CHESHIRE West’s section of the King Charles III England Coast Path has been officially opened by the Council and its partners.

MP Samantha Dixon officially opened the path with ward members, council officers, contractors and representatives from community groups present.

Last year the Council was asked to improve the borough’s existing coastal path between the Flintshire and Wirral borders. A successful funding bid to Natural England (NE) to create designs for the project last year kicked things off.

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.

To celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III last year, the England Coast Path was renamed the ‘King Charles III England Coast Path, leaving a lasting legacy to be enjoyed by walkers around the entire English coastline. This section is the first to be opened with new King Charles III England Coast Path signage.

Natural England is co-ordinating the King Charles III England Coast Path delivery nationally.  The section in west Cheshire is BHW3, and passes through a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The Council's Leader, Councillor Louise Gittins said:

“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.

“This exciting project has helped visitors enjoy the great outdoors in our beautiful borough even more.

“A big thank you to everyone involved in making this project happen and those who joined us today to celebrate this wonderful coastal path.”

Natural England's Area Manager, Ginny Hinton, said:

“It is very exciting to see the King Charles III England Coast Path coming together.

“Once the Cheshire/Wirral peninsula route is completed, this will create some 59.9 miles of walks along our amazing North West coastline including saltmarsh, dunes, grasslands and mudflats.  Locals and visitors alike will be able to enjoy the fantastic scenery and wildlife, such as migrating seabirds and Marsh Harriers.”

Visitors to the King Charles III England Coast Path can see all opened sections of the trail on the National Trails website. www.nationaltrail.co.uk.