New guide for walkers on beautiful coastline
ANEW guidebook to the Northumberland Coast path has been launched with the aim of ‘ensuring thousands more walkers will have a quality experience on the coast.’
The Northumberland Coast Path was opened in 2006, following the county’s coastline for 70 miles (112km) from Cresswell in the south to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
It covers sandy beaches, rocky headlands, dramatic castles such as Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh, and passes through coastal village in a constantly changing landscape.
Written by Iain Robson of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape, the new edition of the guidebook is the third, and includes photography, maps and route descriptions.
It includes several changes to the route, made after the opening of the
King Charles III England Coastal Path changed access to the coast.
Launching the new guidebook, Patrick Norris, chair of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape, thanked Northumberland County Council and the Northern Heritage team who have published the new book.
Patrick said: “The Northumberland Coast Path has encouraged local people
and visitors to get out and explore the coastline for nearly 20 years.
“Many thousands of walkers have completed the whole route whilst millions of visitors have walked sections of it in that time.
“This new guidebook will help to ensure that thousands more walkers will have a quality experience on the coast.”
The launch was held in Cresswell, the starting point for walkers tackling the route from the south, at the Drift Cafe. In July last year, the village was named as having one of the best beaches in the UK.
Duncan Lawrence, who owns the Drift Cafe, said he was proud to support the Northumberland Coastal Path.
He added: “We are proud to support the Northumberland Coast Path, whilst the Northumberland coast is increasingly busy, providing opportunities for people to leave their cars behind and get out on foot to explore the coastline is increasingly important.
“We know that visitors who arrive without a car spend significantly more in the local economy. We are always delighted to hear feedback from walkers when they visit the Drift Cafe and I am sure that they will love the new guidebook.”
The new guidebook is available from the Northumberland Coastal Path website and local outlets including the Drift Cafe, and Northern Heritage at Blagdon.