I visited England's longest walk - no wonder King Charles was so happy to open it

Little stirs the soul more than stepping out into the English countryside and putting one foot in front of another to enjoy a bracing walk - bracing being the operative word when it comes to our often unpredictable weather. Still, when King Charles stepped out along the East Sussex coast last month, the sun was shining.And no wonder.

The Monarch was officially opening the world's longest coastal path, which stretches an incredible 2,700 miles - a similar distance from the UK to Iran - along the coast of England. It's the longest of its kind in the world, encompassing all of England's main coastline and that of the Isle of Wight.

There is, of course, a gap where there is no coast - along the Welsh and Scottish land borders - and a few sections have been approved, near Blackpool and on the south coast near Southampton, but are yet to be completed according to Natural England.

But overall, the vast majority of the route is walkable as of right now and King Charles has given it the royal seal of approval. Indeed, with the ups and downs of the route, it's fair to say that, depending on your fitness, you can enjoy your own royal ascent or two!

The King, who is well-known for his love of the environment, comes from a long line of royals pictured enjoying the great outdoors, whether it's hiking through the heather near Balmoral or galloping through the grounds ofWindsor.

During his late mother's Christmas Day speech in 2019, Queen Elizabeth II said "it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change".

And her son took his own small steps on a stunning section of the path named in his honour with a mile-long walk taking in the spectacular views of the Seven Sisters cliffs between Eastbourne and Seaford, part of a newly-designated National Nature Reserve announced by Natural England.

And now it was my turn to follow in his footsteps - one of millions of future ramblers who will no doubt enjoy its delights.

Sadly the sunshine that blessed the King's visit was nowhere to be seen, with pouring rain and squalling winds sweeping in from the Channel.

Despite that, it soon became apparent his backing of the path was already inspiring new visitors. Tourists Anna Jakobsen, 49, and Jenn Rognli, 47, from Oslo, Norway, had not let the inclement Great British weather spoil their own day out.

Anna said: "We had planned a girl's trip to England, and we saw King Charles had been here to open up this coastal walk and we thought 'Oh, wow'."

Asked how it felt to walk in His Majesty's footsteps, she added: "It feels great, it's such beautiful scenery and even in the grey like today, just look at the colours, they are wonderful.We have enjoyed it very much."

Anna explained she and her friends "even took off their shoes" to cross the small Cuckmere River, which runs across the path in the valley between the soaring heights of the cliffs.

Jenn said she was wearing a headscarf inspired by the Queen for the occasion. Her late Majesty famously enjoyed the apparel for her own bracing outdoor pursuits.

Jenn added: "I feel a bit like I am in the TV show, The Crown, it's my tribute to her."

Rafal Glodowski, 45, a bus driver originally from Poland who now lives in Essex, said he often visited the area when friends and family wanted to see the iconic English white cliffs.

"Everyone is always asking for white cliffs, and here we go, that's why we Lily Bull, 18, said are here," he told her friends served me. "My brother Charles in cafe thinks this is Dover, so does everyone, but I told him, 'Nah mate, we're miles away from that'. It's really cool walking here where King Charles has been, it's amazing, I am walking in his footsteps. I didn't know he was here, so it's really good now I know."

Unbowed by the wind and downpours, Rafal shared a decidedly English philosophy: "It's not the weather that's bad, it's the people wearing the wrong clothes." Even in the rain, the majestic white chalk prominences provided a dramatic backdrop. No wonder the coastguard cottages along the route have, over the years, been immortalised in popular imagination in numerous books and on screen.

Film and TV directors have flocked to the location, which has provided a setting for movies such as Harry Potter, Wicked and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as well as episodes of the Idris Elba drama Luther and Agatha Christie's Poirot.

Ian McEwan's Atonement features Cuckmere and the Seven Sisters cliffs in its climactic conclusion, and legendary author Charles Dickens lived in nearby Eastbourne during the 1830s. King Charles's great-greatgreat-grandmother Queen Victoria is said to have enjoyed walks on the beach and although Charles arrived by helicopter rather than horse and cart, it's clear the connection of his family to the landscape was not lost on His Highness.

The Monarch, when approaching the white cliffs landmark during his recent visit, is said to have remarked that they were the ones "I avoided hitting when I was in the Royal Navy".

As the rain lashed with persistent enthusiasm, another couple come into view in the shape of locals Patricia and Andrew Palmer, both 78 and retired, who live just a few miles away in Eastbourne.

Andrew joked that "We're republicans", before adding in more colourful language that he didn't believe His Majesty had any special right over a path so well-trodden by locals.

In common with the Royal Family, Patricia said her own family could trace their roots going back centuries, but only in Cuckmere and East Sussex.

She fondly recalled spending long summer holidays as a child playing in the salt marsh fields nestled in the lee of the cliffs along the banks of the meandering Cuckmere River.

She said: "It's a beautiful spot, we've lived in France and travelled quite a bit, but this is my favourite place in the world."

Pointing over the fields, Patricia added: "My mum's ashes are scattered out there, my sister's ashes over the marsh, and I hope that mine will be. It's part of our family, this valley." Walking away from the famous cottages and view of the Seven Sisters Cliffs we arrived at the well-kept car park and sought shelter and a cup of tea at a little mobile café stoically staffed on this day by Seaford local, Lily Bull, 18.

Lily beamed as she described seeing the King and his entourage arriving to open the path.

"His helicopter landed on the field just over there, it was really cool," she recalled. "Some of my friends served him because he went into another café where I work sometimes.

"You wouldn't think something like this would happen in Seaford, but it was really special, my boss and I watched him go past as he walked up. I think it will mean a spike in visitors now, because the King has been here, a lot of tourists will come because of that association. People will want to get a picture next to the little sign, I think it will be very good for the area and for the people here."

Ross Maloney, CEO at The Ramblers, formerly the Ramblers' Association, said the coastal path opening was a "landmark moment for everyone who loves walking outdoors".

He added: "It gives us the freedom to experience the coast more easily - whether for adventure, wellbeing or simply for the joy of being outdoors.

"The Ramblers have campaigned for many years to make this vision a reality, so today is something we're incredibly proud to celebrate.

"Since 2010, our amazing volunteers have worked side-by-side with Natural England to help create the very best path for walkers.

"Their commitment is written into every mile of this path. This is a tremendous achievement for the nation, and a moment to recognise the power of access to nature."

A spokesman for the Long Distance Walkers Association said: "The LDWA welcomes the King's coastal path as it will make more of our varied coastline accessible and we should be proud of the work that has gone in to create the longest managed coast path in the world.

"The creation and evolution of national trails is important to us, but it is equally important that funding is made available to the entire path network which has often been neglected over recent years."

'It's really cool walking here where King Charles has been. I'm walking in his footsteps'