Our Projects - Tidna, nr Morwenstow: Re-route following landslip

In April 2017 a cliff fall meant the a  short section of the South West Coast Path between Hawkers Hut and the Tidna Valley was closed due to the collapse of the cliff. The diversion via Morwenstow Church, Tidnacott and the Tidna valley added about 1 mile to the walk.

Responding to the closure, National Trust and Cornwall Council’s rights-of-way team worked together to provide an alternative route, and the Trust began the process of creating a new path.

First stop, was to agree a new route with the tenant at Rectory Farm, then agree with Cornwall Council, a quick check with the South West Coast Path Team and then to Natural England.  As the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (for its geological exposures and coastal grassland) we needed to gain consent from Natural England to dig out the new path.

With financial support from the South West Coast Path Association, the Trust funded a contractor to work with the Ranger team to install two new oak kissing gates, some steps and grade c.100m of new path.  The new route opened in July 2017, though strangely the original line of the coast path stills exists in the eye of the law and the new route is just a permissive path until the legal processes catch up with the reality on the ground.

It was a great example of many people and organisations working together to get the Coast Path back on track.