Where do I find a list of the England & Wales Coast Path (EWCP) Sectors?
Do I have to be a member of the LDWA to enter the EWCP Register?
How do I obtain an EWCP Claim Form?
May I submit my claim in the form of a letter or email ?
Is there a time limit on entry into the EWCP Register, and can claims be made retrospectively?
Is there a fee for entry into the EWCP Register?
When will I receive my certificate(s), and when will my name appear on the EWCP Register ?
What personal details will appear on the online EWCP Register?
How do I find my Sector completion data in the online EWCP Register?
What parts of my name will appear in the EWCP Register and on my Certificate or Certificates ?
Do I have to walk the EWCP Sectors “in one go” to qualify for entry into the Register?
Can I walk the the EWCP sectors in either direction, and in any order?
Can I submit some photographs and a report of my trip?
Have we answered your question?
Q. Where do I find a list of the England & Wales Coast Path (EWCP) Sectors ?
A. Full details of twenty-four Sectors into which the EWCP has been divided are in the EWCP Register Introduction and in the EWCP Register Claim Form. Note that the twenty-four Sectors were devised for the purpose of the EWCP Register, based on accessibility by road or public transport. The England Sectors are not the same as the shorter 'Stretches' of the England Coast Path demarcated by Natural England.
Q. Do I have to be a member of the LDWA to enter the EWCP Register?
A. No, but the cost of Award Certificates is higher for non-members than for members. Only current LDWA members will receive LDWA journal Strider three times a year; its April edition includes an Annual Report of the EWCP Register Recorder.
Q. How do I obtain an EWCP Register Claim Form?
A. You can download the Claim form in PDF format from here: EWCP Register Claim Form
Q. May I submit my claim in the form of a letter or email ?
A. Sorry, no. Claims will only be accepted on a Claim Form.
Q. I have no proof that I have completed the EWCP Sectors. Am I ineligible for entry into the Register?
A. Definitely not! Very few people will be able to verify formally that they have walked Sectors of the England & Wales Coast Path. Your honesty is assumed.
Q. My friend (or spouse/partner) and I have completed EWCP Sectors whilst walking together. Do we need to fill in separate Claim Forms?
A. Yes please. Claim forms from two or more different claimants can be sent together as email attachments.
Q. I cannot remember the exact dates on which I finished some or all of the EWCP Sectors. Does this exclude me from making a Claim?
A. No, but it is preferable to give the completion date(s) if possible, otherwise "month/year" will be accepted. If it was more than five years ago, the year of completion will suffice.
Q. Is there a time limit on entry into the EWCP Register, and can claims be made retrospectively?
A. No, and Yes: there is no time limit for completing EWCP Sectors, and claims can be made retrospectively. Even if the routes on which particular Sectors are based have changed since you walked them, you can still claim for them. The only requirement is that you completed them on foot as they were at the time.
Q. Is there a fee for entry into the EWCP Register?
A. Entry to the EWCP Register is free, but you can purchase (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Emerald) Award Certificates from the LDWA Shop. The cost of Certificates is higher for non-members than for members.
Q. When will I receive my certificate(s), and when will my name appear on the EWCP Register ?
A. Certificates will usally be dispatched within a couple of weeks, by which time you will also appear on the EWCP Register.
Q. What personal details will appear on the online EWCP Register?
A. The Register of England & Wales Coast Path walkers contains only the names of those who have walked the various Sectors together with their completion details. No contact or other personal details appear on the Register.
Q. How do I find my Sector completion data in the online EWCP Register?
A. Select your level of award on the relevant web page (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond or Emerald). The names are listed firstly by the number of qualifying Sectors completed, e.g. the Bronze level list starts with those who have completed 9 different Sectors, then those who have walked 8 Sectors, then 7, 6 and finally the minimum of 5 Sectors. Names are listed alphabetically by surname within category; if there are two people with the same surname, they are sorted by first name. Data include mileages on different Sectors (multiple completions of the same trail are not included - but see below), plus dates when first and last Sectors were completed.
Clicking/tapping on your name will reveal all of the Sectors that you have completed, together with their combined mileage. Any multiple completions are also shown, but repeats of Sectors aren't counted at higher levels (see below for a rationale).
Q. What parts of my name will appear in the EWCP Register and on my Certificate or Certificates ?
A. The third box on the Claim Form states: “Name as you wish to be recorded on Register and Certificate (please complete this box)”. If you don't fill in this box, you will be recorded with your full names on both the Online Register and EWCP Certificate. (But do please also enter your full names in the first and second boxes, in order to prevent errors).
