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A stunning section of the South West Coast Path, between Porthmoina and Rosemergy, has been improved thanks to a challenge for charity from Contours Walking Holidays and funding from The Great South West Walk.

Mark Townsend, Managing Director of Contours Walking Holidays and his friend Julie Gardener, took part in the challenge which involved a 630 mile run along the South West Coast Path in just 15 days, raising £4,000 for the installation of granite steps and a granite culvert through a wetland habitat between Porthmoina and Rosemergy.

Mark Townsend commented:

“The South West Coast Path is one of Contours Walking Holidays’ most popular trails, and features some of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset’s most stunning views. Running the Path was an opportunity to celebrate everything that is fantastic about the trail, while raising money to support the worthwhile conservation that is taking place through the South West Coast Path Association and the Great South West Walk.”

The Great South West Walk, which took place this year to celebrate the South West Coast Path Association’s 40^th anniversary raised over £500,000 and identified 90 much needed improvement projects around the entire South West Coast Path.

The event and the improvements it supports are all part of the South West Coast Path Team’s ‘Unlocking our Coastal Heritage’ project, which received funding from the Rural Development Project for England (RDPE) to conserve, enhance and interpret the Coast Path.

Karen Simons, Director of Contours Walking Holidays is delighted to have been involved.

“Thanks to the RDPE funding – as well as the money raised by Mark and the team at Contours Walking Holidays - the granite steps now installed along the Porthmoina to Rosemergy section will improve the walking surface, help to make steep and slippery sections of the path safer and will encourage water to drain naturally back into the sea. We are really thrilled be have been able to contribute to this cause”

John Brookes, Countryside Manager for the National Trust in West Cornwall, the company that has led this work, is pleased with the result:

“This section is a particularly wild and beautiful area of the South West Coast Path which is full of historical and archaeological interest. The granite steps and drainage are a great asset to the Path as they will not only make this section safer for walkers to enjoy but they will also protect the ground from footfall - preserving it for future generations”

John Slater from the South West Coast Path Team, who co-ordinated all of the funding for the Great South West Walk to make the repairs possible also commented:

“We have been absolutely thrilled with the work completed along this stretch, the effort Mark, Julie and all the team at Contours Walking Holidays have put into raising money for the improvements to take place has been exceptional and we cannot thank them enough.”

John continued:

“The National Trust have also done a fantastic job of updating a particularly historic section of the Coast Path – the improvements look as though they could have been there all along, we are really pleased with the results.”

Pictured (from Left to Right) Karen Simons, Director of Contours Walking Holidays, Justine Kiddy, Contours Walking Holidays Marketing Assistant and John Slater from the South West Coast Path Team presenting a cheque for the money raised.