Scarborough-Whitby Cinder Track bike route to get £700,000 upgrade

The cycle path on the North Yorkshire coast follows the route of the former Scarborough & Whitby Railway

A scenic coastal cycle route in North Yorkshire is to get a £700,000 upgrade.

Sustrans, a national walking and cycling charity, is to pay for the improvements to the Cinder Track, which runs between Scarborough and Whitby.

A 1.5-mile (2.5km) section between Cloughton and Burniston would be restored so it was "usable in all conditions", Scarborough Council said.

The work would also improve access to the track which forms part of the National Cycle Network Route One.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a report presented to Scarborough Council said the overall standard of the Cinder Track, in particular its surface, had "deteriorated over the years and in many places it is now in poor condition".

Speaking at a meeting of Scarborough Council's Cabinet on Tuesday, Councillor Jim Grieve described it as a "fantastic opportunity to extend the Cinder Track's accessibility".

In May 2022, the authority approved a £490,000 restoration scheme to improve a four-mile (7km) stretch of the Cinder Track between the town and nearby Burniston.

Councillor Grieve said: "Since we improved the surface between Falsgrave and Burniston over the past couple of years it has changed the way it is viewed and has opened it up to accessible options."

Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff added: "The Cinder Track is a vital and well-loved asset that is well used in the borough."

The new surface will be made of a rubber bonded material made from 50/50 recycled vehicle tyres and stone aggregate.

The pathway runs for 21 miles (34km) along the route of the former Scarborough and Whitby Railway, which closed in 1965.

As well as being part of the national cycle network it also forms part of the European North Sea Cycle Route.