Volunteers ease way on famous coast walk

WALKERS tramping the 190-mile Coast to Coast route will find the going a little easier thanks to the efforts of volunteers from the North York Moors National Park.

Working in very muddy conditions, the volunteers have constructed a 200ft boardwalk through Sneaton Forest towards the end of the long distance walk.

On its way through the forest, the route of the walk created by Alfred Wainwright crosses May Beck at a ford just upstream from Falling Foss waterfall.

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The ford can be slippery and often floods, becoming impassable. Volunteers have created a second path running alongside the beck providing an alternative to the ford crossing.

The new path makes use of an old stone arch bridge to cross the beck and joins the Coast to Coast route higher up.

The path has been boardwalked giving an easier passage not only for Coast to Coast walkers, but also for the many families who visit Falling Foss waterfall. The boardwalk meanders through the woodland above the beck and has two raised viewing areas offering beautiful views of the beck and its stone arch bridge.

Naomi Green, northern area senior ranger at the North York Moors National Park, said: “The recent wet weather has led to some really challenging conditions but our volunteers battled on regardless to get the job done.

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“The boardwalk – one of the longest in the national park – provides a clean, easy to use and enjoyable path which is also suitable for the less able and pushchairs. I hope those who make use of it over the coming months say a silent thanks to our hard-working volunteers for all their effort.”

Jack Newman, of the nearby Falling Foss Tea Garden, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the new boardwalk. Although we keep a supply of emergency socks and trousers behind our counter, the boardwalk will certainly reduce the number of wet feet and muddy bottoms that we see in the garden.”

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