£1m accessible route fails accessibility standards due to steps and stiles

More than £1m has been spent on creating an accessible route – that isn't accessible.

Bikers and wheelchair users have said a redeveloped two-mile section of a bridle path along the River Dee is not accessible to everyone. The path links the communities of Corwen and Cynwyd, in Denbighshire.

Critics have said they cannot access it because they have to climb down 15 stone steps to reach it. The path also has fences and stiles. Denbighshire council said it was working with landowners to improve access.

Wheelchair-user Morgan Jones is angry he cannot access the entire route. "I can't understand why the council hasn't put in that ramp. I feel that disabled people in a wheelchair are a second thought. I'm quite frustrated to be honest. It's 2026. It's a shame that I have to fight for accessibility."

Ross Adams, from Cycling UK, says it is a shame the route is not accessible to all. “It’s great that progress was made but then it stalled and it’s got to a situation where it may as well not have started because it’s almost a pointless exercise," he said. “We’ve got a situation at both ends of the active travel corridor where people can’t really access it, so it begs the question, why was it put in in the first place?"

Active travel is one of the Welsh government's commitments to encourage more walking and cycling. Work to convert the old railway line began in 2024 with funding from a wider pot of £3.8m from the UK government’s Levelling Up scheme. Much of the path now has a new tarmac surface, costing more than £1m.

But in Cynwyd, access to the route is down the steps. At the Corwen end, the grass path runs through private pieces of land which are demarcated on the path with fencing and stiles, over which travellers need to be able to climb.

Dafydd Morris, from Corwen Town Council, said: “We desperately need accessible gates here so horses, bikers, wheelchairs - everybody - can access. Denbighshire County Council and the landowners need to come to an agreement." He added: “It’s a beautiful path along the riverside and it’s a shame so many people can’t access it."

A Denbighshire council spokesperson said the first phase of works was finished recently where "improvements to the existing steps" were made at Cynwyd and a new tarmac surface was laid. They said funding had been secured for a ramp to the path in Cynwyd. "We understand that the existing route is popular with the local residents and would like to thank them for their patience and understanding during the first construction phase whilst the path was closed," the spokesperson said. "The council have been successful in applying for further funding to introduce a ramp at the Cynwyd end of the path to improve accessibility for pushchairs and wheelchair users which will be completed by spring 2027. We are also currently developing works to improve the accessibility of the path at the Corwen/A5 end."