The designation of the Coast to Coast Path as England’s newest National Trail marks a significant milestone for outdoor recreation, access, and landscape-scale partnership working. Spanning 190 miles from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, the route connects three National Parks, one National Landscape and showcases how large-scale access infrastructure can be delivered while balancing environmental protection, climate resilience, and user experience.
This webinar will bring together some of the key partners involved in the designation and delivery of the trail to share practical insights, lessons learned, and transferable approaches for others working in trail development, access management, and landscape-scale projects.
This session directly supports ORN Action Plan priorities:
– Protecting nature and promoting responsible access
– Managing the impacts of climate change
– Maximising impact with limited resources
– Strengthening cross-sector collaboration
It also responds to growing interest in how trails can act as:
– Nature corridors
– Drivers of sustainable tourism
– Infrastructure for health and wellbeing
Speakers include:
– Setting the Scene: Designating a National Trail – Hazel Thomas (Principal Officer, Coast to Coast Path National Trail, Natural England)
– Delivering the Trail on the Ground – Angela Hobson (Garsdale to Hawes Project Manager, Yorkshire Dales National Park)
– National Trails as Nature Corridors – Hannah Brightley (Nature Recovery Programme Manager, National Trails UK)
– Strategic Perspective – Polly Martin (Chief Executive Officer, National Trails UK)
The presentations will be followed by a Panel Discussion + Q&A for 30 minutes.
Key Themes
– Delivering large-scale access infrastructure
– Managing environmental impacts and climate pressures
– Partnership working across complex landscapes
– Designing trails for multiple users (walkers, wheelers, riders)
– Aligning recreation, conservation, and economic outcomes
Expected Outcomes for participants
– Gain practical insights into delivering complex trail projects
– Understand how to balance access and conservation
– Learn how trails can support nature recovery and climate resilience
– Take away transferable lessons for your own projects
This webinar to available to everyone to attend, however registration is essential to receive the event attendance link. ORN Members can attend free of charge and non-members can attend for £20.00 – please use the appropriate link below. If you are not sure if your organisation is an ORN member, you can check here.