2023 is a landmark year for lovers of all things coastal. SHARON GOBLE takes to the England Coast Path to discover more
I’m donning my walking gear to celebrate the Year of the Coast - a campaign to highlight the fantastic natural resource of our island nation, where no one lives more than 85 miles from the sea. Making people more aware of the events and activities on offer at the shores closest to them is part and parcel of this year-long promotion of all things coastal.
The campaign’s the brainchild of the National Coastal Tourism Academy, a not-for-profit set up to create jobs and economic growth in coastal communities and the recognised voice of coastal tourism. It’s also the organisation behind England’s Coast, an online tool that helps people discover the incredible diversity of coastal landscapes and experiences across the country.
Director Samantha Richardson MBE, who’s based in the flourishing seaside resort of Bournemouth, tells me: “As a country, we have some of the most stunning coastlines anywhere in the world. During 2023, large sections of the England Coast Path will be completed. Once finished, we will have the longest way-marked coastal walking route in the world. That’s a significant thing for us all to celebrate.”
She adds: “2023 is also the Year of the Pier, the South West Coast Path is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Towner Eastbourne - which has exhibited contemporary art for almost 100 years - is hosting the Turner Prize. Since Covid, people have fallen back in love with visiting the coast, but there’s still so much going on all around our shoreline that perhaps doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.”
In this spirit of discovery, January 2023 finds me lacing up my walking boots, zipping up my waterproof and heading to a stretch of the coast path in Somerset I’ve never explored. I’m meeting Neil Constable from Natural England on a walk between Kilve Beach and St Audries Bay, part of a new 13-mile section of the England Coast Path, joining the existing trail with the long-established South West Coast Path at Minehead. Until recently, walkers had to head inland at this point, missing out on uninterrupted views across the Severn Estuary to the Welsh coastline (a smudge in the distance today).
The weather forecast is not promising, but the rain holds off, allowing us to take in the stunning vistas and remarkable geology of Somerset’s shoreline
