2000 mile fundraising coastal walk around England

12:34:56 on 7th August 1990 marks the end of a great journey for 70 year old Robert Steel who has completed a 2000 mile walk around England's coastline, spanning 100 days. Robert sums up his enduring spirit in an interview, stating after already completing three walks of up to a thousand miles, to do anything less for this good cause would seem like, in his own words the old man had, had it. Robert is raising money for Enterprise Neptune, the National Trust's ambitious programme to protect the unspoilt beauty of much of the country's coastline. A programme which has been running for 25 years. Out of the approximately 1000 miles of English coastline recently surveyed which are in dire need of preservation, the national trust owns around 512 miles of it. Angus Stirling, the Director General of the National Trust recalls the early days of land being given to the Trust, nowadays funds need to be raised in order to purchase the land. This programme follows Robert as he walks different sections of the coastline, such as Ravenscar in North Yorkshire, where 8 miles of the coast has been acquired for the Trust, and the Durham coastline which has been cleaned up after historic coal mining waste was dumped into the sea and sands, showing the good that can come from a project like this.

Enterprise Neptune started in 1965, following the survey of every mile of coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Mass tourism boomed in the 60s, the ill-effect of this being the trampling of many rare plants and dirty beaches. A conservationist talks about how they are now redirecting paths to prevent the erosion of soil and plant-species. The surveys carried out in the 60s were completed by young geography professor John Whittow and his students. Their findings kick-started Enterprise Neptune, which has now saved over 740 miles of beach, cliff, estuary and bays from development or destruction. This project has been overwhelmingly successful having enabled much of our coastline to have an unspoilt and continuous coastal path for vast stretches of distance. This programme is very much focused on the need to protect our coastline, as well as the National Trust's ways of acquiring it. Rangers, wardens, conservationists and National Trust members discuss the importance of our coastline.