Cumbria Tourism says it’s thrilled with news that the Coast to Coast route has been given National Trail status.
The Government’s announcement of £5.6 million to upgrade the 197-mile path means that Cumbria will have the Coast to Coast route, Hadrian’s Wall Trail and the Pennine Way in its armoury of National Trails.
Originally devised by renowned fell walker and author Alfred Wainwright in the 1970s, the Coast to Coast is already one of the most popular long-distance walks in the UK, but the new enhancements will see the route recorded on Ordnance Survey maps for the first time.
The improvements are set to include high-quality signage, waymarking, path surfaces and infrastructure, along with the potential use of accessible gates and new link routes and circular paths for people wanting shorter walks.
READ MORE: Stunning Wainwright Coast to Coast walk to get £5.6m upgrade
As the county’s official Destination Management Organisation, Cumbria Tourism says the announcement is a real boost for the reputation of the popular long-distance route stretching from St Bees across to the North East coast.
Cumbria Tourism’s Marketing Manager, Sue Clarke comments, “This is fantastic news! Upgrading the Coast to Coast route to National Trail status underlines the strength of Cumbria’s long distance walking and cycling, and is something we have called for for a long time.
“It will make the Coast to Coast more accessible for a variety of different types of users and will help create new opportunities for both domestic and international tourism. Cumbrian towns including Kirkby Stephen, Whitehaven, Cleator Moor and Egremont are all within 5km of the route so we’re hoping to see added benefits for these local communities.
“Our previous Chairman and President Eric Robson has been instrumental in bringing this vision to life and it will really elevate the reputation of this iconic route for people of all abilities.”
Former Cumbria Tourism President Eric Robson is the long-standing Chairman of The Wainwright Society. He says, “The designation of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk as a National Trail has long been one of the Society’s ambitions.
“The Walk is one of the country’s most popular long-distance routes, and helps support businesses and jobs from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, including in some of the north’s most sparsely populated rural communities.
“We very much welcome, therefore, the news that the route will become a new National Trail. This is the start, of course, of bringing the project to successful fruition. But this is a very exciting and important step and we look forward to working with partners along the route to establish the C2C Walk as one of the UK’s great National Trails.
“As Alfred Wainwright said of the walk he devised: ‘Surely there cannot be a finer itinerary for a long-distance walk!’”
The new Coast to Coast National Trail is expected to closely follow the existing path. Enhancements will take place over the next three years, with the upgraded route due to open in 2025.
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