Challenges keeping King's path fully open in south

Keeping all of the King Charles III England Coast Path open will be "challenging", according to Natural England. Parts of the 2,689-mile route, which was inaugurated by the King in April, are currently inaccessible because of recent landslips. In Dorset, some landowners have failed to reach agreements about the path crossing their land, and there have been public objections over its impact on wildlife. Meanwhile, in Hampshire, walkers expressed frustration the path stops abruptly at Southampton Water, where the Hythe Ferry has been out of service for 18 months.

The path is a continuous trail, allowing walkers to explore the country's shoreline on foot. Natural England, the government body which created it, said it is the longest managed coastal walking route in the world. But land slips and erosion have led to parts of the trail being rerouted or closed for safety reasons in the south west and along Dorset's Jurassic coast.

Natural England's Neil Constable said it would be "challenging" to keep the whole route open, but that there was more flexibility to amend the route of the King's path than a standard public footpath. "Public footpaths follow very fixed legal lines. If it falls in the sea, it's gone," he said. "We've got to start from scratch negotiating [with landowners]. But going forward, if that path falls in the sea, the right remains, and we can, talking to the landowner, find a new route for the path that strikes a fair balance."

Not all landowners have permitted the use of their land, however, meaning some sections of the trail are limited. Constable continued: "We dealt with over 25,800 owners and occupiers around the entire coast of England and the objection rate to our proposals was just 2.5% - but there are places we can't go or we can't go all year." He said there were seasonal restrictions on areas with birthing seals and wintering birds. "It's opening up the coast in a way that's responsible, that's also protecting our natural environment," he said.

Jack Cornish from the Ramblers Association described the variety of the path's route as "really fantastic", but said it was a shame parts of it cannot be accessed, including at Hythe, where it reaches Southampton Water. The Hythe Ferry, linking Hythe and Southampton Town Quay, was suspended in August 2024 after damage was found to its pontoon and supporting structure. In April the service went into voluntary liquidation.

"There is some frustration," said Cornish. "We would love to see it go all the way round the water, so it is a truly continuous path. "This is a significant piece of national infrastructure and it's going to be here for generations and generations to come, so obviously we have to get it right. "But we're keen at the Ramblers to see that it's open and continuous as soon as possible."

Tourism leaders say keeping the route open is vital to coastal economies. Along the South West Coast Path - part of the wider trail - more than nine-million visitors a year contribute over £500m. Julian Gray is director of the South West Coast Path Association, a charity that has been championing the path since its designation as a national trail in 1978. "We are the green ribbon that goes around the coast of the southwest," he said.