The Case for Coast

A National Trail for our Island Nation The Ramblers

The Case for Coast: A national trail for our island nation

The England Coast Path is an inspirational project that will open up our entire coastline for everyone to enjoy. It will create a 3,000 mile path around our country. The path will connect the white cliffs of Dover with the secret coves of Cornwall, the fishing villages of North Yorkshire with the wide-open landscapes of Norfolk and Suffolk. From short strolls along promenades to lung- busting hikes over hills, it will provide a wealth of opportunities to get out there, smell the salt in the air and stretch your legs. But it won’t just be walkers that will benefit from this inspirational project. It’s a legacy for the entire nation. It will: G boost economic growth, generating millions of pounds for a fraction of investment G breathe new life into coastal communities, some of which are amongst the most deprived in the country G connect people with their local environment, helping people experience the natural world around them G improve health and wellbeing, offering This is an inspirational project which people new opportunities to unwind and will increase tourism and boost get active coastal economies, connect communities G reconnect people with their heritage, and create more opportunities for people to allowing us to strengthen our identity as enjoy all the benefits and simple an island nation pleasures of being by the seaside.

Benedict Southworth, Ramblers CEO The Wales Coast Path opened last year, putting Wales on the map as a new global tourist destination. People in Scotland can already enjoy the entire Scottish coast, thanks to the Land Reform Act 2003. Once completed, the England Coast Path will connect with these coastlines to create a path like nowhere else in the world.

2 The Case for Coast A National Trail for our Island Nation

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

Being by the sea is one of life’s simple pleasures. Coast Path Progress 2 We all have memories of playing on the beach as children: going for a paddle, hunting for crabs in G Sunderland rock pools, building sandcastles and running Allonby G G Hartlepool around on the sand. The coast instils a kind of G Whitehaven calm in many of us, helping us to unwind. As a G Silecroft G Speeton nation we certainly do love to be beside the seaside. Despite this over a third of our coastline remains out of bounds. 1 The Marine and Coastal Access Act, which passed into law in 2009, changed this, providing for Weybourne G the creation of a complete path around England’s G G Open Sea Palling coast, as well as access to all beaches and foreshores. G G This law guarantees that, when complete, the path will Due to open next year Hopton-on-Sea ‘roll back’ on to the land immediately behind it should G Finalising the route coastal erosion occur. G Planning the route At the time, it was hoped the new coast path would be completed within a decade. Yet – four years on, only Ramsgat e G one 20 mile stretch (Rufus Castle on Portland to G Brean Down Minehead G Folkestone G Lulworth Cove), has been opened. Next spring sees G the opening of a further two sections from Allonby to Camber G Whitehaven in Cumbria and Hartlepool to Sunderland Lyme Regis G in the north east. Beyond that, for the remaining 2,900 G Lulworth miles of coast path, the future remains uncertain. Portlan d

The Ramblers is calling What about the on the Government to: Isle of Wight?

G Commit to funding the The Isle of Wight isn’t coast path project through included in the project, to completion. along with all other islands which cannot G Publish a full timetable be reached by foot at for completion. low tide. G Include the Isle of Wight The Ramblers has in the final coast path. campaigned to get the island incorporated into the coast path, receiving backing from the Chamber of Commerce and Isle of Wight Council .

3 The Ramblers Boosting economic growth

In 2012 visitors to England’s outdoors spent £21 One of the billion. 3 This figure is increasing as outdoor challenges the activity continues to remain a growth sector Isle of Wight has is that (now contributing 1.65 % of total GDP 4). Clearly, the south east of investing in walking more than pays for itself, England is seen as the and particularly in projects which generate vital wealthiest part of the new sources of income for rural communities. UK. In reality we are Coast paths have a special appeal, drawing in walkers one of the poorest from far afield, as well as overseas tourists. The Wales Coast Path, opened in spring 2012, cost £16 million to wards in the UK and our youth construct yet generated twice that (£32 million) in unemployment rate is about 24 per cent. 5 tourist spending in its first year. The biggest business by far is tourism – The England Coast Path will bring similar benefits with close to 2.4m visits made to the island and boost economic growth in England. Costing just £1 a metre to construct (costing an estimated £4.5 last year. million over 20 years), 6 it is projected to bring in millions Walking is very much part of what we offer more than this, directly benefitting hard-pressed to visitors. We have a walking festival every local economies. year that attracts tens of thousands of people and we have people coming throughout the 7 South West Coast Path in 2011 rest of year too. G 6 million visitors You can walk around the island, but about a G £386.6 million generated third of the route comes inland – sometimes for the South West’s it’s a couple of miles. economy We hope that the Isle of Wight will G Supported be part of the England Coast Path. 9,000 jobs Simon Dabell, Chair, Visit Isle of Wight

