I’ve just spent a gorgeous weekend in the Lake District with my partner, and my feet are more than sore. But when I was there, something just didn’t make sense to me.
My partner and I drove to Ambleside, and after struggling to find a parking spot because it’s so popular, we finally managed to secure a spot. We went for a lovely stroll, got lunch, did some shopping (it wouldn’t be a trip without a book purchase) and finally found a cafe that did an iced coffee in the Lake District. We then wandered through the beautiful Rothay Park.
As we were about to drive almost an hour to our destination, I decided it was a wise move to use the bathroom. I’d already paid 60p in Grasmere to use the bathroom, and it left me in shock. 60p for a wee? And the machines were contactless too, so they’ve clearly caught up with the times, knowing hardly anybody would have 60p in change these days.
However, in Grasmere, the toilets did not offend me, so I didn’t think much of it. Plus, I figured that the 60p must be going some way to upkeep the facilities. In Rothay Park, sadly, this did not seem to be the case, and the lavatories left me gagging.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect public bathrooms to be scrubbed to within an inch of their life with the latest fittings, but a certain level of cleanliness I would expect. And yes, many people might be reading this thinking ‘shut up, it’s only 60p,’ but I heard one woman remark that it was ‘expensive’ to use a public restroom. And I’d be inclined to agree. Isn’t the point of a public toilet to be available to the public? What if someone were unable to pay for whatever reason? If they’d forgotten their card, or were older and didn’t have Apple Pay on their phone? It feels quite exclusionary, and I don’t love it. But anyway, I digress…
The toilets were rancid. They smelt absolutely vile, the floors were wet with mud, there were cobwebs everywhere, including spiders that looked fossilised, and the whole experience just truly made my skin crawl.
Paying for the privilege to wee, plus the facilities being grim, just felt like an insult. As I previously mentioned, I wouldn’t expect them to be stunning, but usable without making me feel nauseous would be ideal.
Charlene Iredale, Clerk and Finance Officer of Lakes Parish Council, explained the facilities at Rothay Park are a particular concern to them.
She explained: “Since circa 2013, the former South Lakeland District Council (now Westmorland and Furness Council) devolved several local services and assets. LPC chose to take on the operation of public conveniences, recognising their importance in such a busy tourist area of the Lake District.
“Without LPC stepping in, they would likely have been closed, as many others across Cumbria were at the time. As we found out over Covid, when our toilets were briefly closed, and people urinated/defecated all over town.
“LPC took ownership, introduced a small user charge, and continues to operate the facilities today. However, the running costs are significant.
“Due to the high visitor numbers, we experience substantial maintenance and repair issues – broken toilet seats, damaged fittings, missing toilet rolls, broken doors and locks, and vandalism are, unfortunately, frequent problems (a common issue reported by many other councils too, especially during peak months).
“Our annual cleaning bill alone is £55,000, and by the end of the 2024/25 financial year, our total toilet expenditure was £69,000.
“To make the facilities self-sustaining, LPC set the entry fee at 60p, which covers cleaning and maintenance costs. The aim is for the income to fully support this essential service and allow for future improvements. Despite this, two public conveniences in Ambleside have already had to close in recent years due to insufficient income.
“The toilet you referred to, Rothay Park WC, is, unfortunately, our most challenging site. We have considered closing it, but its proximity to the children’s play area makes that impractical. The Rothay Park toilets experience particularly heavy use at weekends due to visitors and Parkrun events, so they may not always be at their best when used by yourself. Our contractor, Danfo, services the site three times daily in winter and four times in summer, but it only takes one visitor to undo their hard work. The damp, muddy conditions of the park also add to the challenge.
“The building itself is outdated, and while we have explored replacing it with a modular unit, the cost – over £180,000- is currently beyond our reach. However, LPC is reviewing a comprehensive improvement plan across all facilities and intends to invest several thousand pounds to upgrade priority sites soon. The Council will decide shortly where best to ‘spend its pennies’.
“In the meantime, LPC works hard to keep the toilets open and functional. We receive very few complaints overall – most relate to the Waterhead toilets in Ambleside, which are not managed by LPC.”