Rally cars will be thundering through the forest in December. Photo: Steven Brown CC-BY-SA-2.0

Walkers and cyclists will be excluded from a popular area of a national park for one day in December.

Footpaths and bridleways, along with forest trails, will be out of bounds to outdoor enthusiasts to allow the Grizedale Stages to take place in the Lake District.

Dozens of high-powered cars will be competing on the woodland trails and tracks on Saturday 1 December in an area which is usually the ‘home’ of more leisurely pursuits.

Horse riders will also need to stay clear of Grizedale Forest while the rally is staged.

National park management teams will close all routes where the rally is taking place to avoid any potential conflict between walkers and drivers.

All footpaths, bridleways and trails between Coniston Water and the Hawkshead-Satterthwaite Road, and three others at Broughton Moor, will be out of bounds during the event.

The Forestry Commission will also be closing most permitted paths, cycle routes and open access land around the route. However, routes on the east side of the Hawkshead to Satterthwaite road will remain open for use as usual.

Signs will outline path closures and the Lake District National Park Authority’s countryside access assistant Julia Knott apologised for any inconvenience on this one day.

She said: “By working in partnership with organisations such as the Forestry Commission we can help to deliver economic benefits for both the rally organisers and the wider community. The rally is estimated to generate income for the area of around £100,000.”

The authority said closed paths and tracks will be marked with notices. They will reopen as soon as possible after the event, it said.