The much-loved cliff path from Milford on Sea to Barton on Sea has been closed after suffering another cliff collapse which has made it unsafe to walk.
Over recent years the path had become pretty narrow in places, so this event is hardly unexpected.
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| Pictures posted on We Love Milford on Sea Facebook Group |
When and if the cliff path will reopen is anyone's guess, but to do so, it would likely require a generous and community-minded landowner to allow the path to encroach on their property to bring the path further inland.
Hopefully the cliff path can be reinstated and reopened for walkers to once again enjoy the spectacular views of Christchurch Bay and across to The Needles and Purbeck Hills.
Cliff collapses are of course not new and have been happening no doubt, for centuries.
In March 2021, the cliff path from close to The White House and up onto Hordle Cliff was rebuilt and moved further inland. To read more, please click here.
In 2023, the cliff path was closed, not for the first time, due to cliff collapse, and was reopened in April 2023. To read more, please click here.
In March 2024, a cyclist fell from the path 100ft over Hordle Cliff and had an extraordinary escape. To read more, please click here.
We hope that the New Forest District Council sees the cliff path as an important asset to the area and can find a way for it to be made safe to reopen.
Sadly, if the land is falling into the sea, the owner is unlikely to be able to sell it, therefore being able to sell some for a footpath in order to re-open the uk coastal path, is probably a way of gaining some return in the short-term. Hopefully the Ramblers Association, county or local councils will get together because the alternative route for walkers (B3058) is extremely dangerous; regularly used by lorry’s, double decker buses etc, 50mph speed limit in places, narrow, winding and largely without footpaths. It could be cheaper to purchase a strip of land than widen the road or make a dedicated pavement/cycle track alongside the B3058.
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