A cherished stretch of Britain's most popular national trail, the South West Coast Path, faces being altered and potentially restricted if plans by a luxury hotel are approved. Campaigners in Cornwall warn that a proposal to move the path away from the Carlyon Bay Hotel near St Austell could see vital public access points lost forever.
Historic Path Faces Diversion
More than nine million people a year walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path, which runs from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset. A specific section near St Austell is now at the centre of a dispute. The owners of the four-star, 100-year-old Carlyon Bay Hotel wish to reroute the public right of way along a hedge line, away from the hotel grounds.
This move, opponents argue, would lead to the potential loss of three access points and obscure the sea view for walkers. The hotel owns the land but has leased it to the local parish council for public use. An initial bid to alter the rights of way was met with a public outcry, but the hotel submitted a strikingly similar proposal just two months later.
Community Fears Loss of Precious Access
More than 400 locals have joined the 'Save West Crinnis Field' Facebook campaign. They fear the plan is a precursor to wider restrictions on coastal access. Martin Pallett, a 64-year-old teacher, stated: 'People have used this path for more than 100 years and the fear is it's going to be lost forever.' He highlighted concerns for elderly and disabled visitors, for whom the flat access via the 'Coastguard Gate' is crucial.
Retired broadcast journalist Julie Aylward, 74, and her husband Robert Malcolm, 82, who has mobility issues, use the path daily. Mr Malcolm said: 'If that gate was closed I wouldn't be able to use it at all. If they get what they want it will ruin our daily life.'
Graphic designer Mike Stone, 60, who walks his dogs there several times a day, warned: 'If this succeeds it could set a precedent for other hotels elsewhere on the coast to reroute the path to suit them.'
Connection to a Controversial Bestseller
The South West Coast Path was famously walked by Raynor Winn and her husband Moth, an experience chronicled in her bestselling memoir, The Salt Path. The book, later adapted into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, describes how the couple trekked the path after losing their Welsh home.
However, the author's account has recently faced scrutiny. An investigation by The Observer newspaper earlier this year cast doubts on the story's accuracy, alleging the couple—whose real names are Sally and Tim Walker—lost their home after a business dispute involving £64,000. More recently, Winn was forced to deny claims from relatives that she confessed to stealing money from family members. In a statement on her website, she strenuously denied all allegations of theft from family or her former employer.
The current dispute over the physical path, however, remains separate from the literary controversy, focusing squarely on public rights and coastal preservation.
The Brend Hotel Group, which owns the Carlyon Bay Hotel, has been contacted for comment. Campaigners continue to mobilise, with posters in the area declaring: 'we won the first battle but it isn't over'.
