Sixty eight miles of sign posted National Trail will give walkers new and improved access and connect the urban heartland of Teesside to its open coast.
The continuous route starts at Filey Brigg and passes north through the popular resorts of Scarborough and Whitby, Saltburn and Redcar, providing stunning views of the North York Moors and coastline. It follows much of the well-known coastal section of Cleveland Way National Trail with improvements to the route.
Natural England is currently establishing a 2,700-mile path around the entire English coastline by 2020 and work is already under way on 60 per cent of the route. When completed, it will be the longest continuous coastal walking route in the world. It will also become a National Trail – the nation’s finest and most popular long-distance paths.
The creation of coastal paths in other parts of the country suggests the new path in North Yorkshire and Middlesbrough will bring clear benefits to the local economy. According to figures from the South West Coast Path report Unlocking Our Coastal Heritage, the National Trail is worth £400 million a year to the regional economy, equating to £630,000 per mile. According to counters on the previously opened South Bents to North Gare route, 10,000 people a year have enjoyed access to the coast and cliffs in a location which was previously inaccessible.
Cllr Carl Quartermain, cabinet member for jobs, skills and leisure at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting Natural England with the creation of its 2,700 mile-long coastal footpath, which is cutting through some of the most scenic areas of Redcar and Cleveland. Our borough has a stunning coastline and beautiful countryside, and we hope this new right of access will encourage more visitors to come and enjoy it.’
The England Coast Path #EnglandCoastPath gives walkers new rights of access to typical coastal land including foreshore, beaches, dunes and cliffs; including areas where everyone can rest, relax and admire the view. And, crucially, the path will now be able to ‘roll back’ as the cliffs erode or slips – enabling a replacement route to be put in place quickly if necessary, and so solving longstanding difficulties with maintaining a continuous route along the coast.
Read the article at UK Gov