The cost per metre: 8

Coast Path: Motorway: £1 £18,000

4 The Case for Coast A National Trail for our Island Nation Breathing new life into coastal communities

England’s coastal communities are amongst the Most of our most deprived in the country. 9 They include guests come to Margate, Great Yarmouth and Skegness, towns us for short breaks of a which once thrived on their status as holiday destinations. As times changed, package couple of nights and holidays and cheap flights opened up overseas walking is one of the holidays; many once-popular seaside towns main things they do were left behind. when they are here. The England Coast Path will bring new hope to such What we have to offer communities. As a year-round activity, walking is a whole range of things to do and walking is supports local businesses beyond the traditional very much part of that mix. ‘bucket and spade’ summer months. These businesses include not only B&Bs and hotels but Our aim as a tourism business here on the cafés, pubs and others which cater to the food trade. Suffolk coast is to try to make this more of a Walkers spend over half their money on food and year-round destination, and walking is very drink. 10 From Norfolk samphire and Whitstable oysters much part of the area’s out-of-season appeal. to Blackpool rock and Grimsby fish and chips, visitors will sample a variety of unique local coastal specialities Winter days can be some of the best days of before walking those calories off on the coast path. the year. There’s nothing better than going out for a good walk then coming back to sit in front of a fire and have a good meal. Every £1 spent by walkers: What we’re about is providing a really high quality destination and the English Coast Path will make a contribution to that. 9p 4p Tim Rowan-Robinson, Managing Director, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh Hotels Ltd, Suffolk Admission fees Equipment 6p Travel Souvenirs Other 14p 13p

Many seaside towns and villages have suffered decades of economic decline... We need to invest in coastal 54p Food and Drink towns to help their economies grow. Department for Communities and Local Government 11

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Connecting people with nature

As people adopt increasingly busy lifestyles, Our coast was concerns have arisen about an emerging ‘nature a coalfield, and deficit disorder’, where people feel disconnected that had a massive from the natural world around them. 12 impact on the In seeking to reconnect people with nature the environment. People Government is exploring opportunities which allow came here on people, particularly children, to reacquaint themselves with the world around them and experience wildlife and business, but nobody open spaces for themselves. came for a daytrip – By providing access to England’s entire coastline the that was unheard of. England coast path will benefit not just city dwellers Thanks to the work that’s been done to clear and office-bound workers but also those living in coastal communities themselves. Many people up the legacy of industry, people are currently find they cannot access their nearby beaches rediscovering the Durham coast. and cliffs; others find that where coastal paths are At the moment there’s public access to some available they often make for an unpleasant experience, running alongside dangerous roads or of the coast, but not all of it. The England suddenly turning inland and away from the sea. Coast Path will change all that. For example, it will link Sunderland to Seaham, the next How accessible is your local coastline? town to the south, and go through former colliery villages. 33 North East Those communities are really excited by it because they will get access to the coast 67 where they have never had it before. In the 30 past there wasn’t that connection because North West Yorkshire & The Humber the coast had been trashed – people turned 70 their backs on it. 44 56 61 39 That attitude is changing. Where people do East have access they’re getting involved. It’s Midlands allowing us to get children in touch with the natural environment close to home, which is something their parents and grandparents G Accessible 32 68 just didn’t have. G Inaccessible East of So much comes from something as simple England as a path. For me, its local impact is so important. Some of the more deprived 37 wards of the city of Sunderland are going to 24 63 get reconnected to the coast 76 and that is a huge benefit. South East Niall Benson, Durham Heritage Coast Officer South West 1,827 921 Total: 2,748 miles

