Outdoor Focus Summer 2022 | Page 5

th

Anniversary

The view from Ynys Llanddwyn to the hills of the Llŷn Peninsula
So , it ’ s been a great decade for me , my guidebook , the Wales Coast Path , and now the trail is enjoying its 10 th anniversary . I knew it was coming , and Cicerone were ready for the book to move forward into a new edition , so last year I walked the entire coast again , checking the route for changes , adding and deleting services and facilities , refreshing most of the photographs and �iddling around with the maps . I even added another jaunt along the Offa ’ s Dyke Path in order to wrap up Wales !
Visit Wales have a whole series of anniversary events planned for the coast path and they invited me to write something to encourage others to explore the path . Cicerone sponsored ‘ Tough Girl ’ Sarah Williams to walk the coast path and blog , vlog and �log it all over social media . Look her up on YouTube , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and her own website at www . toughgirlchallenges . com / walescoastpath . Sarah started walking with the �irst edition of my guidebook and switched to the new edition as soon as it was published on the 10 th anniversary of the trail .
I took delivery of my Wales Coast Path second edition complimentary copies at home while packing to start researching yet another
The ‘ dragonshell ’ logo is incorporated into all Wales Coast Path signposts
guidebook . Flicking through the pages , it already seemed like ancient history , given that I was walking it a year previously . While the book had been moving steadily through the publication process , I ’ d updated another �ifteen guidebooks , taking some into entirely new editions , while others only needed a little work to bring them up to date for reprinting . One thing I ’ ve always admired about the Wales Coast Path is the unique logo they chose to brand everything to do with the path . The ‘ dragonshell ’ is a simple and splendid representation of a seashell that morphs into a dragon ’ s tail . If you see this on a signpost , you know you ’ re going the right way . Even on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path , which is a longstanding route marked with the usual national trail ‘ acorn ’ logo , you ’ ll still �ind the ‘ dragonshell ’ con�irming that you ’ re on course .
The other thing I ’ ve grown to admire about the Wales Coast Path is how quickly walkers picked up on it and rose to the challenge of following it . In earlier decades , I ’ d noticed how diligently people prepared for treks along the South West Coast Path , but that only measures 630 miles , compared to the Wales Coast Path ’ s 870 miles . That ’ s a signi�icant extra distance ,
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