The Bowder Stone in the Lake District is one of the UK's quirkiest tourist attractions and has been attracting visitors since the early 1800s, when visitors would marvel at the huge rock, estimated to weigh over 1,000 tonnes and standing at a height taller than six people It appears to be balanced on one edge, which gave visitors a sense of fear that it might suddenly fall over – a fear which delighted and excited tourists 100 years ago.  It is thought to have landed in that position after falling from Bowder Crag, 200 metres above where the stone now sits.

Joseph Pocklington, an eccentric gentleman, discovered the stone in 1798, and set about turning it into an attraction.  He built a ladder so that tourists could climb to the top and admire the view, even going as far as building a hermitage and standing stone to lend the place an air of mystery and magic.  Since then it has continued to be a popular destination, peaking in the Victorian era.  In the 1980s, a new wooden ladder was installed to replace the previous one, which had reached the end of its lifespan.  The National Trust, which has looked after the geological landmark since buying it in 1910, has applied to install a metal ladder to replace the old wooden one, so at the moment tourists have the rare chance to visit and photograph the stone without a ladder – as it would have looked when it was first found.

Local sculptural metalworker Chris Brammel is in line to design and build the ladder, which will be over 30 feet long and will evoke the style of the original ladder.  Chris, from nearby Ulverston, is taking advice from the local climbing community, who use the steps as a warm up, from the local authority and from images of the original ladder.  The project, which is still awaiting planning permission, is set to be completed next spring, so there's still plenty of time to take a rare photograph of this geological marvel without its trademark ladder before the new one is installed.