Fancy a walk? The England Coast Path could be just the ticket: it will mean we can walk the entire coast of England if we want. Or, more likely for most of us who want something a bit shorter, it will be a great way to plan day trips or weekends away. Whether you enjoy beaches, clifftops, woods or even former docks and ports, there ought to be a path for families and friends to explore.
It should to be great for tourist towns like Weston too, because it’s expected to bring in visitors as well as giving us locals an easy way to explore what’s right on our doorstep. The Brean Down to Minehead section of the coastal path began opening up all the way back in 2016 and has proven hugely popular. But it took until last year to approve the section that will run northwards from Brean Down Fort to Brean Down Sluice, Weston Bay, Anchor Head and Birnbeck, Sand Bay and then through Wick St Lawrence to Kingston Seymour and so on up to Bristol and then Aust.
But getting the route approved is only the first step. Since then the folk at Natural England have been hard at work, making sure the new path is safe and accessible, putting up signs so no-one gets lost and generally getting everything ready. Now the first piece of the new section – the bit from Brean Down to Sand Bay – is about to be stamped with the official Acorn Roundel and opened to the public. It’s just in time for summer – I’ll see you there!