwell Vale
• Route 7 – Cumbria, Lochwinnoch, Northeast, Cleator Moor
• Route 10 – Seaton and Caerton
• Route 24 – Colliers Way
• Route 27 – Plym Valley Path: Lee Moor Tramway
• Route 31 – Tidenham
• Route 33 – Dillington
• Route 45 – Deeside Wales
• Route 47 – Swiss Valley
• Route 57 – Phoenix Trail
• Route 62 – Liverpool Loopline, Godley Apethorn
• Route 65 – Tansy Wood / Skelton
• Route 66 – Calderdale Hebden Bridge
• Route 67 – Castle Greenway
• Route 69 – West Vale
• Route 76 – Near St Margaret's Station, Dunfermline
• Route 78 – Loch Oich (Invergarry), Glenachulish (Ballachulish)
• Route 196 – Loanhead
• Route 423 – Peregrine Path
• Route 544 – Didcot Upton
• Route 601 – Ashton Greenway and NCN 6 Fallowfield Loop
• Route 674 – Thurcroft Dinnington

Being custodians of the Network means we look after the network, but don’t own every mile.

Are routes really closing because of this?

Sadly, yes. The Swiss Valley route in south Wales is one recent example, where a sudden landslip on 4 November 2025, caused by heavy rainfall, caused a landslip approximately 15 metres deep (5 stories), by 20 metres wide. This has severed the route entirely and could take years to reopen.

Closures like this are becoming more common as extreme weather events increase. Some we are able to fix before being severed. Some we get too late, because of the unpredictability of the intensity of the rainfall. Some paths may be on routes which are on other stakeholders' land, outside of our ability to repair on our own, such as Spey Viaduct.

But what is becoming more apparent is that the Network needs as much help as it can get so we can save more routes at risk. We need your help today to make more routes resilient for the future.

Are these routes safe to use right now?

We monitor routes carefully and close sections when safety is a concern. We always encourage users to check local route information before travelling, especially after severe weather.

Why is extreme weather affecting routes so badly now?

Our Network was built on a mixture of infrastructure types, including closed railway lines. We manage historic structures, railway embankments, bridges and tunnels. With even some of the infrastructure on the Network, first built in the Victorian era, being over 200 years old.

The problem we face now is that we are maintaining and repairing more than building new routes. Over time, these structures have become weaker. And now, with heavier rainfall becoming the norm, the structures and foundations weren’t built for the weather conditions we are increasingly seeing. They’re deteriorating at a rapid rate because of the impacts of climate change.

Climate change is caused by more emissions being released into our atmosphere, which is causing more unpredictable, extreme weather events.

We have been working tirelessly to maintain and rebuild structures year after year to keep routes open for all. But there is still so much more to be done.

How will my donation help?

Your donation won’t be restricted to a single route. Instead, it will be used wherever the need is greatest across the charity. Your gift could help fund vital work such as:

• repairing or replacing broken culverts – preventing sinkholes, and erosion of structures
• improving drainage to prevent flooding
• stabilising land to reduce the risk of landslips

This work is vital to help keep routes safe, open and accessible for everyone. While upgrading routes to make them more resilient to still be here for the future, for whatever the weather.

Will my donation go to my local route?

Your donation won’t be restricted to a single route. Instead, it will be used wherever the need is greatest across the charity. This allows us to prioritise projects, respond quickly to emergencies and make the biggest possible difference overall, which ultimately could mean saving your local route.

How quickly will my donation be used?

Because your kind donation to this appeal is not restricted to specific projects and is used wherever the need is greatest in the charity, we aim to put it to work as soon as possible. We are already working tirelessly to repair Routes at Risk. Some repairs are urgent and time critical, while others help strengthen routes to prevent future damage. Either way, your support helps us act as quickly as possible to where the work is needed most.

How time-critical the donation matching work?

For a limited time, a generous funder has promised to match donations made by supporters in England. That means your gift can have double the impact, helping us carry out twice as much work at no extra cost to you.

What is the limited time only?

All gifts from donors in England received up until 23:59 on 31 March 2026 up to a total match fund of £50,000, whichever comes first. £50,000 is the total gifted from our generous Match funder.

Who is the match funder?

Active Travel England is donating the match fund for this appeal for supporters in England. All matched funds will be used to support the repair, maintenance and improvement of the National Cycle Network. We are so thankful to all our supporters, new, long-standing and everyone in between. And we want you to know that we are also working with local businesses, organisations, trusts, foundations, local councils and the government to advocate for a connected, high-quality Network.

This so we can help keep the Network open, safe and accessible to all. We need to all work together to keep this National asset available to everyone to use.

Is my donation definitely going to be matched?

All eligible donations from residents in England will be matched until the match fund is fully used, or until 23:59 on 31 March 2026. Provided you donate with an England postcode, there are no additional actions that you need to take to have your gift matched.

Does Gift Aid come on top of the match funding?

Yes. If you’re a UK taxpayer and choose to add Gift Aid, we can claim an extra 25% on your donation at no additional cost to you — on top of the matched funding.

Why can’t local authorities or government pay for this work?

We work closely with councils, landowners and other partners wherever possible. However, public funding alone isn’t enough to meet the growing challenges caused by extreme weather. Charitable support plays a vital role in keeping routes open and safe.