Some of the coast path will absorb existing national trails such as the South West Coast Path around Devon and Cornwall. Some of it will be paths which already exist but need some work – new signposts, bridges, steps, ramps, and gates. 

Some of it, like in East Quantoxhead, is totally new, offering easy access to coastlines which have never been open to the public.

“One of the places which was a real eye-opener to me was just north of the River Tees near Middlesbrough,” says Constable. “It’s an area with a lot of oil rigs, refineries, and blast furnaces. But between the heavy industry, there are creeks with seals, amazing birdlife; real wilderness. Opening that up to people felt special. It’s a totally undiscovered gem.”

Other spots wildlife lovers will enjoy, predicts Constable, include the chalk downs of the southern coast where rare orchids and butterflies abound. Norfolk beaches are renowned for their grey and harbour or common seal nurseries. The coastal dunes of Formby, Merseyside provide habitat for great crested newt, natterjack toads and sand lizards.

For bird lovers, muddy estuaries from the Thames to the Humber, Morecambe Bay and the Severn will delight, with thousands upon thousands of wintering birds.