£600,000 to improve accessibility to Wales’s National Parks

Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has announced funding of £600,000 to support a range of projects that will improve accessibility in Wales’s three National Parks and to help Natural Resources Wales repair storm damage on the Wales Coast Path.

The Minister has allocated £126,000 for the improvement of two sections of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail and £104,500 to a further seven sections of the Wales Coast Path to repair damage that was caused during the winter and make the routes more sustainable for future years.

The remaining £369,500 is split between the three Welsh National Park Authorities as follows:

• Brecon Beacons National Park Authority (BBNPA) will receive £157,500 for a package of projects to improve access in the east Beacons which will secure the protection of peat land in a number of SSSIs in the area.
• Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) will receive £107,000 for a package of work on some of the National Park’s most popular and iconic sites. The works include the further development of the four different sections of the Snowdon circular route, improving accessibility to Cadair Idris and Snowdon’s Miners track.
• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) will receive £105,000 to support a range of projects which focus on developing disability access to a number of the Park’s most popular sites as well as some new ones. These projects will provide wheelchair access to a number of flagship sites, such as Abereiddy, Freshwater East and St David’s.

Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said:

“Our world renowned National Parks and Wales Coast Path attract millions of visitors to Wales every year, and help create and support many jobs in the rural economy. It’s vital that the National Park Authorities and Natural Resources Wales continue to maintain and improve their popular paths. This funding will help ensure that essential work can take place so local communities and visitors to Wales can continue to enjoy everything they have to offer.”