Wainwright Way becomes England's newest official national walking trail
- Published
A famous walking trail nicknamed 'Wainwright Way' has become England's newest national trail.
The route is around 190 miles long, and takes walkers from the west coast to the east coast of England.
The coast-to-coast walk starts from St Bees Head in Cumbria, next to the Irish Sea, and travels through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks to end in Robin Hood's Bay overlooking the North Sea.
It was named after famous walker Alfred Wainwright, who came up with the route in 1973.
The route has now been named an official national trail, by Natural England.
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More than £5 million has been put into improving the trail route, including better signposts and paths, according to Natural England.
Each year more than 6,000 people complete the full coast-to-coast route, with thousands more completing parts of it.
The full route can take around 12-15 days to complete, according to National Trails.
Natural England's chief executive Marian Spain said the path showed off some of northern England's "most treasured landscapes".
She said: "It will offer a new generation of walkers, wheelers and riders the chance to enjoy the route and bring new tourists to businesses along the way."
The route will join the 16 official national trails including Hadrian's Wall Path.
