Stile-Free Walks Make National Park More Accessable

Easy does it: Sardis resident Ian Irvine enjoys a stile-free walk in the Park with South Ranger Tim Jones and Warden Jonathan Copp.

Image by: PCNPA

 

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ORR

May 03, 2008

People of all ages and abilities are finding it easier to access one of Wales’ most treasured landscapes thanks to the removal of stiles and improvement of footpaths.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority aims to remove as many stiles as practicable from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail and from footpaths in the National Park.

Stile removal or replacement with gates makes access easier for the less able and for families with pushchairs. In places where stiles are still required to contain livestock, they are being improved and made more user-friendly for walkers.

National Park Warden Jonathan Copp (pictured) is one of many staff improving access for all. Over the winter he replaced stiles with gates in Saundersfoot and Amroth. His work also involved putting in dog gates with landowners’ agreement, removing steps and improving signage, drainage and surfacing.

Sardis resident Ian Irvine (pictured) walks his dogs on the footpaths around the village and is delighted the stiles have been replaced.

“This is a great improvement, the stiles were very high and even though I am quite long-legged I was beginning to find them very difficult,” he said. “I’ll be using the new gates regularly.”

The Authority has removed or replaced more than 400 stiles on the 186 mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path since the early 1990s and is continuing to remove them wherever possible.

Around 135 remain, and there are now many long stile-free sections for Path users to enjoy, including

• Amroth to Rowston Cliff – 5 miles
• 1 km west of Greenala to Stack Rocks – 8 miles
• Sheep Island to Bullwell Bay – 7 miles
• Pembroke Dock to Sandy Haven Car Park – 12 miles
• Sandy Haven west to Castlebeach Bay Dale (excluding high tide routes) – 7 miles
• St Ann’s Head to Martin’s Haven – 7.5 miles
• The Nab Head to Madoc’s Haven – 10 miles
• Newgale to Penberi – 23 miles
• Aberfelin, Trefin to Penbwchdy – 9 miles
• Garn Llwyd to Hescwm – 3 miles
• Newport and estuary – 3.5 miles

Stile removal, or replacement with gates, makes access easier for the less able and for families with pushchairs.

Image by: PCNPA

 

While the Authority manages the Coast Path, it owns only a small fraction of the land that the Path crosses. So stile removal and replacement, as well as additional improvement work like drainage and path widening, is always carried out in liaison with local landowners and the Authority is extremely grateful for their co-operation.

The Authority carries out the work using funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Coastal Access Improvements Programme.

More than 200 walks in the Park are listed on the Authority’s website www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk/walking

For more information on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail visit www.nt.pcnpa.org.uk