6 The Case for Coast A National Trail for our Island Nation

Improving health and well-being

Victorians believed there was something in the Regular walking will sea air that was a cure for many maladies, reduce your risk of: 15 sending the sick to the coast to recuperate. G Coronorary heart disease Today, physical inactivity is one of Britain’s biggest killers. 13 Walking is the easiest way to get active, and stroke 20 –35% improve your health and boost well-being. Be it a G Type 2 diabetes 35 –50% simple stroll or a lengthy trek, walking helps you relax and can even help improve your outlook on life. Studies G Colon cancer 30 –50% show walking can reduce depression by 30%, and that G Breast cancer 20% being by the coast is particularly good for you. Anyone who has visited the coast can appreciate the calming G Hip fracture 36 –68% effects of being by the sea and most of us return feeling relaxed and revitalised. 14 G Depression 20 –30% The England Coast Path will be both a prevention and G Alzheimer’s disease 60% a cure for many modern-day illnesses, creating numerous new walking opportunities to inspire people to get active and stay healthy. The Victorians were right about the coast and health – there is definitely something in the sea air!

I have two part-time jobs and work 46 hours a week, so if I can find just a couple of hours on a Sunday to go walking, that just makes my weekend. Last weekend we all went camping with some friends up on the Cumbria coast and had a lovely time. We were just five minutes from the beach. We went for one walk that must have been about six miles altogether and Alfie had no problem with it. I think it helped that we were on the beach and there was sand We’re not that far from Blackpool or from and rockpools. Southport, but there aren’t really that many places that you can go to along the We went through some dunes and found Lancashire coast. If there was a coast path a river and the water was crystal clear; it we’d definitely use it, it would be brilliant. was so peaceful. We all stood for ages throwing stones into the water. It was the To know that there was somewhere new to sort of day that brings your childhood back, go to as a family would be great. Somewhere that reminds you of a time before you had a we could take a picnic, have a mortgage. Nobody really wants to grow up, walk and really make a day of it. do they? Paula Armstrong, Mum to Alfie age 4, Lancashire

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Rediscovering our national heritage

We are an island nation, and our coastline helps I will define our very identity. From Shakespeare never defining our island as a “precious stone set in the tire of walking silver sea” 16 to the White Cliffs of Dover sustaining our fabulous morale during World War Two, our coastline sits coastline. at the heart of what it means to be English. There’s a walk to The England Coast Path will create a new National match every Trail which will celebrate this identity and for the first mood and time join together England’s many coastal delights with Scotland’s and Wales’ in one continuous path every season – around Britain. the Seven Just about everyone has a vision of a cherished Sisters in Sussex seaside that they carry with them. Whether that’s a is one of my favourite West Country fishing village or a Victorian all-time seaside resort, we celebrate the diversity of our coast, favourites. the regional identities it has helped to form and the pride it inspires. There’s the eeriness of Dungeness, As a nation, salt marshes in Suffolk, Durham’s former coalfields, we’re defined by sand-dunes in Formby, the chalk cliffs of Sussex, Dorset’s Jurassic coast, wide open skies in Norfolk, our coastline – Cornish caves, Northumberland castles... to name it’s hard to police, full of secret coves and just a few! isolated beaches. The coastline reflects the continuous battle to remain independent – from ancient castles and forts to World War Two defences. We’re proud of our sailors and fishermen, with a rich tradition of seaside fun for all classes. Our coastal communities define why England is so special – from the stylish Regency terraces of Brighton and Hove to humble fishing villages like Staithes. Walking this coastline gives a unique insight into our past and our future, and it is appalling that around a third of it is out of bounds. The creation of a coastal route that’s open to all is my dream and one the What a wonderful thing: to walk government should grasp – creating a Coastal the entire length of a country's path for England is not only good for tourism, coastline, to trace its every nook, cranny, it delivers vital access for everyone cliff-face, indent and estuary. How better to enjoy our heritage. to truly appreciate the shape – and soul – of a nation? Janet Street-Porter, writer and broadcaster Lonely Planet on the Wales Coast Path 17

