King Charles Officially Opens the "World's Longest Coastal Path" in England to Walkers

Does the opening of "the world's longest coastal path" in England pave the way for an official seaside trail around the whole island of Britain?

The official inauguration of the King Charles III England Coast Path took place today with the official opening by the King himself in the South Downs National Park.

In total, the trail measures 2,689 miles. Natural England, the government body which created the path, says it is the longest managed coastal walking route in the world.

The organisation says walkers - who have already been able to enjoy different trails around the coast - will now have access to land that was previously restricted to the public, including cliffs, dunes and beaches.

The official path has also been designed with climate change in mind. Rising sea levels and extreme weather puts more communities at risk - with potential future loss of sections of beach, dune and clifftops a real concern.

There is now provision - a first in English law - for the route to be altered. If the coastline erodes or shifts, the path can be moved inland (or, as Natural England dubs it, "rolled back").

Great news for walkers, ramblers and those who enjoy a visit to the English coast.

But what about the rest of Britain?

Wales also has some beautiful coastal walking, including the Pembrokeshire coast path, and already has its own 870-mile national trail by the sea, the Wales Coast Path.

The new English coast path will link with the Wales Coast Path, to add continuity down the west and south west side of the British coastline.

Scotland has no official coastal trail, which may be in part due to so much of its coastline being accessible to the public through the "right to roam" set out in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act in 2003.

With such a high level of accessibility, is there a need for Scotland to have its own national coast path?

As a walker, rambler or visitor, would you want Scotland to have its own national coast path?

For those who love the outdoors, today's inauguration in England is something to celebrate and could encourage more people to explore its varied coastline. And it may start new conversations about possible future paths for the outdoors in Scotland.

(Photo by Zenda Photography. Image shows Gary Spinks on a walk along the coast at Montrose in Scotland, which currently has no official national coast path)