Although many of us may not have realised it, the modern demarcation of Cheshire includes a small section of coastline along part of the Wirral peninsula.
To this end, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) was recently awarded a grant worth just over £40,000 to reopen a stretch of coastal path that runs through the borough.
It’s part of a wider project which will see a 2,700-mile national trail created around England’s coast.
The Cheshire section of the England Coastal Path will run from the Boathouse pub at Parkgate down to the Welsh border.
However, the existing public right of way (PRoW) along the front of the marshes is currently closed for safety reasons.
CWAC leader Cllr Louise Gittins said: “This is particularly good news as I have been campaigning to have a section of the existing footpath repaired.
“The footpath was closed in 2020 because the existing boardwalk had fallen into a state of disrepair and there was insufficient funding available to repair it.
“The completed path will provide improvements for all walkers to be able to use this route to walk our part of the England Coast Path.”
The England Coastal Path’s route around the Wirral peninsula will take it through three boroughs and will take in both the area’s Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands.
The sensitivity of the location means there are set windows during which any works will need to be carried out.
Permission to build the pathway will be granted by Natural England once an initial design phase has been completed.
The council intends to submit a further bid for cash to implement and construct the path.
The work required along the route varies from new signage and patching (to enable accessibility through winter months), to drainage and more detailed engineering solutions.
There are various issues along this part of the route – such as embankment deterioration which needs to be stabilised, and boggy areas that need to be drained.
The construction methods along the route of the footpath will be carefully planned due to restricted access availability for machinery.
Consideration also needs to be given to ensuring minimal risk of contamination, and minimising disruption to habitats.
