THE Exmoor stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path, the first section in the Westcountry, was officially opened on Wednesday (July 17) by Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA).

Improvements have been made along a quarter of the length of the 35-mile Exmoor stretch to allow walkers to enjoy revived ancient paths and more scenic views from popular spots such as Hurlstone Point, North Hill, and Glenthorne.

Celebrations for the opening of the Exmoor stretch were led by the ENPA’s chairman Andrea Davis, at an event held in Combe Martin, Devon.

The official opening event for the Exmoor section with ENPA chairman Andrea Davis and chief executive Sarah Bryan, Sue Applegate and Dan Barnett from the rights of way and public access team, Neil Constable and Richard Andrews, from Natural England.
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The King Charles path is a National Trail around the whole coast of England, taking in existing coastal national trails such as the South West Coast Path but offering new public access to link up and improve existing Exmoor routes, enabling people to better experience and value the benefits of the landscape.

Wider coastal access rights between the trail and low water, the coastal margin, will come into force in due course, but in the meantime the route has been changed in six places, which are:

• North Hill

• Hurlstone Point

• Worthy

• Glenthorne

• Lee Abbey

• Cobbler’s Park

ENPA public rights of way and access officer Sue Applegate said: “I am delighted this stretch of the King Charles path is officially open.

“It is a continuous, easy to follow and well-maintained trail so local people and visitors can get to enjoy the coastal natural environment whether they fancy an hour’s stroll or a few days hike.

The official opening event for the Exmoor section held at 'the Arches', Combe Martin, included representatives from Exmoor National Park, Natural England, South West Coast Path and National Trails, and National Trust.
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“Our team and our colleagues at the National Trust, along with South West Coast Path Association, have all been working really hard to support Natural England to get these new sections of coast path open, with additional help from local contractors and our volunteers.

“There are places where we have been able to take the route off road or closer to the sea with improved views and great opportunities for circular walks.”

A stretch of coast path on Exmoor near Lee Abbey and Valley of Rocks.
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Natural England Wessex area team principal manager Claire Newill said: “It is wonderful to see this stretch of path from Minehead to Coombe Martin.

“Walkers will enjoy being closer to the sea with better views.

“The path can ‘rollback’ to adapt to future coastal changes, protecting this national asset in perpetuity.

“We look forward to more sections opening in coming months.”

The ascent out of Grexy Combe on the 'rugged coast path' section between Minehead and Porlock
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National Trust area ranger for the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor, Rob Manicom, said: “After many years of planning and implementation of path improvements it is great to see this officially open.

“Staff, volunteers, and contractors have all worked hard to create new paths and upgrade existing paths to help improve the coast path experience.

The Exmoor coast path near Lee Abbey and Valley of Rocks.
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“The route offers walkers access to some of this country’s most scenic and unspoilt sections of our coastline and is a brilliant addition for visitors to Exmoor.”

The new National Trail will be the longest managed coastal path in the world, going all the way around the coast of England and will be about 2,700 miles long when it is complete.