£1.5m for all-Wales coastal path

The coastal walk around Anglesey was opened last year

Plans to create an all-Wales coastal path have been handed grants totalling £1.5m.

The money, which has been announced by the Welsh Assembly Government, will help local councils and national parks improve access over the next six years.

The largest amount, £174,428, goes to Gwynedd council, which has the longest stretch of coastline in Wales.

Ramblers welcomed the investment, but said the assembly could go further by creating "a coastal access corridor".

The plans for an all-Wales coastal path were first unveiled last year by First Minister Rhodri Morgan, when he officially opened an 125-mile route around Anglesey.

On Friday, Rural Development Secretary Jane Davidson said the grants were an "important step" towards improving access.

TOP FIVE PATHS GRANTS Gwynedd £174,428 Vale of Glamorgan £146,800 Cardiff £138,000 Monmouthshire/Newport £132,000 Anglesey £120,000 Source: Welsh Assembly Government

Ms Davidson said: "Providing better access to Wales' beautiful coastline is a priority for the Welsh assembly government.

"I want the countryside and the coast to be enjoyed by as many people as possible and, as part of this, we will be looking at making access to the coastline statutory."

Beverley Penney, director of Ramblers Association in Wales, said: "It is encouraging that the assembly is putting significant resources into an all-Wales coastal path and local networks."

She urged the path be continuous, permanent and rolls back with coastal erosion.

"We would like the assembly to go further and create a coastal access corridor to include beaches, cliffs and adjacent land," she said.

Friday's announcement, covering 14 coastal areas around Wales, coincides with Use Your Footpaths Week.

Countryside Council for Wales chief executive Roger Thomas said coastal access project officers were being recruited in the first year.

'Exciting proposals'

"We can expect to see improvements to existing paths," he said.

"There are very exciting proposals in the pipeline as we work towards an all-Wales coastal path."

Local councils will consult with landowners, local communities and others with an interest to develop their coastal access improvement programmes.