All-Wales coastal path nearly complete!

Work is currently under way on one the final biggest single sections, the 40 mile Gower Coast Path

Walking on the Gower Peninsula

The 870 mile (1,400km) all-Wales coast path is almost complete, say countryside officials.

The whole route is on schedule to be officially opened next May.

Some of the completed sections are not yet way marked and others will be subject to future improvements, says the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW).

Upgrading work has just started on the largest section of footpath along the Gower coastline which stretches between Caswell and Limeslade. It will run from Mumbles in the south to Crofty in the north via Three Cliffs Bay, Port Eynon and Llanmadoc.

Chris Dale Swansea countryside access officer says:

"A lot of work has already been completed to create one single footpath along Gower's coastline.

We have also created entirely new sections which walkers can now enjoy."

The CCW explains that 95% of the path is already complete with some in place for years and other sections requiring only small-scale improvements.

Meanwhile, other areas have required a lot more work such as along the coast in Flintshire, near the English border with Chester and running through Flint and Greenfield on the Dee estuary.

The CCW has been co-ordinating the development of the path with 16 coastal councils and national park authorities.

Improvements have been paid for under the Coastal Access Improvement Programme (CAIP), with the assembly government investing £2m a year since 2009 and backed by £3.9m from the European Regional Development Fund.

Extracted from BBC website - read the full article here.