The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: investing in rural areas

Coast Path attracts £2.5m investment

A project to improve the visitor experience along the South West Coast Path has been awarded £2.1m in European grant aid through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

It’s one of six projects in the region to share a total grant worth over £14m, all of which have a common agenda - to make the most of the region’s landscape and features as part of a Sustainable Rural Tourism theme.

The ‘Unlocking Our Coastal Heritage’ project, led by the South West Coast Path Team, is a three-year series of investments to conserve, enhance and interpret 30 nationally important historic and archaeological sites along the Coast Path.

It will be achieved in partnership with The National Trust and local Highways Authorities to improve the information provided about the coast, and so increase enjoyment and understanding of its environmental, historic, cultural and natural features.

Key to this project’s success will be closer working with the tourism sector, so that visitors are made more aware of what the Coast Path gives access to. For 630 miles it passes through four different counties, from Minehead in Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall, to the shores of Poole Harbour.

By encouraging links with private investors to raise a total fund of £2.5m, it intends to improve the overall experience at specific tourism businesses along the Coast Path and thus increase their dwell time and visitor spend.

The coast and countryside are the main reasons people visit the South West according to research by South West Tourism. Their latest Visitor Survey (2009) cites walking as the most popular activity (37%), while the beach and coast came second (18%) on their list of things to do in the region.

Combining the two, the South West Coast Path is the jewel in the region’s crown, providing a continuous trail around the South West peninsula and giving access to some of the best coastal viewpoints in the country. It’s estimated to be worth more than £222m to the regional economy and this is set to increase.

”This project has the potential to bring significant benefits to rural economies and to visitors, without damaging the environment that they have come to enjoy,” said Mike Johns, Programme Manager for the South West RDA, the organisation responsible for delivering RDPE investments in the region.

Mark Owen, South West Coast Path National Trail Officer said:

“Over the next few months this project will begin to take shape and some smaller elements will see immediate improvements.

“There’s already plenty to discover on the Coast Path and our website has a series of short walks that can be downloaded for free, all of which reveal the fascinating stories that the coastline represents, from pirate raids to inspiring poets.”

Other projects include improvement to the World Heritage mining sites, inland water bodies, cycle and multi-use trails and the natural habitat. All these projects will see huge benefits to the regional economy as well as improved recreational access to the countryside. In brief, the other five projects are:

1 South West – A partnership led by the Forestry Commission to develop easy access off-road cycling locations suitable for beginners, with the aim of making South West England a world-class region for adventurous off-road cycling.

Enjoy Water – A partnership led by South West Lakes Trust to develop water-side recreation – ranging from wildlife watching to regional racing and canoe safaris - at six interlinked hubs situated at reservoirs and lakes across the region.

Discover the Extraordinary – World Heritage has ambitious plans for developing the quality and appeal of the World Heritage mining sites in Cornwall and West Devon.

Rural Sports Tourism – A partnership between the West Country Rivers Trust and the British association for Shooting and Conservation will be looking to develop the full potential of the region’s country sports market and its related supporting industries.

TRAC – Cornwall Council is working with businesses to develop links between the Camel and Tarka multi-use trails around tourism hot spots on the coast between Cornwall and Devon.