England now has the longest managed coastal trail on the planet. In March 2026, King Charles III officially opened his namesake path from the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters in East Sussex, capping more than a decade of work. When fully finished, the King Charles III England Coast Path will run roughly 2,700 miles; more than 2,200 miles are already walkable today.

Few people will ever hike it end to end, and that's fine — the path works best in digestible sections, each with its own character and a decent bed at the end of it. Here's how the route breaks down.

**Sussex and Kent** are the easiest stretch from London: Beachy Head, the Seven Sisters and the White Cliffs of Dover, with France visible (and sometimes even detectable on your phone) across the Channel. The Gallivant at Camber Sands does a relaxed beach-club act with oysters and Kent wine; Fort Road Hotel puts you in the middle of Margate's art scene facing Turner Contemporary; and The Rose in Deal is a small, cheerful Georgian townhouse steps from the promenade and the town's antiques shops.

**Norfolk and Suffolk** trade cliffs for reedbeds, salt marsh and huge skies — trickier by public transport, so build in extra time. The Harper near Langham, a converted glass-blowing factory, makes a comfy base for Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham (you'll need a taxi to the coast). The Suffolk in Southwold is a restaurant-with-rooms right on the path by the pier, while The Gunton Arms in Thorpe Market doubles as an art museum with rooms — Tracey Emin, Lucien Freud and Damien Hirst hang in the pub.

**Cornwall, Dorset and South Devon** bring blue water, seafood and sea shanties. Hope Cove House is a 10-room village hotel minutes from Salcombe and easy walks; Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes has been the stylish Roseland Peninsula pick since 1998; and The Seaside Boarding House overlooks Chesil Beach on the Jurassic Coast, with walking from the door.

**Yorkshire and Northumberland** are the quiet end of the country: empty beaches, ruined abbeys and castles, and far fewer crowds than Cornwall. Saltmoore near Whitby is one of the Yorkshire coast's standout new openings, with a serious spa and fish and chips a short drive away. In Alnwick, The Cookie Jar — a former convent — puts Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island within reach, with a rummage at Barter Books, a bookshop in an old Victorian railway station, as your rest day.

For walkers, this is the big one: a single, waymarked route stitched through the country's best coastal scenery, broken into chunks that suit anything from a long weekend to a multi-week thru-hike. Pick a region, book a base, and let the trail do the rest.