First of Nine New National River Walks for England Announced: The Mersey Valley Way
The Mersey Valley Way, a 13-mile (21km) river walk through Greater Manchester, including Manchester and Stockport, has been announced as the first of nine national river walks designated for England.
Rather than creating new footpaths, the initiative focuses on nature recovery, accessibility upgrades, and enhancing community engagement along existing routes.
The government has pledged to deliver a national river walk in every English region by the end of the current Parliament. The next routes will be identified through a competition process in 2026.
New signage will mark the Mersey Valley Way as a national river walk, and selected sections will be upgraded to improve accessibility for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams, cyclists, and horse-riders.
This policy shift from a Scottish-style right to roam to nine river walks and three national forests followed pressure from countryside groups on the Labour party.
The Mersey Valley Way was chosen partly due to its high concentration of low-income households, with Stockport alone having about 30,000 such households. The initiative aims to increase access to nature and support local businesses along the route.
Running through Manchester and Stockport, this route is also intended to complement ongoing regeneration projects in the area.
