To celebrate the 175th anniversary of Carr’s Flour, a new national walking trail, The Miller’s Way, has been officially opened in Cumbria. At 51 miles long, the trail starts in Kendal, ends in Carlisle and traverses some of the county’s most spectacular scenery. Commemorating the journey made by company founder Jonathan Dodgson Carr in 1831, the route is featured in an Eric Robson Out of Town DVD and TV programme as well as a guide book (available from [http://www.carrsbreadmaker.info]).

Supported by Cumbria Tourism and already walked by ramblers from all over the UK, the lowland trail follows some of the original turnpikes used by JD Carr in his original journey and passes by the ruins of Shap Abbey and Lowther Castle.

Carrs Breadmaker, a brand of Carr’s Milling Industries, commissioned experienced ramblers Stan Benson and Mabel Little to plot the new route, which took 18 months of determined walking and map reading.

Caroline Dale, marketing manager of Carrs Breadmaker, says: "For our 175th anniversary, we wanted to create something that fitted the ethos of JD Carr, who was not only a great industrialist but a great social reformer. It is gratifying that so many keen walkers, from Cumbria and the rest of the UK, are now walking the route and enjoying the Cumbrian countryside."

Also for the 175th anniversary, the company has restored an original Carel steam engine that once powered its flour mill at Silloth on the west coast of Cumbria. Described by TV steeplejack Fred Dibnah as a "jewel of the north", the steam engine was built in Belgium in 1904. It drove a giant flywheel, which in turn provided all the energy for the mill’s operations until well into the 1970s. The building in which it is housed has been turned into a museum.

A special party was held at the Silloth mill and customers, retired mill workers and local VIPs visited the museum to see the steam engine in action.

Carrs Breadmaker is continuing to look for innovative ways to publicise its brand, using original and imaginative PR campaigns to reflect the traditions and values of the Cumbrian company. n