New South Tyneside walking route gets National Trust seal of approval
New South Tyneside pathway gets National Trust seal of approval.
National Trust bosses have given their blessing to a pristine new £49,000 coastal pathway in South Tyneside being trampled underfoot.
They say they are delighted a 1.2-mile stretch of path along the Leas at South Shields has been upgraded – opening the route more safely and easily to all.
A hard-wearing granite sub-base – and a smooth crushed Whinestone surface - has been laid from Redwell Bank to Trow Quarry in a scheme which began in early March.
At 2m wide, it has taken a team of five workmen around six weeks to remove and replace a previously dilapidated limestone surface.
Its completion also marks a significant country-wide milestone – as the route is part of the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Last month, King Charles officially inaugurated the path which stretches for 2,689 miles around the entire coast of England.
Funding for the Leas upgrade was provided by Natural England’s Outdoors for All programme for improvements to national pathways.
‘I’m really surprised’
Matthew Harrison, countryside manager with the National Trust, which owns and manages the Leas, said the scheme was important in making the land accessible to everyone.
He said: “The previous path was in poor condition and in some places was just a small track.
“We spoke to the Heritage Coast Partnership and Natural England about funding for this project.
“People can now more easily access the entire two kilometre stretch of path. I’m really surprised at just how smoothly the project went.
“The new surface should last a lot longer than the limestone that was in place previously.”
Work was carried out by Hertfordshire firm Maydencroft, via its Bishop Auckland-based team.
Hopes path will be extended
The South Shields stretch is part of the 44-mile-long section of the English Coast Path from South Bents, at Whitburn, to Amble, in Northumberland.
Coastal access rights for the entire route came into force in July 2018 by order of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
It allowed for new sections to be created in strategic places to link existing walkways into a continuous stretch.
Mr Harrison said the National Trust hoped to eventually extend the new style path south, from Redwell Bank towards Souter Lighthouse.
However, that would be subject to discussions with landowners and funding providers.