Access to the coast ‘unsatisfactory’

Frustrated walkers have long known how difficult it is to walk unobstructed along England’s coast, but a new report confirms the sheer scale of the problem. Over a third of the country’s coastline is either inaccessible or lacks secure access, according to an audit of coastal paths conducted by Natural England. The government agency has a budget of £50million to deliver a continuous coastal path around England over the next decade, but found that currently walkers can go on average just two miles before being blocked or entering an area where access is only permissive or de facto. Coastline in the North West was found to be the worst, with 56% classed as having unsatisfactory access. Even the South West – whose coastal path is held up as a blue print for the national version – lacks good access to nearly a quarter of its shores. Justin Cooke, Ramblers senior policy officer, says: “This vital work by Natural England shows the scale of the problem and of the job ahead. It also shows that access is shockingly bad in some of the traditional key tourist areas, such as the North Kent Coast, the Lake District and Lincolnshire. It’s time to make the whole of our fantastic coast open to all and share the financial benefits more enlightened accessfriendly areas already receive from walkers.” Work planning the actual route of the coastal path – which will become a National Trail – will begin simultaneously in local authorities around the country once the Marine and Coastal Access Bill is made law in November. The Bill will also include provisions for the right of way to roll inland in response to erosion; it’s estimated 13% of England’s coastal paths would otherwise be lost through landslips over the next 20 years.

Image: Natural England, whose site has more information on the report and access…