The long-awaited completion of the 2,704-mile King Charles III coastal path around England is being held up by security concerns about a collection of Queen Victoria’s belongings in the seaside grounds of a former royal palace.
English Heritage is refusing access to the grounds of Osborne House, a summer home built for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1851, located on a stretch of the coast of the Isle of Wight between East Cowes and Wootton Bridge.
It is claimed by the estate’s management that they cannot risk the security of “a priceless collection of about 10,000 items belonging to the crown”, of which many are said to be in an alpine chalet close to the front built by Albert as a private world for his nine children.
The short stretch on the Isle of Wight is one of just three parts of England’s coast where a route for what is set to be the longest managed pathway in the world is yet to be proposed.
The standoff has infuriated the local Ramblers’ Association group who fear that an alternative planned by Natural England, the agency responsible for the coastal path, will force walkers inland along the A3021 and other busy narrow roads, leaving them without a sea view for over 4 miles (7km).
A protest outside Osborne House, which was given to the nation in 1902 by King Edward VII, has been planned for 6 May, said David Howarth, the chair of the local Ramblers’ Association.
“Our argument is that many, many estates such as Blenheim Palace, Kew Gardens, you go around Windsor Great Park, you can walk for miles along footpaths, and they don’t seem to have a problem or they manage the states in such a way that it’s not a problem.
“We met the property manager for Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and we met the head gardener and we spent an hour or two wandering around the estate and, we’ve promised not to say too much about that conversation, but it was very pleasant, shall we say, and personally, I think they could resolve some of the issues with a little bit of inspiration from Natural England,” he said.
A national trail around England’s coastline was first announced by Gordon Brown 2008 as one of his first big ideas as prime minister but it has been beset by delays.
The latest target had been to complete all 67 sections of route by the end of this year, but that is unlikely to be hit in part due to the hostility of some of England’s coastal landowners.
Neil Constable, the programme manager for King Charles III England coast path, said his team of civil servants had struggled to find a way forward with English Heritage, which has claimed a “parks and garden” exemption from the pathway.
He said: “We are continuing to work with partners and landowners to find the best route for the King Charles III England Coast Path between East Cowes and Wootton Bridge.
“We have listened carefully to suggestions to improve public access to the area; however, we are also bound by statutory criteria which must balance public access with the rights of land owners and occupiers.
“We believe the inland route that we are now likely to propose is the best available option available given that methodology.”
Tom King, English Heritage’s historic properties director for the south of England, said the negotiations were over.
He said: “We’ve worked closely with Natural England over a number of years to see whether the coastal path could go through Osborne but ultimately, the unique security and conservation challenges posed by the path to this historic site couldn’t be overcome.
“As a registered park and garden, Osborne is exempt from the coastal path scheme but we very much wanted to see if we could find a way of facilitating the path.”
“Unfortunately, the risk the path would pose to the security of the site – including Osborne’s irreplaceable collection – as well as to the historic gardens was just too great.
“We appreciate that this will be disappointing to some and we want to explore with the Ramblers how else we could open up Osborne to its walkers.”