England Coast Path

The England Coast Path is a proposed long-distance National Trail which will follow the coastline of England. When complete, it will be 2,795 miles (4,500 kilometres) in length.[1]

When complete, the England Coast Path will follow the whole coastline of England (with county boundaries shown)
Part of the South West Coast Path near Ilfracombe, North Devon

The trail is being implemented by Natural England, a non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment is protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment.[2] Although various National Trails already existed along England's coast, the first stretch of the official England Coast Path was opened at Weymouth Bay in Dorset in 2012.[3]

In December 2014 the UK Government, encouraged by the success of the Wales Coast Path, announced that more than £5 million of additional funding was being committed over the following 5 years, to complete the Path by 2020, a decade earlier than would have otherwise been possible.[4][5] In the UK public access to the foreshore, below the line marking high tide, has existed for a long time. The intertidal zone is generally deemed to be owned by the Crown although there are some exceptions. In England ownership of land extends only to the high water mark, and the Crown is deemed to own what lies below it.[6]

Because of a European court judgement in April 2018 regarding environmentally protected sites, progress has slowed, though Natural England hope to open "as much of the England Coast Path as it can by 2020".[7]

History
Gristhorpe Cliff Tops on the Cleveland Way, North York Moors National Park.

The final section of a long-distance coastal footpath running 630 miles (1,010 km) around the southwest coast of England, through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset (walking anti-clockwise) was designated as a National Trail in 1978.[8] Sections were opened earlier: in Cornwall, 1973, South Devon and Dorset Paths, 1974, Exmoor Coast, 1975.[9]

Before this, in Wales, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path had been opened in 1970. Following the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in 1952, Welsh naturalist and author Ronald Lockley surveyed a route around the coast.[10] Lockley's report for the Countryside Commission in 1953 was welcomed and broadly adopted. Some sections of the walk were existing rights-of-way, but the majority were in private hands, necessitating negotiation. Most landowners were in favour, and many benefitted from the erection of new fencing. Even today, however, the path in places detours from the obvious line where landowners were unwilling to accept a new right-of-way across their land.[11]

Right to roam

in 2000 the Government legislated to introduce a limited "right to roam", without compensation for landowners. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) was gradually implemented from 2000 onwards to give the general public the conditional right to walk in certain areas of the English and Welsh countryside, including coastal land. Developed land, gardens and certain other areas are specifically excluded from the right of access. Agricultural land is accessible if it falls within one of the categories described in the Act. People exercising the right of access have certain duties to respect other people's rights to manage the land, and to protect nature. The new rights were introduced region by region through England with completion in 2005. Maps showing accessible areas exist.

Cliffs of Dover on the Saxon Shore Way

The England Coast Path has been possible because of the introduction of a UK law, the Right of Coastal Access (Part 9 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009).[12][13] both along the England Coast Path and, usually, over the associated ‘coastal margin’.[14]

Natural England's Coastal Access Scheme was approved by the Secretary of State on 9 July 2013 under section 298(2) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, and presented to Parliament pursuant to section 298(6) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.[12]

The first instance of this new law was implemented on a stretch of the English coast at Weymouth Bay on 29 June 2012.[15]

This includes – where appropriate – any land, other than the trail itself, which forms part of the coastal margin and which has public rights of access along the way. This is known as ‘spreading room’. However, this does not include any right to enter private houses and gardens or Ministry of Defence land. The new right of Coastal Access also includes 'roll back', namely that if a section of coast erodes, the path will move back accordingly.[1]

Existing coastal trails
Bamburgh Castle, on the Northumberland Coast Trail
Main articles: List of long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom and National Trails

Existing coastal trails in England will be incorporated into the England Coast Path. There is, however, work to be done in upgrading and standardizing access and signage on these.[16]

The following is a list of some of the existing coastal paths. Information about other paths can be found on the Long Distance Walkers Associations web page.

Work in progress
St Bees Head, Cumbria Coastal Way

See the official website for the current situations: Natural England. Some right of way and foreshore access may already exist.

Linked trails
  • Offa's Dyke Path, a 177-mile (285 km) non-coastal route, also links the England Coast Path at its Welsh border, largely following the line of the remnants of Offa's Dyke, fairly close to the boundary between England and Wales.

Outline of the route

Natural England has divided the coast into 66 sections for planning purposes. The sections fall into five categories:

  • England Coast Path and associated access rights now open
  • Approved but not yet open
  • Work in progress
  • Estimated start 2016–17
  • Estimated start 2017–18

The sections (working anti-clockwise round England from the southern end of the Welsh border and using Natural England's areas) comprise:[5]

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See also

References
  1. "English Coast Path". nationaltrail.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  2. "Natural England". gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  3. Andrew McCloy, "The England Coast Path: The challenge of plotting a path by the sea" 6 May 2018 Cicerone
  4. "England Coast Path in sight!". Ramblers. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  5. "Coastal Access Completion by 2020 – Provisional Timings and Stretches" (PDF). Natural England. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  6. "S.O.U.L." Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  7. "England Coast Path: improving public access to the coast". Natural England. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  8. Countryside Agency (25 September 2003). "Coast Path is a £300M Money Spinner for the South West". Countryside Agency. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  9. "Our History", Southwest Coastal Path Association]
  10. Kelsall, Dennis; Kelsall, Jan (2005). The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path: From Amroth to St Dogmaels: A Practical Guide for Walkers (2nd ed.). Cicerone Press. ISBN 978-1852843786.
  11. John, Brian (2012). Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1845137823.
  12. Coastal Access - Natural England's Approved Scheme, 2013, retrieved 20 January 2017
  13. England Coast Path: improving public access to the coast, www.gov.uk, retrieved 16 August 2016
  14. Manage your land on the England Coast Path, www.gov.uk, retrieved 16 August 2016
  15. Weymouth Bay (PDF), retrieved 16 August 2016
  16. "Improving access to the coast", Natural England.
  17. Cowley, Bill (1969). The Cleveland Way. Dalesman Publishing.
  18. About this Trail - Cleveland Way - National Trails
  19. "Durham Coast Path", Long Distance Walkers Association
  20. "Northumberland Coast Path", Long Distance Walkers Association
  21. "The Saxon Shore Way". Walking Pages - Trails and Paths. p. 1. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  22. "England Coast Path new stretch opens in Somerset". BBC. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  23. "All-Wales coast path nears completion". BBC News Wales. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  24. "Wales Coast Path at a glance". The Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
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