“It will be seen as one of the great early achievements of the Welsh Assembly”

Joyce Watson AM looks forward to the opening of the Wales Coastal Path
Speaking ahead of the official opening of the Wales Coastal Path on Saturday (5 May), Assembly Member Joyce Watson explains why she believes it is a historic day for Wales.
“As a member for the Mid and West Wales region, I represent most of the Welsh coastline. So I am understandably delighted about the opening of the Wales Coastal Path.
“But my delight is more to do with my own love of walking. Wales is a wonderful country for walkers; the mountains, the hills, the valleys and the coast of Wales are treasures we should all be proud of.
“My delight is political, too, I have to admit. Last month marked the eightieth anniversary of the mass trespass of Kinder Scout in Derbyshire. The event has gone down in history as the moment when walkers challenged the right of landowners to refuse to let ordinary working men and women the right to walk across some of Britain’s most spectacular countryside.
“I think the launch of a coastal path that goes round the whole of Wales that is lapped by the sea will come to be seen as one of the great achievements of the Welsh Assembly in its early days.
“The post Second World War Labour Government was responsible for the creation of Britain’s National Parks. Creating the Wales Coastal Path is, in my opinion, potentially as important and as far-reaching as that.”