8 The Case for Coast A National Trail for our Island Nation

References 1 Natural England, Coastal Access Audit Report, 2007 2 Natural England, Coastal Access Audit Report, 2007 3 Natural England, Monitoring Engagement of the Natural Environment, 2012 report 4 Britain on Foot, Everyone’s Walking About it, 2013 5 Economic Impact on Wales Coast Path Visitor Spending 2012 6 Hansard, 9 Nov 2011 : Column 329W, Richard Benyon MP “Between 2009-2013, £239,000 will be spent opening 240kms of coast.” 7 South West Research Company Ltd for the South West Coast Path Team, South West Coast Path – Monitoring and Evaluation Programme, 2013. 8 Department for Transport Cost of operating the Highways Agency’s motorway and A road network per vehicle mile, 2011 9 The Centre for Social Justice, Turning the Tide, social justice in five seaside towns, 2013 10 Natural England, Monitoring Engagement of the Natural Environment, 2012 report 11 Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) website, ‘Supporting economic development projects in coastal and seaside areas’ 12 Richard Louey, Last Child in the Woods, 2005 13 The Lancet, Effect of Physical Inactivity, 2012 14 Natural England, Monitoring Engagement of the Natural Environment: 15 Walking for Health, The Case for Walking for Health, 2012 16 Richard III, William Shakespeare 17 ‘Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012’, Lonely Planet

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Acknowledgements

This report wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of:

Mr Beard Peter Clappison Mr Dear Ian Gasper Ken Holmes Adam Berry Philip Colbourne René Dee Karen Gillett Mr Hughes Colin Bennett Alan Coleman Roy Denney Ian Golightly Paul Humpoletz Andrea Biggs Mr Collett Chris Devrell Ralph Gordon Sally Ingle Stephen Bingley Mrs Collins Mrs Dick David Graimes Rita James Mr Bodey Jonathan Combe Gordon Evans Gillian Grattan Mr Jolly Rosemary Boyle Mr Constance Helen Everett Robert Gregory Arnold Kirk Stephen Brice Ron Crofts Peter Fischer Michael Hancocks Kenilworth Footpath Michael Browne Diane Crouch Tom Fisher Dr Hardy Preservation Society Mr Bull Paul Cullen-James Mr Fishwick David Harrison Geoff Knight Roger Buse Marion Davies Mr Forster Michael Hawkes Lynne Knight Phil Catterall Mr Dawson Bronwyn Franklin Judith Hible Amanda Knopp Mr Cheesman Jos De Vries Rodger Garratt June Hicks Malcolm Lawrence

10 The Case for Coast A National Trail for our Island Nation

Peter Lee-Smith David Nolan Mr Pritchard John Stanworth Peter Wallis Jane Lindsay Caroline Mr Quennell Ian Stewart William Watt David Lonsdale O'Neill-Dakad Mr Roberts Mr Stockwell Teejay Watts Raphael Lytton Mike Marjie Page Yuri Rodrigues Stephen Taylor Waveney Ramblers Alan Marsden John Parker Mr Secker Shane Taylor Lesley Wheatley Tom Marshall Mr Payne Mr Sharp Adrian Teale Ken Whetter Peter Matthews Jack Pettersen Graham Simpson Thackray Peter Whitestone Kenneth McQueen Jane Plant Ms Smith Mrs Thompson John Wightman Charles Milward Mr J Plume Peter Smith Mary Van Altena Philip Williams Gerald Moss Albert Podesta Jeff Smith Gary Van Vuuren Ms Wilson Barry Muir Jane Pohorely Graham Keith Wadd Nuala Wright Beatrice Murray Mr Powell Sommerville-Wilson Phil Wadey Mr Wrightson Angela Nicholas Ms Pratt Malcolm Sproston Nick Wakelam Mr Yearwood

11 Contact us For more information about the Ramblers and the One Coast For All Campaign: Call 020 7339 8500 Email [email protected] Visit www.ramblers.org.uk

The Ramblers’ is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.