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Unlocking Our Coastal Heritage Project

The ‘Unlocking Our Coastal Heritage’ project, led by the South West Coast Path Team, is well under way with £2.1m in European grant aid through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to be invested by 2013.

Its aim is to increase the economic value of the South West Coast Path by protecting and enhancing heritage features, improving the quality of the route and working with businesses to improve the facilities and information provided to visitors.

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.

It will be delivered 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. By encouraging links with private investors to raise additional funds, 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, RDPE Programme Manager for the DEFRA, the organisation responsible for delivering RDPE investments in the region.

 

Latest News

  • The South West Coast Path comes to the big screen

    Discover the secret coves and sandy beaches that inspired the characters in Summer in February - the film that everyone’s talking about this summer, by following in their footsteps along the South West Coast Path.

  • 365 Paintings in a Year on the South West Coast Path

    Devon artist Dave Crocker, has just completed his final work of art, painting a series of 365 coastal   landscapes from the South West Coast Path.

  • Coast Path Motographer of the Year 2013 competition

    The South West Coast Path team is encouraging budding mobile phone photographers of all ages to capture a moment in time on the Coast Path as part of its Coast Path Motographer of the Year 2013 competition.

  • New record set for completing the Coast Path!

    A new record has been set for the fastest completion of the South West Coast Path! Contours Walking Holidays' Managing Director, Mark Townsend and fellow runner, Julie Gardener, completed the full South West Coast Path in a record time of 14 days, 14 hours and 44 minutes.

     

  • Great South West Walk exceeds half a million!

    The South West Coast Path Association’s Great South West Walk came to a grand finale on Tuesday 7th May, raising over £500,000 for 90 improvement projects to the entire South West Coast Path covering Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

  • Latest news on path diversions

    Following numerous cliff falls over the past few months, many sections of the Coast Path have been diverted. Click for details of route changes.

  • Cliff fall near Lulworth Cove

    Following the landslide at St. Oswald’s Bay between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door on the morning of 30 April 2013, diversionary routes have been put in place by Dorset County Council and the Lulworth Estate, allowing the South West Coast Path to remain fully open and safe for visitors to this area. 

  • New slate waymarkers guide the way for Cornish walkers

    The sand dunes of west Cornwall attract thousands of local walkers and tourists every year who will now benefit from new slate waymarkers to guide the way along the South West Coast Path.

  • Five top family walks for summer

    Why not get out and about this summer and combine a family walk on the South West Coast Path with a host of other old-fashioned childhood pleasures, from crabbing in rockpools and exploring hidden coves, to following in the footsteps of giants.

  • Great South West Walk kicks off

    The Great South West Walk is underway - but still time to join up and help make the Coast Path even better.

Tweets

  • Look out for the South West Coast Path on the big screen this summer in @SummerInFeb http://t.co/r0tgOhfTGS
  • A marathon series of paintings by @davecrockerart go on show this week - all featuring the South West Coast Path! http://t.co/bXB6yU8TWw
  • @davecrockerart Well done Dave! Good luck with the expo. Will be posting a news item on our website shortly. Cheers!
  • @Velnoweth_house @ShopChelsea @AspectsHolidays @olivertomberry @oushkabags @SalcombeTrading @PorthmeorStIves A belated thanks for #FF

Facebook

  • MOTY2013
  • This Bank Holiday weekend, why not take a walk along the Cornish coast and discover the secret coves and sandy beaches that inspired the characters in Summer in February - the film that everyone’s talking about this summer.
  • https://www.facebook.com/events/136768679847133/ Exhibition of seascapes and coastal scapes by Sue Read til 14th june
  • The alternative route from Bude to Duckpool - 3 miles along the beach :-)
  • A marathon series of paintings by Dave Crocker go on show this week - all featuring the South West Coast Path! http://bit.ly/11Ry5qe
  • Walking from westward Ho to clovelly and back with Lynsey Goss training for our Trekfest hike across the Brecon beacons in June
  • Hello from Penzance! Staff here at YMCA Cornwall and Mullion YMCA just thought we would share with you that we are currently taking part in a Pedometer Challange where in teams, we are Walking the equivalent of The South West Coast Path and maping our route at certain stages to see who gets there first. At the end of the challenge, we all have a Bbq and presentation of awards and medals. We have found this to be a great staff team building 'bit of fun' and have found it encourages us all to get out there and take in some fresh air! Winners all round!
  • Enjoyed north devon coastal.walk fron westward ho to clovelly and back again on a lovely sunny day!! Nice to see the bluebells out in force the whole way!! 25Miles and no blisters!!
  • Keep your #MOTY2013 pictures coming in. Just remember, it must be taken on the South West Coast Path with a mobile phone and needs to have at least one person in it.