Some sections of the walk were existing rights of way, but the majority were in private hands, necessitating negotiation.

[10] This includes – where appropriate – any land, other than the trail itself, which forms part of the coastal margin and which has public rights of access along the way.

However, this does not include any right to enter private houses and gardens or Ministry of Defence land.

[8] The first instance of this new law was implemented on a stretch of the English coast at Weymouth Bay on 29 June 2012.

[13][14] In the UK, public access to the foreshore below the line marking high tide has existed for a long time.

In England ownership of land extends only to the high water mark, and The Crown is deemed to own what lies below it.

[15] Progress slowed due to COVID-19 and a European court judgement in April 2018 regarding environmentally protected sites.

[16] In May 2023, to mark the coronation of King Charles III, the Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey announced that the England Coast Path would be renamed the King Charles III England Coast Path.

Likewise, at Aust, the Wales Coast Path can be accessed by crossing the Severn Bridge.