Every Mile Matters
The South West Coast Path provides health-giving happiness to millions of people every year, it connects hundreds of coastal communities, helps the region’s economy thrive and is one of our most precious wildlife corridors. It is a vehicle for change, that if supported, could help us repair the growing disconnect between us and our environment. Yet less than 1% of people who use the Path, give back to it regularly and its long-term future is under threat.
Our 2024 Every Mile Matters campaign has received the support from a number of businesses in the South West who recognise how important the Trail is and we’re proud to have St Austell Brewery onboard as the headline sponsor.
Read our Every Mile Matters Press Release for more information on our amazing sponsors.
We are proud to have Raynor Winn, best-selling author of The Salt Path, as an Ambassador and supporter of our Every Mile Matters campaign.
"The South West Coast Path is a beautiful, powerful natural resource. I walked the 630 miles of this wild coastline myself, spent months with the call of the gulls and the endless horizon of the sea always to one side, and it changed my life. Since then I've met so many others who have shared the SWCP and found their lives transformed, their wellbeing improved, their perspectives and directions changed. The SWCP Association makes it possible for us and future generations to experience those same benefits, or to simply enjoy time on one of our most stunning National Trails. This year they're launching the Every Mile Matters campaign, a chance for us all to be involved in preserving the wonder of every single mile of this incredible Path."
Raynor Winn, author, The Salt Path
The damaging effects of climate change
Increasingly severe storms, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and increased footfall are just some of the challenges we’re facing when it comes to looking after the Path. And the costs of doing so, continue to soar. Over the past five years, we’ve had to invest an extra £2 million to keep the Path in good condition, and yet the Path remains vulnerable. Climate change is already having visible effects on the world and if we don’t act now, untold damage to our region’s coastline is a future we’re all walking towards.
Why Every Mile Matters
2024 has seen the wettest February on record in the UK and the impact to the Path has been devastating. We’ve witnessed an unprecedented number of cliff-falls and landslips that has meant Path closures and diversions and a yet to be estimated cost for repair and maintenance work to be undertaken once the weather dries out. We will be assessing the damage over the coming weeks to fully understand the impact on the Path and the habitats it supports.
The recent wet weather is indicative of climate change and changing weather patterns. Since September 2023, there have been ten named storms alone that hit the UK, the highest number in any season to be recorded by the Met Office.
Our climate is in crisis and the consequences of this can already be seen all along the South West Coast, driving up the costs of keeping our National Trail open. We’ve supported the Coast Path for over 50 years and the costs to maintain, improve and protect the Trail have now risen to £1,500 per mile each year. If we can’t continue to meet this level of investment, the Coast Path will cease to exist in the same way it does now – and the people who rely on access to it and businesses whose livelihoods depend on it will also be under threat.
Photographer credits: Burton Bradstock by James Loveridge. West Bay by James Loveridge. Mullion Cove by Bryan Ellis.
Ready to make a difference?
Coast Path Challenge
Put your best foot forward and join our Coast Path Challenge fundraising initiative. We want to inspire you to fundraise for the South West Coast Path and help make a difference and get involved! Be part of our community and give back to the Path you treasure. The Trail can’t survive on love alone.
Get started by creating your own fundraising page through our JustGiving platform. Share your page with family, friends, and colleagues. Every contribution - no matter how big or small - helps us to raise vital funds to protect the South West Coast Path for now and for future generations.
Are you in? Together, we'll make sure #EveryMileMatters for path, people, and planet!
How your contribution helps
Our main priority is, and always will be, to make the South West Coast Path the best it can be – for the benefit of everyone. We fund and co-ordinate a wide range of projects and deliver them with the help of our dedicated partner network. Wherever possible we use money that has been donated to match-fund projects, so that each and every pound we receive goes that much further. We approach every single project with care, carefully considering how people, wildlife and the local economy can all benefit from the improvements we make. This could be anything from re-building damaged sea defences, providing more signage, replacing old steps, resurfacing waterlogged terrain or creating new habitat areas for wildlife.
We also run a number of community engagement projects, including our Coast Path Connectors project that is helping to improve equity of access along the Trail by supporting local people in making the most of our amazing Path for their health and wellbeing, through a network of new volunteers.
