About us

The South West Coast Path Team is responsible for co-ordinating the management and promotion of the 630-mile National Trail. Our work is funded by Natural England and we’re supported in our task by the many rangers and wardens employed by the highway authorities and the National Trust who maintain the path to a high standard and thus ensure this remains one of the world’s greatest walks.

The Team’s role is:

To provide an independent voice on behalf of the South West Coast Path and to influence appropriate organisations for the benefit of the National Trail.
To hold the strategic overview of the entire South West Coast Path.
To be a centre of expertise on the management issues of the Coast Path and advise those carrying out management.
To monitor and co-ordinate Coast Path management and maintenance on behalf of Natural England.
To act as a catalyst enabling regional and strategic projects to take place, by assessing need, planning, providing the project framework and if appropriate, raising funds
To develop and promote the economic and well-being benefits of the South West Coast Path for visitors, residents, communities and businesses in the region.
To encourage the consistent management and promotion of the trail to the highest standards.
To provide path-wide information and marketing materials

More details of our work can be found in our 2009-10 Coast Path Annual Review, the South West Coast Path Framework for Action 2007-12, or on the latest news pages.

We’d like to know what you think about this website and about walking the South West Coast Path. If you encounter a problem on the path, to help us forward the details to the right person and for them to quickly locate it then please use this problem reporting page.

For other queries, you can contact us through the Forum or direct on swcpteam@devon.gov.uk

Meet the Team

Mark Owen

The National Trail Officer for the South West Coast Path, Mark has been with the team for 9 years. Prior to that he worked in a variety of countryside jobs, including as Countryside Recreation Officer for the South Devon Coast and Countryside Service, where he looked after the section of Coast Path between Plymouth and Brixham. This stretch of coastline remains one of his favourites.

He said: “The sheer variety of landscapes and nature on this stretch of coast provides so many points of interest with spectacular views and it’s different every time. If you’re lucky you’ll spot seals along the route. It’s quite tough at times but an enjoyable challenge with great views.

Tasked with walking a third of the path every year to complete path management surveys and check the conditions meet the required high standards of all National Trails, Mark has completed the entire path several times and South Devon remains one of his favourite sections. Try one of the longer walks from Salcombe to Torcross in the section guides.

Mark can be contacted on mark.owen@devon.gov.uk

Alex Green

The Communications and Project Officer for the South West Coast Path – Alex is the newest member of the team after joining in November 2009. Her previous experience in local newspaper journalism and in marketing and PR for the Nottinghamshire tourist board, has given her the industry insight to raise the profile of the Coast Path in the media and the public eye. A born and bred Midlander, Alex had planned to move to the South West since studying for a degree at Falmouth College of Arts. Whilst there she spent plenty of time on the Coast Path in Cornwall and loves the contrasting landscapes along the Roseland and Lizard peninsulas. She said: "There's plenty more for me to discover and I’m looking forward to the challenge of walking the entire length of the path within the next couple of years".

"I regularly visit the South Devon coast and particularly like the walk from Thurlestone to Bantham, where you can look out to Burgh Island on one side and the Avon estuary on the other." An alternative would be this short circular walk from Bantham.

To find out more about the South West Coast Path in the news or for research and media enquiries, take a look at the media page or email Alex alex.green@devon.gov.uk

Elizabeth Robertson

The Administrative Support Officer for the South West Coast Path, Liz has been with the team on a part time basis for four years after covering maternity leave. Prior to joining the team, Liz spent over seven years in the Royal Air Force, which took her to Italy, Kosovo and Cyprus as well as the UK and Ireland. Since then she has had three children of her own and likes to take them on family friendly walks along the South West Coast Path.

She said: "I've been to Tintagel a few times and the kids love it – even in bad weather they had fun. We followed one of the circular walks downloadable from the website.

"I'd like to see more of the Dorset coastline. I’ve been to Golden Cap – the highest point on the South West Coast Path and that was impressive."

Liz is responsible for the image gallery and has the difficult job of shortlisting hundreds of images in the annual photography competition. The standard of entries in the competition gets better every year. We have stunning pictures of the most recognisable locations such as Durdle Door and St Michael's Mount. It's really nice to receive pictures of the Coast Path from lesser know sections too, such as the towns and villages it goes through, as well as the nature and wildlife found along the way.

To find out more about the Image gallery click here.

Liz can be contacted on elizabeth.robertson@devon.gov.uk

About us: The Official Guide to the South West Coast Path