A project working with promoting sustainable cultural tourism through regenerating a number of walking trails along the North Sea coast. Activities include development of the information, services and infrastructure required for promoting the trail. The ultimate aim is develop a walking trail all along the North Sea coast.

The North Sea region is home to many unique cultural landscapes created by historical and traditional economic activities, many of which have declined. "The North Sea Coastal Paths" (NAVE NOTRAIL) aims to contribute to the economic and social regeneration of the North Sea Coastal region by conserving and highlighting the region?s natural and cultural heritage through the regeneration of a network of links and pathways around key coastal areas. Opportunities for sustainable economic development will be facilitated along a network of cultural and environmental tourism, outdoor activities and education. These networks will help to emphasise the common cultural and natural heritage of the North Sea Coastal region.

Expected Outcomes

The primary outcomes of NAVE NORTRAIL are expected to be a number of networks. A Pathways Network will identify physical structures that enable access. A Heritage Network will identify the locations of cultural importance and public interest and strengthen the transnational cooperation between various national institutions. The Accommodation Network will contribute to the understanding of the North Sea Cultural Concept within the context of European tourist marketing through a programme of business development and support. Finally the Pathway to Knowledge will help to develop a common European North Sea Coast Cultural knowledge platform with different sets of knowledge that can be targeted to different user groups.

Activities

NAVE NORTRAIL is divided up into four interconnected initiatives that reflect themes running through the whole project. For, The Pathways Network, project partners will identify their route for NAVE NORTRAIL. The final route will be selected on the basis of visual content, safety, historic links, cultural richness, proximity to overnight accommodation and access to other amenities. The work will be closely related to public sector spatial planning, leisure and environmental services working in partnership with both regional and local forestry, wildlife and environmental organisations. The second theme is the Heritage Network, in which project partners will identify sites of cultural and natural heritage along the route and create linkages between them through the co-ordination of museums, local authorities, and tourism agencies. It is during theme two that the final route for the project will be decided. Theme three, Accommodation Network, will have significant links to community economic development and ensure that commercial benefits are shaped, developed, marketed and exploited effectively. There will be induction sessions for guides to heritage sites, briefing sessions for local transport personnel and assistance with the development of linked businesses along the route via training. Finally theme four, Pathway to Knowledge, will see the creation of a Knowledge Library containing information used during the earlier stages of the project. The project also has a Project Implementation and Management Activities theme, where a Project Steering Committee will oversee the NAVE NORTRAIL project, with an advisory forum established to provide cross sectoral input, national and regional consortia to ensure co-ordination at the regional level and a Editorial Board created to maintain an overview of knowledge and information distribution.

Reported Outcomes

The project NaveNortrail (The North Sea Coastal Path) has developed a transnational hiking and cycle trail including all regions around the North Sea, providing an environmentally friendly and healthy form of tourism that is accessible to everyone. This also provides opportunities for the growth of other businesses. Several partners have established a programme for involving local businesses and service providers along the trail. All partners have now completed the planning of trails to be included in the project. Preparations for the route have also been made in terms of preparing a common signage guideline for all partners. A total of 1076 km of trails has been signposted and interpreted in 2006 and that is reflected in the presentation of material investments. In total almost 3759 km of trails is by the end of June 2006 signposted and are ready for walking. Work has also been completed on locating and documenting sites along the route of cultural and historical value. Each partner has identified a number of sites and articles will be written about the more important sites. In total more than 1300 sites have been identified. The sites are classified in five thematic groups: The natural world, building & architecture, working life, culture and traditions, historical routes. The new website www.northseatrail.org launched in early May 2006 has been upgraded with many more heritage articles. In addition a set of 104 articles describing the trail have been written. Many of these articles have also been translated into the other partner languages. Partners have also started the registration of the path support system in terms for examples of accommodation. A working group on business development has also been initiated. The main transnational activity the project partners organised during the autumn 2007 was the North Sea Trail Day the first weekend of September. Events were organised in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, England and Scotland, including 24 regional authorities as organisers in their local area. The next North Sea Trail Day will take place the first Saturday/Sunday September 2007.