MAJOR plans have been revealed which would see a number of new Camel Trail-style cycling and walking routes created around Cornwall.

Projects have been unveiled in several areas around the county including Mount’s Bay, Looe Valley and in central Cornwall.

Cycle tourism is worth £650 million a year in the UK and supports up to 15,000 jobs across the country.

A survey in 2016 found that 10% of visitors to Cornwall had got on their bikes during their stay and the average cycle tourist spends around 9% more money per day compared to other visitors.

By creating these new cycle routes Cornwall Council is hoping to attract more cyclists to the county as well as encouraging residents to use them instead of their cars.

Connecting Central Cornwall

Cornwall Council is looking to secure funding including £20m from the Highways England Cycling Safety and Integration Designated Fund and £5m from the European Regional Development Fund.

This would be used to help create a number of trails which could be used for walking and cycling in Central Cornwall.

Routes include St Agnes to Truro; Trispen to Idless; Perranporth to Newquay and St Newlyn East to Carland Cross.

The council says this could help create a “comprehensive, high quality walking and cycling network in Central Cornwall”.

It adds: “Building on recent investment within Truro this network has the potential to reach out to outlying settlements, overcoming severance caused by the A30 trunk road and complementing the new dualling scheme, to sit alongside other exemplar cycle routes and trails across Cornwall.

“The network will link with housing and employment growth areas, connect coastal communities, provide sustainable access to key services and help address congestion and air quality issues in Cornwall’s commercial heartland.”

Mount’s Bay Maritime Park Bay to Bay multi-use trail

This 30km trail could link towns and villages across west Cornwall with a route which is looking to follow in the footsteps of the popoular Camel Trail.

Cornwall Council says the multi-use trail would be a “high quality walking and cycling link acting as a spine, connecting communities, attracting visitors and creating economic and cultural opportunities for West Cornwall”.

It adds: “The Bay to Bay multi-use trail builds on the proven success of the Camel Trail and the convenience of public bike hire schemes to create a 30km trail with bike hire hubs at a number of key locations connecting Penzance, Marazion, Hayle and St Ives and several small settlements.”

The council estimates that the Bay to Bay trail could be used by as many as 300,000 people a year. The Camel Trail attracts 424,000 visitors a year.

Under the plans there would be a Bay Bikes hire scheme which would use docking stations for people to hire bikes to use on the trail.

The project has been split into four phases, with the first running from Marazion to Mousehole. The second covers Marazion to St Erth, the third connects to Hayle and the last phase would connect to St Ives.

Cornwall Council is set to provide £1.6m funding for the first phase and is asking for £1.4m from the Government.

Looe Valley Trails

A network of cycle trails could be created in south east Cornwall which Cornwall Council says would be “reinforcing Cornwall as one of the top three destinations for cycle tourism in the UK”.

Cornwall Council says: “The vision is to create a new cycling and walking trail network in South East Cornwall linking Liskeard, Looe, Bodmin and Torpoint centred on the East and West Looe Valleys.

“This project would further open up access to some of the most beautiful and distinctive landscape in Cornwall, the Looe Estuary with its rich wildlife and ancient woodland and including the SE Cornwall coast including Whitsand Bay. It would help to stimulate the local economy and increase opportunities for connecting communities.”

The West Looe Valley route would link up Liskeard, Looe and Lanhydrock and could provide a coast-to-coast ride by linking with the Camel Trail.

And the Looe to Torpoint route would open up access to the coast and improve access to Mount Edgcumbe and Plymouth.

Construction costs could be around £8.3m and the total cost of the entire project could be around £16m.

Cornwall Council believes the Looe Valley Trails network could attract up to 500,000 visitors a year and generate additional visitor spend of £18m a year.