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News - New stretch of the Wales Coast Path opens in Chepstow

19th September 2011

Environment Minister, John Griffith was in Chepstow to open a new stretch of the Wales Coast Path

The Minister formally opened five and half miles of coast path that will run from Chepstow to Black Rock.

The Welsh Government has invested up to £2 million a year since 2007 to realise its ambition of creating a continuous, 870 mile path that runs right around the coastline of Wales. Once completed, the path will run from Chepstow, right the way to Queensferry in Flintshire.

Speaking about the path, the Minister said:

“I am pleased to be in Chepstow today to open this important section of the Wales Coast Path, and delighted that we are on course for the formal opening of the path on 5th May 2012.

“The Wales Coast Path will be great news for Wales’ economy as we predict that it will attract an extra 100,000 new visitors to the Welsh coast each year, and I know that this is welcome news to the tourist industry.

“I am also very pleased that the Wales Coast Path will be open ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, when the eyes of the world will be on the UK.

“However the path is not just for tourists, and I really hope it will encourage people in Wales to get out and about and enjoy their local coast line and country side, whilst at the same time boosting their levels of activity.”

The Minister congratulated local authorities, National Park Authorities, and CCW on their hard work so far, but emphasised that there was a still a lot to do ahead of the opening of the Wales Coast Path on 5th May 2012, and beyond.

Improvements to the alignment and the quality of the route will continue with Welsh Government support until March 2013.

Since 2007 the Welsh Government has invested in access improvements around the Welsh Coast through its Coastal Access Improvement Programme (CAIP). This programme is managed on behalf of the Welsh Government by the CCW.

The Welsh Government’s investment in the path has also been supplemented since 2009 by £3.9 million of WEFO funding from the European Regional Development Fund via the Coastal Access project .