King Charles III England Coast Path
Latest update
The Cheshire section of what will become the King Charles III England Coast Path has been completed after recent improvements works and is now open for visitors to enjoy this beautiful part of the borough.
We are aware of some issues along the new path. A recent high tide and inclement weather has resulted in some areas needing additional work. As this is a Site of Special Scientific Interest we are consulting with Natural England and the RSPB before we can re-attend site to carry out remedial work on these areas again.
Background
The Council was asked to improve the borough's existing coastal path between the Flintshire and Wirral borders. Most of the construction took place from Marshlands Road, Neston up to Parkgate, following on the previous work from the Flintshire border to Neston in 2012.
The King Charles III England Coast Path will be longest managed coastal path in the world. It will go all the way around the coast of England and will be around 2,700 miles long when it is complete.
The Council received a grant from Natural England earlier in the year to carry out initial planning work and funding for the full construction costs was then secured from DEFRA through Natural England.
This will be section BHW3 of the King Charles III England Coast Path.
There was only a short window for construction work along this route January to March 2024 due to environmental and ecological factors on this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Stone has been used along this section as it will stabilise the embankment and futureproof the route, as it will be hardwearing against the coastal terrain / tidal waters and will not wash away. It is worth noting that no material is being removed from site and it has been discussed with the landowner (RSPB) and Natural England, who were keen for this to be retained on the marshes along the route, this also helps aid the sustainability, ecology and carbon neutral elements of the scheme.
In the future information boards will be erected along the route to provide information about the SSSI.
Existing sections are accessible to all – from the Flintshire border up to Marshlands Road which is currently a multi-user route. Also, Moorside Lane up to Parkgate is all a hardstanding route on highway or link pathways. However, the route from Marshlands Road up to Moorside will remain in its current status as a Public Right of Way only. At this stage, the full route has not been designed or constructed for wheelchair users or cyclists.
There will be information boards located at regular locations along the route. These shall have information provided from both Natural England and the RSPB. Information on the route and the SSSI site will be highlighted.
The section of the path through Cheshire West and Chester Borough will be mainly completed at the end of March 2024, except for signage, minor improvements and information boards, etc, which will be completed during summer 2024. However, although the route will be opened up to use, the official KCIII ECP will not be officially signed until the full route around the peninsular has been completed. Wirral intend to complete their route by March 2025, and there will then be an official ‘KCIII England Coast Path’ opening by Natural England.
