On 19 March 2026 King Charles III walked two kilometers of clifftop at Seven Sisters, East Sussex, to officially open the coastal path that bears his name. At 2,700 miles — more than 4,300 kilometers — the King Charles III England Coast Path is now the longest managed coastal path in the world.
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The project has its roots in the Marine and Coastal Access Act of 2009, which gave Natural England the mandate to create a continuous path along the entire English coastline. Work began in 2010 with the first section inaugurated in Weymouth in view of the 2012 Olympics. Sixteen years later, the circle closes: the path connects Berwick-upon-Tweed to the Scottish border up to Land’s End in Cornwall, touching cliffs, dunes, estuaries, nature reserves and historic ports.
What you need to know
The route is currently open for around 80% of the route, with final completion expected by the end of 2026. Temporary diversions and, in some places, the ferry — such as the Mersey crossing in the north-west — are available on sections still under construction. One section in Devon even requires fording a river at low tide.
Along the way you come across iconic places such as the white cliffs of Dover, the Jurassic Coast (UNESCO World Heritage), the beaches of Holkham and Kynance Cove and the dunes of Formby. In total, the effort created 1,000 miles of new trails and improved 1,700 miles of existing ones, with bridges, boardwalks and new National Trail standard signage.
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It takes between four and six months to complete the entire route at a fast pace — about 15 miles a day. Those who prefer to do it in stages can start from any section, given that the entire network is already accessible and mapped.
On the same day as the inauguration, King Charles III declared the Seven Sisters the thirteenth National Nature Reserve in its series, protecting 1,500 hectares of coastal habitat.
Sources: gov.uk / nationaltrail.co.uk
