A view worth dying for?

3:06pm Monday 8th October 2007

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SINCE I became a journalist I have been in several seriously dangerous situations in my working life - and walking the planned route of the Ceredigion coast path in the Cardigan Island Farm Park certainly rates among my top ten hazards, writes Jackie Biggs.

I followed the approved route on Friday guided by Lyn Jenkins along the convoluted twists and turns through the fields of Clyn-yr-Ynys farm and the coastal strip of the farm park.

Traversing ravines and walking across the narrow ledges on the cliff tops rates pretty highly on my personal scale of hazardous jobs.

It was just as scary, for example, as making my first parachute jump or running white water rapids in a canoe - the sort of "reporter in action" stories we used to do 20 or 30 years ago.

The large slippery clumps of grass along the route of the path hide deep holes that would break the sturdiest ankle. It is very easy to lose your footing and there will be no fencing to protect walkers from falling over the cliffs.

At several points the route passes close to the edge of the precipice. And there are steep banks to be negotiated down the gulleys.

The views are stunning, but the dangers are very clear - if you fall over the edge you drop straight to the rocks below. And it would be easy to lose your footing at many points.

At the public inquiry into the path's route in January Ceredigion County Council agreed that users would have to take care on the path, "as on any coastal path".

"Safety cannot be guaranteed," the inspector was told.

I'd say that what can be absolutely guaranteed is that this route would be dangerous for all the walkers who use it.