The headlines are focusing on the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool this week. But a little bit of history has been made elsewhere on Merseyside: the opening of the latest section of the King Charles III England Coast Path. Once completed – which is now projected for the end of 2024 – it will be the longest coastal walking route in the world, totaling some 2,700m (4,345km).
The new section starts outside Preston and runs south via Crosby to the Liverpool waterfront, adding some 36 miles (58km) to the 121 miles (195km) already waymarked along the Northwest of England’s coastline. There are currently four other Northwest sections, leading south from Cumbria; this latest section opened on the same day as a new 21-mile stretch on the North Yorkshire coast.
The opening follows the recent renaming of the path for the coronation, and adds to plans throughout the year to celebrate the Year of the Coast as designated by the National Coastal Tourism Academy.
The highlight of the new section follows the lesser-known coast to the north of Liverpool, a landscape of beaches, dunes and heathland supporting many wildlife habitats. Several sections are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest with rare examples of flora and fauna.
“This is an area of big sky and statement sunsets,” says John Corbett, a Liverpool Blue Badge Tourist Guide, based in Crosby. “I regularly walk this section of coast and love the long-distance views, looking as far as the Lake District and back towards Snowdonia on clear days, plus watching the ships coming in.”
Among the attractions, the seaside resort town of Southport is the obvious northerly hub for visitors. Known for its Grade II-listed pier – the oldest surviving iron pier in Britain – and its quirky British Lawnmower Museum, it’s a classic British resort dating back to the genteel Victorian period.
Head inland and take a quick constitutional down Southport‘s elegant main drag, Lord Street, with its arcades, then head for a pint at the Lakeside Inn, one of Britain’s smallest pubs, with its collection of maritime memorabilia.
Heading south, the dune landscape leads via the Birkdale Sandhills Nature Reserve – close to Royal Birkdale, sometime home of The Open golf championship – and Ainsdale beach, which is popular with dog walkers and kite surfers. You could even glimpse bottle-nosed dolphins sometimes gracing the Sefton coastline.
The next leg towards Formby is known for other animal species. The path, fringed by dunes, grasslands, and Corsican pine woodlands, dissects the Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Freshfield Heath. With woodland on one side and the roar of the sea on the other, it’s a haven for rare species, such as the natterjack toad, sand lizard and red squirrel.
The section from Hightown to the village of Blundellsands, outside Crosby, includes a cut-in by the river Alt and is home to a submerged, prehistoric forest. Look out for ancient tree stumps rising like a ghost army from the water, reaching out across the bay towards The Wirral.
Nearby, the coastal town of Crosby, with its Viking roots, is known for the 100-odd, cast-iron figures that comprise Antony Gormley’s Another Place art installation. With the heavy industry of Liverpool docks beyond, the tides lap at their ankles before submerging them completely at different times of the day. The life-size figures along this two-mile stretch of beach feel as if they’re calling to us – yet their gaze remains fixed on a distant horizon.
Crosby is also home to a coastguard station that once controlled the sea from Liverpool to the Isle of Skye, and a set of sea defences built from fragments of buildings destroyed in the Second World War’s Liverpool Blitz. “Look down as you’re walking,” advises John Corbett. “With sea erosion, you can sometimes spot old lintels or tiles from Victorian buildings. It’s like delving into an archaeological mine.”
From here, it’s some four miles towards Liverpool city centre, diverting inland to skirt Seaforth Docks, before building to the dramatic final flourish of Liverpool as a world port city. The path passes near the Titanic Hotel in Stanley Dock and leads past the Three Graces on the waterfront, including the historic Liver Building, before finishing by the statue of the Beatles, marking the 50-year anniversary of the band’s last gig in Liverpool. A selfie with the Fab Four is a suitably theatrical final stop. Further along the waterfront, the Eurovision finalists will perform on Saturday night at the M&S Bank Arena.
“Eurovision will help people see Liverpool and Merseyside with fresh eyes but also encourage them to return and explore more widely,” says Councillor Paulette Lappin, lead cabinet member for climate change at Sefton Council. “They’ll find a drop-in route with good rail connections and pristine beaches. We’re known for music, but the new section of coast path puts our natural environment on the map.”
How to get there
Merseyrail and Northern trains serve stations along the coast.
Book a guided tour with the Liverpool City Region Tourist Guides AssociationWhere to stay
The Vincent Hotel, Southport has doubles from £144.
Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa has doubles from £97.
Titanic Hotel, Liverpool has doubles from £112.More information
englandscoast.com
visitliverpool.com
King Charles III England Coast Path: nationaltrail.co.uk