The government has confirmed the Mersey Valley Way as England’s first National River Walk, a 21‑kilometre route running from Stockport through Manchester to Trafford. The announcement, published on 27 December 2025, delivers the opening step in a commitment to create nine new walks, one in each English region.
Defra describes the designation as a practical access initiative: new signage will mark the route and a logo competition involving more than 50 local schools and youth groups has opened, with a winner due to be announced in February. Officials frame the programme as improving everyday access to nature while supporting local high streets through increased footfall.
Mersey Rivers Trust will lead delivery with partners including Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, City of Trees, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, The Conservation Volunteers and Groundwork Greater Manchester, supported by Manchester City Council and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council. The Trust notes the route can be reached via Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, as well as by walking, wheeling and cycling.
Works along stretches of the existing riverside path will upgrade surfaces and infrastructure to meet accessibility standards for wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, families with prams, cyclists and horse‑riders. Community engagement is embedded in the programme, with guided walks and volunteering on nature recovery tasks such as pond restoration, invasive species removal, tree planting and installing bird, bat and insect boxes.
The announcement is positioned within the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025, which strengthens access objectives and commits to reducing physical and intangible barriers to green and blue spaces. The EIP extends the Access for All programme to National Trails from 2025 and aligns access action with Local Nature Recovery Strategies to the end of 2025 and shortly after.
Defra also points to wider access funding and related forestry policy. It highlights at least £17 million this year for more inclusive access in the nation’s forests, and reiterates delivery of new National Forests: the Western Forest announced in March 2025 and a second forest for the Oxford–Cambridge corridor, with a competition to determine a third location in early 2026.
Governance sits with Defra’s Access Minister in the House of Lords. Baroness Hayman of Ullock holds responsibility for access, including rights of way and coastal paths, alongside biosecurity and animal welfare. Her department will oversee delivery partners and set the framework for subsequent route selection.
Selection for the next tranche will proceed via a competitive process opening in 2026. Local authorities and civil society groups preparing bids will need to evidence inclusive design, connectivity to public transport, community benefit, and alignment with EIP objectives and local nature recovery priorities.
Equity is an explicit target. The government notes that people on lower incomes visit nature less often on average; around 30,000 low‑income households in Stockport alone stand to benefit from improved, no‑cost outdoor access on a route connected to neighbourhoods and transport. The EIP similarly prioritises reducing inequalities in access.
For Greater Manchester, the practical implications are immediate: coordinating signage and wayfinding, sequencing path works to minimise disruption, and setting up volunteer programmes that deliver measurable habitat gains. For national policy, the walk functions as a pilot for region‑by‑region roll‑out, testing how branding, infrastructure upgrades and community partnerships can raise participation while dovetailing with statutory environmental targets.