Cumbria, a county united against adversity, hell and highwaters, but divided by a road. No more. 

The north and south of the county have now been reconnected, reunited and relieved by the relaying of a small stretch of Tarmac.

The A591 has been called the spine and a major artery of the county.

Since December, a three-mile section of the road wrecked by the ruthless power of Storm Desmond, became known simply as “the gap”.

A road that was dubbed one of the best drives in the country and which took just a few minutes to travel, was transformed into a major logistical operation.

The journey between Grasmere and Keswick, which once took just 20 minutes, now took a two-hour, 80-mile detour for commuters, delivery drivers and day trippers.

In deepest midwinter, youngsters were guided along a walkway to the side of the collapsed road, and then onto a shuttle bus so that they could go to school.

At one point, the only commuting to be done along lake was on the newly-opened cycleway.

It has taken five months of repair, but 156 days after it was ripped open, the hole in the lives of many has been filled and the county is feeling whole again.

There have been complaints that it has taken too long and the need for the road has not been taken seriously enough by the government.

But the opening has come three weeks ahead of schedule and is a cause for celebration for businesses in Keswick, Grasmere and beyond.

Keswick mayor Paul Titley says the reopening is “fantastic news” that will improve business for his town and the county.

“From talking to friends of mine who run retail operations, the closure has had a serious effect and some have had to lay people off.

“Having one of your arteries cut is going to affect you.”

He believes the reopening will mean more to local people than to visitors: “People who live in Grasmere and live in Keswick or go to school in Keswick have been put to an awful lot of trouble.

“I’m not sure telling people that the Lake District and Cumbria is open again is necessary, a lot of them never knew it was shut.”

Linda Furniss, tourism manager at Keswick Tourism Association, says the closure badly affected life in the town.

“It has hit us extremely badly. The number of day visitors has dropped and that affects retails, cafes and restaurants and attractions.

“Our staying visitors have not been so affected, but coach trips have been decimated.”

The opening of the road signals the start of a week-long celebration for businesses in Grasmere and Keswick who have launched a special twinning association.

Linda Furniss explains: “Businesses in Keswick and Grasmere will be promoting each other for a whole week, telling customers to visit each other.

“The whole thing will culminate in a Champagne reception for everyone involved on May 20 at the King’s Head, Thirlmere, when we will have classic cars and coaches , businesses and school children all meeting up for a celebration.”

Roger Halliday, who runs Grasmere Weavers and the village Post Office, summed up emotions in his village: “My immediate reaction is ‘it’s about time’.

“It has probably cut my trade by half at least. The last few weeks have been really quiet compared to how they usually are.

“Some days there has been hardly anyone in the village. Some of the guesthouses have been quieter than they have been for tens of years.

“The work should have been done quicker, but the powers-that-be will just say ‘that is how long it takes to do that amount of work’.

“It is a big job, but it took a while to get going.”

Linda Furniss adds: “Easter would have been preferable for us, but the good news is that it is open now.

“It is open just in time for the Mountain Festival which starts next weekend and other events which follow soon after.”

The first to use the reopened road was Jane Hill and her five-year-old daughter Olivia.

The gap was at the end of their drive and meant a two hour drive via Penrith and Kendal to get Olivia to school in Grasmere. Rather than make that trek, mum and daughter spent a fortnight at a friend’s holiday cottage in Grasmere.

The shuttle bus for schoolchildren helped when it started in January, then Jane was given special permission to use a forest track down the west side of the lake to get Olivia to school.

“It is going to make such a difference it is unbelievable,” says the relieved mum.

“It has just been absolutely crazy trying to get Olivia to school.

“When we used the shuttle bus there was lots of snow, it was freezing and it was always raining. It was just a nightmare and Olivia was so tired.

“She thought of it as a bit of adventure, but she will be a bit happier now.

“Normally, we would set off at 8.40am to get to school but I was at the road at 8.10am because I wanted to make sure it was opening.

“It was really strange finally being able to drive on it. Olivia thought it was great.”

The road closure has severely hit business at the five-bed Dale Head Hall hotel and holiday cottages on the shore of the lake.

Jane is sales manager and the business is owned by her parents.

“The self-catering has dropped off a cliff, it has been absolutely awful,” says Jane.

“Initially, the hotel wasn’t hit as badly as we thought because we had the army staying to help clear the debris and contractors.

“We closed for Christmas and January, but since we reopened, it has been nowhere near as busy as usual.”

The question being asked now by many at either end of the road is how will it last and how well will it withstand the elements in the future?

A new 106 metre retaining wall has been constructed at Dunmail Raise, where part of the A591 was washed away in the storms, 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 90m stretch to prevent rocks falling onto the road.

Construction teams have been working seven days a week to repair the road and, at its peak, more than 100 workers from specialist contractors, most from Cumbria, including local stonemasons who covered the concrete retaining wall with more than 300 tonnes of stone reclaimed from the flood debris to ensure it blends in with the surroundings.

Mr Halliday is quietly confident about the work that has been carried out.

“There is a slight worry, but when the weather is that extreme, there is not a great deal you can do about it.

“The original road was built in 1940 and I’m fairly confident that they have rebuilt it to a better standard.”