Asked by: Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour - North Somerset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on turning Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route into a National Trail.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The proposal to designate Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route as a National Trail was approved in 2022. Natural England has been working with the Councils and National Park Authorities along the route to bring it up to National Trail quality standards.
We have worked to make sure the route is permanently protected in law and have improved the surface to make it easier to use. This includes 5km of flagstones over Nine Standards Rigg and White Mossy Hill in the middle of the route which gets very boggy. This will help protect local habitats and preserve the route for walkers.
We have also put up new signs that help people find their way and recognise Alfred Wainwright’s role in establishing the route.
The route remains on track for completion with plans to officially launch it in spring 2026.