National Trails eNewsletter

National Trails Newsletter enews November 2012

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http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk

Hello National Trail users,

It has been a while since the last issue of this Newsletter, but that doesn't mean nothing has been happening. On the contrary, it has been a busy time for us all in the team and you will be hearing about the South West Coast Path's progress later on, as it is our featured National Trail.

But first of all we would like your help.

Are you good with words?

Would you like to help to shape the way we present the Welsh National Trails over the next few years and help to tempt new people to discover these iconic walking routes?

We are looking for ideas to replace our old straplines for the 3 Welsh National Trails:
• Pembrokeshire Coast Path
• Offa’s Dyke Path
• Glyndwr’s Way

We would like to come up with straplines that will grab people’s attention and give them an idea of what they will experience i.e. sums up the essence of each National Trail. We need to keep them short and snappy – five words or less for each Trail, and the ones selected will have to work in the Welsh language as well (we will arrange for translation).

Please submit ideas to j.ronald@ccw.gov.uk with your name and email address by 30th November 2012.
The name of the author of the selected strapline for each Trail will be posted on the main page of the National Trails website.

Thank you for your help - Jo Ronald (Countryside Council for Wales)

National Trails Review

The national team has been carrying out a Review of National Trails, which has included detailed discussions with our many partners who carry out the day to day management of National Trails, as well as other organisations with an interest in access to the countryside. Our aim is to ensure the family of National Trails are delivered and promoted in a sustainable way without compromising on the high quality that millions of users have come to expect. We are also looking at ways to allow you, the users, to get more involved by making it easier to report problems and offering more opportunities for volunteering.

During November and December 2012 we will be sharing feedback with stakeholders and the final proposals will be published prior to April 2013. You can keep up to date with progress on Natural England’s website.

Try a new stretch of Trail

At a more local level, we are thrilled to have opened another 85 mile section of the Pennine Bridleway, which means it now stretches from Derbyshire to Cumbria, a distance of 205 miles. Actor Martin Clunes, a keen horseman and President of the British Horse Society, joined us for the day on 12 June and cut the ribbon across the award winning Far Moor Bridge in the Yorkshire Dales. Unusually for this summer, we had some good weather!

British weather!

Going back to the weather we have experienced this summer, we found that it added to our maintenance problems. Vegetation has grown faster and higher than ever and it has been hard to keep on top of it, especially on remote sections of coastal paths. There have also been some very muddy sections and even flooded sections, where walkers have had to paddle to the start of the Thames Path at the river’s source. In normal summers the source is so small it can be hard to find! Then of course there have been major cliff falls and landslides which have meant sections of coast path have had to be closed for safety reasons. The effects of climate change, with its unpredictable weather patterns, will certainly be a challenge in the future.

You are the eyes and ears of the countryside

You will all have heard about the spread of ash dieback, which is threatening millions of our native ash trees. After an urgent call from the Forestry Commission, members of the National Trails team have been out helping with a nationwide survey to measure the extent of the disease. This work needed to be undertaken quickly while the leaves are still on the trees and the disease is easier to identify. However, you can help too, by keeping your eyes peeled while you are out walking. There is a scheme called AshTag which enables you to report suspected cases using your mobile phone. Read the full article on the National Trails website.

Of course, this isn’t the only threat to our native species and there is concern that some diseases can be spread by mud on boots or bike tyres being carried from one part of the country to another. So we advise you to clean your gear after every outing.

Another worrying thing is the number of cases of wildlife crime, especially concerning birds of prey, so if you spot anything suspicious when you are out in the countryside, follow this advice on the RSPB’s website.

National Trails inspire other long distance routes

There is no doubt that the National Trails in England and Wales have been the inspiration behind many other long distance routes created in the UK and beyond. Examples of this are the new Wales Coast Path, which opened in May, linking with either end of Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail to create a circular route of over 1000 miles around Wales, and the newly opened Gore-tex Scottish National Trail which links the northern end of England’s Pennine Way to Cape Wrath in the far north of Scotland.

The 870 mile long Wales Coast Path, plus 60 miles of alternative routes, officially opened on 5 May 2012.  As a result of the Path’s creation, Lonely Planet selected the Welsh coast as the number one region in the world to visit in 2012.

