Path group films 50th anniversary's 35-day walk

The South West Coast Path Association celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Trailblazer Walk

Plans have been made to turn footage from a celebratory walk into a 20-minute film.

The South West Coast Path Association, a charity that protects the route that stretches 630 miles (1,015 km) from Minehead in Somerset, along the coast through Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset, celebrated its 50th anniversary year with a 35-day walk earlier this year.

The Trailblazer Walk involved more than 1,000 people and was "the pinnacle event", the association's director said.

Bosses said there were plans to submit the 20-minute film, based on eight days of the walk that were filmed, to a film festival in 2024.

The walk was held across May and June.

Julian Gray, the association's director, said: “The Trailblazer Walk was the pinnacle event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the South West Coast Path Association.

"Over a thousand people took part in the epic 35-day relay that finished at Royal William Yard in Plymouth with a magnificent display of 500 Beach of Dreams silk flags."

Beach of Dreams was a 500-mile (805-km) creative walk from Lowestoft to Tilbury in 2021.

Mr Gray said the south-west walk was a "wonderful way to commemorate our golden milestone hand-in-hand with our volunteers, members, supporters, and stakeholders”.

About 1,000 people took part in the Trailblazer Walk, bosses said

Other events that took place as part of the 50th anniversary included:

• The South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year exhibition

• A monthly podcast

• A coast path forum

• The hosting of the World Trails Film Festival

• A 50th anniversary edition of the coast path passport

Bosses said an aim for the anniversary year was to raise £50,000, which was reached, but the focus was to celebrate their "incredible" volunteers and people they work with.

It costs the association £1,500 per mile per year to maintain the path to national trail standards, they added.

During winter, 120 volunteers go out to survey paths and report issues.

The association said nine million people walk the coast path each year.