More than just a Path - What next? (From This is The West Country)

More than just a Path - What next?

2:02pm Thursday 30th March 2006 in South West Coast Path

Adrian Roper South West Coast Path Co-ordinator. Over the last few years there has been a steady increase in quality of the Coast Path itself, the management of the surrounding landscape, the provision of information and ultimately in user experience.

The Coast Path is now recognized as a major regional asset, by the people that use it and by key regional organisations such as South West Tourism and the Regional Development Agency.

This has not happened by chance. The improvements have been directed by two key documents: 'More than just a path - A Strategy for the South West Coast Path to 2005', and the national Quality Standards for the fifteen National Trails in England & Wales. In 1997 'More than just a path' broke new Coast Path ground by bringing together sustainable tourism, community involvement, landscape, heritage and wildlife conservation and path management.

Much has changed since then and we now need to review priorities and optimize the mutual benefits of working with friends both old and new. Our new strategy will focus on the needs of the user and on the benefits that the Coast Path provides to local businesses, individual well-being and the surrounding environment. If you have any suggestions you would like to make, we would be pleased to hear them.

We aim to have a draft document available for comment in May and to publish the final version in July. The draft will be available on our website and publicised by a range of other means. We need the views and support of the full range of organisations that manage the Path and its corridor, and of the people that use it. This will allow the Path to achieve maximum benefit in the future.

The Coast Path is now recognized as a major regional asset