Stretching from the mouth of the River Dee in Flintshire in the north to Chepstow in south, the Wales Coast Path covers 870 miles (1,400km).

The network also links into the Offa’s Dyke Path – creating a 1,030 mile (1660km) route around the whole of Wales.

Three opening events have been held in Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Flint.

It marks the pinnacle of a five-year project to link up the network of paths, backed by the Welsh government, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), landowners and local authorities.

At a ceremony in Cardiff Bay, Environment Minister John Griffiths described the new path as “a huge asset for Wales”.

“This has been a five-year project and is an example of how sustainability is an underlying principle of everything we do,” said Mr Griffiths.

“The path opens just before the world’s eyes will be on the UK for the Olympics. We hope many visitors coming to London for the Games will take time to visit Wales and its coast.

“The path will provide a real boost to local economies around our coastline.”

It has cost about £2m a year to fund, with £4m of the cash coming from European grants.

The coastal network takes in two national parks, three areas of outstanding beauty, and 11 nature reserves.

As part of the celebrations Ramblers Cymru are organising the ‘Big Welsh Coastal Walk‘ and are putting on 100 separate walks to ensure that the length of the path is covered over the opening weekend.

At Flint, the network was opened by the Local Government Minister and Alyn and Deeside AM, Carl Sargeant, and BBC Wales’ Sian Lloyd.

“The Wales Coastal Path is more than a tourist attraction; it is a feature that truly puts Wales on the global map,” he said.

Now that the Wales coastal path has now officially opened, this will be a busy summer for walkers! Come and enjoy Skomer View as your base, we offer superb accommodation for the Wales coastal path.

So, if you want to upload your photos straight to Facebook, or tweet about what a great time you’re having in west Wales, be our guest!

On Friday we walked from the apartment to St David’s along the coastal path. I’ve done this walk a few times, but the sheer beauty of the coastal path never ceases to amaze me. We saw a chough (Kevin spotted it!) and paid a visit to St Non’s church on the way into St David’s. A quick pint at the Farmer’s and a bus back to Solva for food in the Harbour. We then ambled back to Skomer View to enjoy the new wifi, check in on Facebook and upload our photos.

On Saturday we cycled to Porthgain, such a beautiful old fishing port and had coffee in The Shed. It was another beautiful day, and we cycled back to St David’s where we met up with our friends Gerry and Jackie who supplied us with a very welcome lunch. We made our way back to the apartment via St David’s airfield, which is well worth a visit if you are interested in old WWII airfields.

We rested for an hour and then walked into Solva, meeting Gerry and Jackie again on the coastal path. We ate in the Cambrian, under new ownership, which was OK if not wonderful for the money. It was all happening in the Royal George that night, but the chaps made me press on to bed which was probably a good thing as we’d been in the saddle all day.

After a restful night we enjoyed breakfast in Sands Cafe in Newgale then walked up over the Gribin and enjoyed the stunning views back towards St David’s.

All in all a fantastic weekend.

At this time of year the rooks have now settled after the busy nest building period and the garden is peaceful and quiet… well it was until all the garden birds became more vocal;  up above us was a red kite, the first one we’ve spotted this far West!