Businesses along the route of the famous Coast to Coast Path are hoping for a boost as the route is given National Trail status later this month (March).
The 192‑mile route, which runs from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, attracts thousands of walkers and cyclists each year. Its new designation as a National Trail is expected to increase visitor numbers further, bringing fresh economic opportunities for accommodation providers, cafés, pubs and local attractions.
It was announced in December last year that 16 elected members contributed funds from our locality budget programme to support the Coast to Coast Passport scheme.
Each of our 90 members has a budget of £5,000 each year to respond to local needs by allocating small amounts of funding to support activities to promote social, economic, or environmental well-being in the communities which they represent.
Funding can be used for projects or undertaken by external organisations or for additional services provided by the council. Each member is responsible for determining how they wish to seek approval to promote and use the money from their locality budget.
The pocket-sized passport has about 140 pages packed with useful information about places along the route alongside special offers from participating shops and retailers. Holders can get stamps from places they call into along the way.
Council chair, Cllr George Jabbour, is passionate about the path and the benefits it brings to both those who tackle it and the businesses along its route.
He said: “I met many of the enterprising business owners last year when I completed the walk and I know how important the custom of those who pass by is.
“Tourism is the lifeblood of our communities, supporting jobs and strengthening the local economy across the county.
“It’s fantastic to see people experiencing those benefits close to home, and I’m confident the Coast to Coast’s new national trail status will bring even greater opportunities.”
The owners of the Dales Bike Centre at Fremington, near Richmond, deliberately sited their business on the route of the Coast to Coast Path.
The family-run business has been open for over 17 years and includes cycle hire and a bike shop, café and accommodation.
Brenda Price, a partner in the business, said: “As well as promoting the Dales Bike Centre to cycling visitors we understood being on the Coast to Coast route would add additional bed nights into our bunk accommodation.
“More recently as we’ve expanded with four new glamping pods and we offer single night stays with Coast to Coast visitors in mind.”
Brenda said the business engages with Coast to Coast participants on a daily basis.
She said: “It may be accommodation guests from all over the world staying with us, the interesting chat over breakfast about their part of the world and their experience of the Coast to Coast route.
“It may be supporting the various running and cycling events by hosting feed stops for those completing journeys from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay.
“On numerous occasions we have arranged to be on site at all sorts of times day or night to support individuals attempting to complete the route in as short a time as possible.
“The people we meet and engage with really are wonderful, many have returned time and time again, some have become lifelong friends and supporters of the business.
“It really is a joy to be a tiny part of their experience journeying from Coast to Coast.”
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, called in at businesses along the route with Cllr Jabbour recently.
He said: “During my visits along the Coast to Coast route, it was inspiring to hear how warmly local businesses speak of their interactions with walkers.
“Beyond the commercial side, many take real pride in contributing to people’s journeys along the path, often forming lasting friendships.
“Some walkers return year after year, becoming regulars at the small businesses that support them.”
On the North Yorkshire coast is another business benefiting from people traversing the Coast to Coast Path. Holly Gray runs The Old Drapery, a family-run shop in Robin Hood’s Bay, which was opened by Holly's mother in 1992.
She said: “When we realised how many people did the walk we started stocking T-shirts.
“Only this year two gents came in with their Coast to Coast T-shirts on saying they’d bought them from us 10 years ago and they were still wearing well.
“Now we also stock magnets, caps, beanies, stickers, pin badges, mugs and certificates.”
Holly said last year had been a bumper year for visitors.
She said: “We had so much footfall in 2025. People’s experiences are very different depending on the weather. Some say they’ll never walk again while some want to book again for next year.
“One thing they all say is how friendly everyone is, and they’ve met new friends along the way.”