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Over the summer the South West
Coast Path Team are running a competition to find the best pictures of
the wonderful landscapes and wildlife found around our coastline, and of
people enjoying being out and about on the SW Coast Path, so that they
can be used to help inspire people to walk the trail.
The competition is not just for professional photographers, as a picture
taken on a mobile phone or basic digital camera could also win a great
prize if it captures what is special about the coast path. To encourage
young talent, there are also a range of prizes for photographers who are
under 18 years old.
With over £1400 of prizes to be won, that include vouchers for
photographic equipment, maps, guidebooks and a gps unit, it is well
worth entering.
ENTER OUR PHOTO
COMPETITION
You can enter any or all of the 3 categories and there are 3 prizes to
be won in each category.
Competition Categories:
Landscape and Nature:
With the South West Coast Path running 630 miles around the stunning
coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, passing through 1 National
Park, 5 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 2 World Heritage Sites
there is no shortage of beautiful landscapes to be captured.
Wildlife is also ever-present along the path, and even on a short walk
you are likely to encounter attractive flowers, birds and butterflies,
and if you're lucky seals and other mammals. The slower you go, the more
you will see.
People:
One of the "strap lines" used to promote the South West Coast Path is
'Over a 1000 kilometres & more than a 1000 experiences'. Try and capture
some of the experiences and special moments of people using the SW Coast
Path, such as the exhilaration of finally getting to the top of a hill,
relaxing at a viewpoint and watching the world go by, or just your
family out for a stroll and a chat.
Young
photographers:
There will be separate prizes for photographers who are under 18 years
old, and the photos can fall into either of the above themes (Initially
this category was for under 16s, but as no entries were received in the
first month, the age was raised to 18).
How to
enter:
Entering the competition is easy. Simply send us up to 5 photographs
which you think best captures one of the two South West Coast Path
themes ('Landscape and Nature' or 'People'). Send your entries as an
email attachment to
swcpteam@devon.gov.uk by the 30th September 2008.
Put the category (Landscape and Nature, Nature or Young Photographer) in
the subject line, and in body of the message include;
Your name, & town of residence. Your email address will be retained to
send you an email to confirm your entry and to contact you if you win.
It will not be used for any other purpose, nor passed onto any third
party. Your name & town along with the caption will be shown beside each
photo displayed on the website.
A caption for each photo including where it was taken (ideally the grid
reference as well as the place name)
For the under 18 category, your date of birth (you must be under 18
years old on the date of entry)
By entering you agree to the
conditions set out in the competition rules -
Competition rules
The most accessible paths have been graded with 1
to 3 stars dependent on their gradient and surface.
 A
smooth and level path, likely to be suitable for all types of
wheelchairs and pushchairs.
 A
reasonably smooth path with some gentle ups and downs.
 A
path with a firm but uneven surface and/or gradients steeper than
1:10, more suited to a powerful mobility scooter or an all-terrain
pram.
Descriptions of easy-going sections
of the Coast Path likely to be suitable for most, if not all users are
now available in our online walks library. This can be found by clicking
on the flashing acorn on the Coast Path signpost on the home page. So
far eighteen easy-access walks have been
added covering all areas of the Coast Path and more will be added in
future.
Already, users can choose from walks
at Lynton and Baggy Point in North Devon, North Cliffs and Godrevy in
North Cornwall, Bolberry Down, Berry Head and Budleigh Salterton in
South and East Devon and Durlston and Studland in Dorset.
All are along fairly flat paths
that are at least 850mm (2’6”) wide, have a minimal cross camber, and no
steps or stiles.
A detailed map and description of
each one with photographs illustrating physical features of the route
can be printed from the website. Variations in gradients, camber and
path surface, as well as the width of any gates are all noted so that
people can make their own minds up about whether the walk is suitable
for them. We hope that the easy-access walks will help and encourage
many more people to discover the stunning coastline of the South West.
These are Coast Path walks that people of all abilities can enjoy
together.
EASY ACCESS WALKS ONLINE
When you've tried one out, we'd love
to know what you thought of the walk itself, and the way we have
provided the information about it. Use the 'Review this walk' button to
tell us how we can improve anything
EDITOR'S NOTE
...
Having spoken with
Mark at SWCP, I am convinced that the team are
enthusiastically committed to making the region's coastal paths
available to people with mobility problems. One idea is to provide
'scooters for hire' at various points along the paths.
As with all funded
projects, a 'need' has to be 'proven' to justify that
funding.
It is up to us
... the region's disabled community to support their efforts. All
reviews, comments, suggestions and letters of support can be emailed to
the team at -
swcpteam@devon.gov.uk
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Previous
Articles - July 2008
The
iconic London Eye is hoping to bring a dose of the British seaside to
the city with a month-long beach party. 
