Wales Coast Path
LAUNCHED in 2012, the Wales Coast Path was claimed to be the first dedicated footpath in the world to cover the entire length of a country’s coastline.
The Wales Coast Path runs through 11 national nature reserves and other nature reserves such as those managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and The Wildlife Trusts.
Plans for the new all-Wales coastal path were first unveiled by First Minister Rhodri Morgan in June 2006, when he officially opened the 125-mile (201km) route around Anglesey.
The idea for the path was developed from a desire to build upon the economic success of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path. In addition to financial benefits, it was also seen as an important initiative in encouraging both locals and visitors to discover and enjoy outdoor spaces, and the health and welfare benefits that such paths provide.
The Wales Coast Path was developed by the Welsh Government in partnership with the former Countryside Council for Wales (now Natural Resources Wales), 16 local authorities, and two National Parks.
The path is 870 miles (1,400km) in length and follows the coast from the mouth of the River Dee, along the northern coast of Wales with its seaside towns such as Conwy, over the Menai Strait onto the Isle of Anglesey, past Caernarfon, and then around the Llŷn Peninsula and down the sweep of Cardigan Bay past Harlech, Aberystwyth, and Cardigan, through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to Tenby, around the Gower Peninsula to Swansea, along the waterfront of Cardiff Bay and Cardiff, to Chepstow.
The whole path is accessible to walkers and, where practical, some sections are suitable for cyclists, families with pushchairs, people with restricted mobility, and horse riders.
The Wales Coast Path is not a National Trail although it does link with the Offa’s Dyke Path, which loosely follows the Wales–England border. Together they make a 1,030-mile (1,660km) continuous walking route around almost the whole of Wales.
The official opening of the path took place in a number of locations on 5 May 2012, highlighting the path’s beauty and ease of access for walkers of all ages, fitness and ability. To help celebrate the opening, Ramblers Cymru hosted the Big Welsh Coastal Walk, one of the largest mass-participation events ever seen in Wales.
The first anniversary of the opening of the path was marked on radio and television, and it is estimated that in that first year some 2.8 million people walked stretches of the path, contributing £16m to the Welsh economy. Further to this, it is estimated that more than 800,000 visitors to the path also stayed the night in one of the many guest-houses, B&Bs and hotels along the route.
The Open Spaces Society has criticised some landowners who do not allow the path onto their coastal land. This meant that 170 miles (270km) – more than 20% of the route – was on roads, sometimes out of sight of the sea.
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