The world’s longest coastal path, stretching 2,689 miles along the entire coast of England, has been declared open today by King Charles.

Named after His Royal Highness, The King Charles III England Coast Path snakes around pretty Cornish seaside towns and passes by the rugged beaches in Northumberland in a continuous stretch, after approximately 1,000 miles of new walkways were created to connect existing routes. Walkers can enjoy the sights of the iconic Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex, take in the beauty of the Jurrasic Coast and the wilderness of the Lake District, if they tackle the whole route.

After the King inaugurated the path and the new nature reserve, he took a stroll along a section of the newly completed path at Seven Sisters.

He was joined by environment secretary Emma Reynolds and Natural England chair Tony Juniper, who raved about the new route.

Mr Juniper said the path was a “testament to how public enjoyment, conservation, heritage, history and community can come together, helping make life better for millions of people”.

It was 18-years in the making, having been first introduced in Gordon Brown’s government, and it endured a few challenges along the way, such as requiring new legislation, the Marine and Coastal Access Act, passed in 2009.

Natural England said it is now the longest managed coastal walking route in the World. Neil Constable, who led the project for the body, said: “It is brilliant – the best thing I’ll do in my working life.”

The organisation said that it unlocked part of the English coast that had always been out of reach, including rugged beaches, sand dunes and stunning cliffs.

Where new trails had been created, Natural England had also focused on bringing them closer to the water. It said that accesibility had also been improved, so more people could enjoy sections of the trail.

About 80% of the route is now open, and the full path is due to be complete by the end of the year. In a few places, walkers must navigate away from the trail, inlcuding in north-west Engand, where hikers must take a ferry across the Mersey.