Coastal access brings St Ives top seaside town award
13/07/2007
Good quality access for walkers has helped St Ives win The Guardian's ' Best Seaside Town Award' (Saturday 14 July). The Ramblers' Association, the leading campaigners for increased access to the English coast, says the award demonstrates the importance of and popular support for coastal access. It is pushing for other seaside towns to emulate St Ives.
Kate Ashbrook, chairman of the Ramblers' Association, was one of the 22 judges for the Award, choosing the winner from a shortlist of 12.
Says Kate: 'In considering the 12 towns, I looked for examples of good coastal access and public rights of way in the immediate area, guaranteeing a warm welcome, as well as curbing the car by using park-and-ride schemes and public transport.
'I voted for St Ives in Cornwall, the winner, because our local volunteers were so enthusiastic about the much improved coastal access, with the South West Coast Path offering a wonderful coastal experience all the way to Zennor and beyond. And there's a bus service around the peninsula to Land's End and Penzance, and to the nearby Penwith Moors where the public now has the right to walk, thanks to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The town has park-and-ride, preventing it from becoming clogged with cars and pollution.
'We hope that the government will soon introduce a new public right to walk on coastal land, so that the excellent example of St Ives may be emulated all around the English coast.'
Guardian readers nominated their favourite towns on the coast including Brighton, Blackpool, Southwold and St David's in Pembrokshire. The nominations were whittled down to 12 and passed onto a panel of judges including Kate Ashbrook, Rick Stein, Bill Bryson and Blake Morrison.
The Guardian Guide To The Seaside is published free with The Guardian on Saturday 14 July featuring hundreds of ideas for how to make the most of the British and Irish seaside, from finest coastal walks and cycle rides to the best places to go rockpooling and build sandcastles.