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Guidance

The King Charles III England Coast Path: National Trail

Published 24 June 2026

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2026

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-a-national-trail-in-england/the-king-charles-iii-england-coast-path-national-trail

The King Charles III England Coast Path is the longest managed coastal path in the world. It’s a National Trail that goes all the way around the coast of England. It connects coastal landscapes, wildlife, towns, cities, industrial heritage and iconic places on the coast.  

The coast path will be around 2,700 miles long when it’s fully open.  

There’s also a Wales Coast Path.

Regional sections of the trail   

You can find out about visiting a regional section of the King Charles III England Coast Path.

Exploring land in the coastal margin  

In most places you can explore the land between the trail and the sea, known as the ‘coastal margin’. This area is shown in pink on Ordnance Survey maps.  

In the coastal margin, you’ll usually have new rights to enjoy areas like beaches, dunes and foreshore. Some areas will not have such rights because they’re: 

  • excepted land, such as parks, gardens or the land around buildings   
  • subject to a restriction, for example for nature conservation reasons or because the land is not suitable for public access, such as a saltmarsh or mudflat 

Other parts of the coastal margin may be steep, uneven or unstable. You must take care of your own safety and look out for local notices. 

Search for open access land in England and find out about land that’s currently closed to walkers. 

Changes to the trail  

Natural England can propose permanent changes to the route of the King Charles III England Coast Path if needed. Their proposed changes are available to read on GOV.UK as a ‘variation report’. 

You can view the proposed changes to:

Find out how to comment on or object to proposed changes.

Progress on opening new sections of the trail 

Read about the history of the coast path, including:  

  • the progress made to open all 2,700 miles of the trail 
  • which sections are open or in progress
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