Q. Do I have to walk the EWCP Sectors “in one go” to qualify for entry into the Register?
A. No. Please see Rules 3(a) and 3(b) in the “Rules for Entry into the National Trails Register” in the EWCP Register Introduction. The only requirement is that you have eventually completed on foot the EWCP Sector or Sectors for which you are claiming, over as long a period as it took.
Q. Can I walk the EWCP Sectors in either direction, and in any order?
A. Yes to both. Please see Rule 3(c) in the “Rules for Entry into the National Trails Register” in the EWCP Register Introduction.
Q. I have mountain-biked some EWCP Sectors. Can I include these completions for entry into the EWCP Register?
A. Sorry, no. See Rule 1 in the “Rules for Entry into the National Trails Register” in the EWCP Register Introduction.
Q. I have walked the Norfolk Coast Path (for example) twice. Can I count it as two completions for the purposes of the EWCP Register?
A. Sorry, no. Walking five different EWCP Sectors is a minimum entry into the Register (at Bronze level), and repeats of Sectors don't count towards higher levels.
Q. I have walked the South West Coast Path (SWCP) or the Wales Coast Path (WCP), or both. Can I include these in my list of EWCP Sectors?
A. Yes to both. The division of the whole England Coast Path into 18 Sectors means that for EWCP purposes it is not sensible to count the whole of the SWCP as a single entity. For the first time in the LDWA's Register Scheme, SWCP competions will qualify for a total of five separate Sectors (the criteria for the EWCP Bronze Award) instead of just one National Trail. In addition, Wales Coast Path (WCP) completions qualify for six separate Sectors. See the EWCP Register Introduction.
Q. Can I count 'official' alternatives to coastal routes (either because original 'inland' routes have been retained, or coast paths are diverted for reasons such as landslips, MoD Firing Range days, bird nesting/migration seasons) as part of Sector claims?
A. Yes. Where there such alternatives, Sector claims can be based on either version. In particular, when it is necessary to divert from a cliff-top route because a section of path has been closed off, it is not necessary to return later (unless you both wish to and have the opportunity!) to complete it in order to include it in the EWCP Register. In many cases it is possible (and occasionally signposted) to take to beaches as low-tide alternatives to cliff paths; these also may be included as part of Sector claims.
Q. I walked the Isle of Wight Coast Path (for example) before it was officially designated as part of the England Coast Path. Can I count this for EWCP Register purposes?
A. Yes. See Rule 5 in the “Rules for Entry into the National Trails Register” in the EWCP Register Introduction.
Q. I've walked large parts of what is now the England Coast Path before (e.g.) new footbridges were built to avoid road-walks or inland diversions. In fact I've done longer mileages than on the equivalent bits of the new England Coast Path! Can I claim these as part of EWCP Sector claims ?
A. Yes, so long as the bits you've done make up whole EWCP Sectors when combined together. Please note that Natural England's 'Stretches' are both shorter than, and don't necessarily correspond with, the EWCP's England Sectors, so if you've been walking the former as they're opened, you may still have to do more of the latter !
Q. I was added to the (e.g.) Bronze Register when I'd completed 5 EWCP Sectors. I have just completed another Sector: although this is not sufficient for me to be raised to the next level (Silver, in this case), do I need to need to inform the Recorder?
A. No. It's not necessary to inform the Register Recorder after each Sector completion, unless doing so would take you to the next level.
Q. I have completed (for example) 15 Sectors, so qualify for a Gold Certificate. Can I also claim Certificates for Silver and Bronze?
A. Yes. Silver level walkers can claim both a Silver and a Bronze Certificate. Holders of Gold level Certificates can also claim both Silver and Bronze, and so on for Diamond and Emerald. The choice is yours, though you will need to pay for any additional Certificates.
Q. Can I submit some photographs and a report of my trip?
A. Short accounts (absolute maximum 400 words please) can be included in the annual report of the EWCP Register that is published in the April edition of Strider. If you have a special story to tell, this would be particularly appreciated. If possible please send your contribution as a Word document attached to an email. Digital photos can also be sent as email attachments.
Q. Have we answered your question?
A. Each section of this website contains separate Frequently Asked Questions pages, so if you haven't found what you want here please try one of the following:
If you still cannot find the answer to your question then please contact the EWCP Register Recorder at trailwalker@ldwa.org.uk
Last updated (ic) 21 April 2025
Last updated (mh) 3 December 2024