The Path is now the longest promoted route in the United Kingdom and links villages, towns and cities with numerous attractions such as beaches, clifftop walks, and wildlife, heritage and cultural locations. The scenery along the way is often spectacular. Of course part of the route, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail, has been open since 1970 and has been walked by thousands of people every year since then.

Delivery of the project has been co-ordinated on behalf of the Welsh Government (WG) by the Countryside Council for Wales and delivered on the ground by the local authorities through which it passes. WG and the local authorities are contributing around £2 million a year to the project, with nearly £4 million in total coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

For a taste of what the Wales Coast Path has to offer visit the official website: www.walescoastpath.gov.uk

The new Scottish National Trail was opened on 30 October, following existing trails for most of its length, but it is very different to the National Trails in England and Wales in that it is not heavily way-marked. In fact there are just three plaques at present, one at the start in Kirk Yetholm, one at the end at Cape Wrath and one in the Water of Leith Visitor Centre in Edinburgh. In time more way-marking may appear, but the route’s creator Cameron McNeish says that the northern section of the trail, on the route of the Cape Wrath Trail, doesn’t have any signposting at all and perhaps that’s the way it should stay. He thinks there is an appetite in Scotland for a long, wild route where people have the pleasure of finding their own way.

A new Guide Book called Scotland End to End has just been published and look out for two television programmes about the Trail, which will be broadcast to the nation at Christmas.

In England the new Coast Path around the entire coastline is gathering momentum. The Weymouth section opened in June, in time for the Olympics and other sections are nearing completion. The next sections to open will be in Durham, Norfolk, Kent, Somerset and Cumbria. Natural England’s website has more information about this exciting project, which will not only create a new National Trail, but will allow open access to areas of land between the path and the sea that have previously been out of bounds.

2012 World Trail Conference  - by Rob Dingle, Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail Officer

Between October 29th to 31st, I attended the 3rd World Trail Conference, on Jeju Island , South Korea, representing both the Offa’s Dyke Path and the National Trails of England and Wales. I was accompanied by David Whitnell, one of the Cotswold Way Voluntary Wardens who help to look after the National Trail and who has wide experience of trail walking around the world. 

Jeju Island itself is a fascinating island, with a rich and varied cultural and natural history. The centre piece of the island being Mount Hallasan, a 1950m extinct volcano, the island is covered by a further 350 Oreums, smaller grass covered volcanic mounds and 90% of the island is covered with basalt. The island also has a stunning 258km coastline, which is now home to 240 km of trails.

Jeju is important for a number of UNESCO designations; Biosphere Reserve, Natural Heritage Site, Global Geopark Network and one of the world’s new 7 Wonders of Nature.

The 2012 World Trail Conference was hosted and organised again by the Jeju Olle Foundation, which was originally inspired by the Jeju Olle Trails on the island. The conference bought together 23 Trail organisations from 17 countries as well as 22 Trail and related organisations from South Korea.

Since the first conference in 2010, the idea has been to bring together Trail managers and organisations to share up-to-date information and experiences of the world’s Trails; and for cooperation and networking for better development and management of trails. As part of this year’s conference every delegate gave a presentation on their own Trails as well there were 2 workshops on the themes of ‘Communication with Local Community’ and ‘Communication with Trail Users’ with presentations given by a delegates attending the conference.

The other key part of this conference was the establishment of a World Trail Network, and the idea is that this will contribute as a medium to help share the current issues and common values of trails in the world and establish the trail industry towards sustainable development.

The final day of the conference saw us all join day one of the Jeju Olle walking festival, along with over 2000 other walkers. For me this was an amazing site to see so many walkers gathered in one place and all head of along the coast (the number of air miles involved in this gathering would also be quite an amazing figure I think).

For me personally the conference was a great opportunity to meet and talk with Trails managers from all around the world, and learn both about their Trails and the issue they face in managing their routes. It was nice to hear from delegates, that the National Trail model we have here in England and Wales is so highly regarded and respected around the world, and we have the chance to share our knowledge through the World Trail Network.