In April 2017 I reported that the England Coast Path was scheduled to be fully open by 2020. This did not happen, and official blame seems to be laid at the feet of COVID–19. Wikipedia however also refers to a European court judgement made in April 2018 regarding environmentally protected sites.
In March 2023 I read on the UK Government website that "The government announced in February 2022 that the England Coast Path will be fully walkable by the end of this Parliament". This means no later than January 2025. Also on gov.uk there is a map showing the status of the various sections of the path.
In August 2024, the above statement has been slightly amended to read "by the end of 2024" instead of "by the end of this Parliament"
In 2023, in honour of the coronation of the new king, the path was renamed the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Most of the south–west section seems to be "Approved in whole but not yet open, establishment works planned or in progress". I'm rather puzzled by this; it surely uses the same paths as the South West Coast Path (which was completed in 1978).
The South West Coast Path is currently the longest of the 16 designated National Trails in England and Wales, and it's also longer than any of Scotland's 27 Great Trails. Wikipedia lists dozens (if not hundreds – I haven't bothered to count) more long distance footpaths in England, Wales and Scotland, and one in Northern Ireland.
The England Coast Path path will be 2,796 miles long when complete.
© Haydn Thompson 2017–24