England has thousands of miles of walking terrain, due to being an island nation. You can just go for a coastal walk, or be more ambitious and follow one of they many official trails. Or even walk around the entire coastline, which is around 2700 miles.
Stay on marked paths (don’t walk on sand dunes) and check weather forecasts, carry a map or GPS device, and let others know where you are. For stranded coastal wildlife, call British Divers Marine Life Rescue for help.
Comfortable walking shoes are good for different terrains, as is a light backpack with water and snacks, and a waterproof jacket.
Keep dogs away from cliffs and seaweed, as it expands in the stomach as it dries. Also keep them away from jellyfish. If your dog is stung, rinse area with sea water, remove tentacles/barbs and seek immediate vet advice. Read more on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Research high tides and beach bans before you, and never leave dogs in (even warm) cars (opening the window or parking in shady areas is not enough). Also be aware of uncapped mine shafts, ticks and palm oil on the beach (white waxy lumps).
Also keep dogs away from seals (pups often are hidden in sand dunes), coastal birds and flowers (many are toxic, including to humans). Always follow the Countryside Code (some livestock live in coastal areas).
The Regions of England’s Coasts
Like England, the coastlines are divided up into various regions:
Durham and North East Coast
Durham is a stunning Heritage coastline that faces out to the North Sea (the coldest sea on earth!) In spring, it’s home to Little Terns, one of England’s rarest sea birds, easy to recognise due to their black tips on yellow bills. They have fantastic aerial displays, where males catch fish to show off, to attract females.
Due to feeding closer to shore than other birds, these migrating birds from Africa are at risk from rising seas and coastal floods (high spring/summer tides can flood camouflaged nests, and wash chicks out to sea).
The main town here is Seaham, a lively harbour town that was a favourite haunt of artist Lowry (who painted ‘matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs). He remains one of the few artists who time and again turned down an honour from the government, apparently saying that ‘after mother died, he didn’t see the point’. Nearby (in Yorkshire) is Saltburn-by-the-Sea, one of the last places in England to still have a working cliff lift (funicular railway).
East Coast
This is home to the wide sandy beaches and pastel huts of Suffolk and Norfolk, and also home to one of England’s main population of native seals, who use the gentle beaches to give birth each year.
Seal wardens patrol this area heavily, so please observe the signs to keep you, children and dogs away.
Home to the pretty town of Southwald (an affluent place with a pier bang in the middle of town), just up the road is the less pretty town of Lowestoft. But it’s worth heading to Ness Point, if you want to be the first person in England to see the sun rise!
The East Coast also is home to ‘bucket and spade’ resorts like Clacton-on-Sea, Skegness and Great Yarmouth, though all could do wtih a bit of a makoever, as they are renowned for litter (and recently for electing two Reform MPs).
Northumberland Coast
This is one of England’s most stunning coastlines, with huge wide sandy beaches overlooked by ancient majestic castles. The nearby Farne Islands (just across from Seahouses) is home to thousands of puffins (that hide pufflings in rabbit warrens) and hundreds of seals, with the only human residents being National Trust staff to oversee things.
Nearby Lindisfarne (Holy Island) is where St Cuthbert used to live as a hermit. Now more known for scatty motorists having to be rescued for not checking times of tidal causeways,
Nearby Coquet Island is a nature reserve owned by RSPB, and home to over 35,000 seabirds. Again, like little terns further south, many of them arrive from Africa for summer. St Cuthbert himself used to visit too (known as our first ‘environmentalist saint’) who would protect eider ducks, and apparently otters would dry his skin with their fur, after he had gone for a swim!
North West Coast
Most of this is taken up by Morecambe Bay (always follow the tide times here). As well as sinking mud, this is where the tragic incident occured when the Chinese cockle pickers were washed away by high tides, a few years back.
This coast stretches from Cumbria to the Wirral peninsula, and has some of the best sunsets (due to the sun setting in the west). There are charming Victorian resorts like St Anne’s (only a couple of miles but a world away from Blackpool). Near to Morecambe is the village of Heysham (with a port where you can take a ferry to the Isle of Man).
100 miles of this coastline is in Cumbria, an area more known for its lakes. But here you’ll discover stunning beaches like Solway Firth and St Bees (this village is the starting point for Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Walk (below) which takes in just 2 counties (Cumbria and Yorkshire).
The Lake District also has one coastal village: Ravensglass lies on the estuary of three rivers, and has a well-known railway known as La’al Ratty, a little steam train that takes you through the countryside into the Eskdale Valley.
Two sad things about this area are the loss of black-headed gulls (and terns) whose populations crashed 20 years or so ago, after being home to the largest colonies at nearby Drigg Dunes Nature Reserve.
The other is that just 9 miles up the road is a super-ugly 2-mile size nuclear power station (Sellafield). The shutdown is costing £121 billion and take decades to avoid poisoning the surrounding soil and water. Even when radioactive waste is buried, it will need to ‘cool off’ underground for tens of thousands of years.
South East Coast
This is where the first holiday resorts appeared (like Bognor Regis), when rich Victorians would take the train from London, and be wheeled out to sea in bathing machines. Brighton Lido has recently been restored, just one of many nationwide.
The White Cliffs of Dover are known worldwide, you can see them from the ferry to France, nearly all of the 20-mile trip. Up the coast is Isle of Wight (England’s smallest county, unless the tide is out, then the title switches to Rutland). Destinations range from elegant Chichester harbour to ‘jolly boys outings’ to Margate (featured in a classic episode of Only Fools and Horses).
South Coast
Most of this is taken by the Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural World Heritage Site (the others are all ‘built’ like Stonehenge and various castles and palaces). Home to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, this is where dinosaurs roamed (one skeleton found that sits in Weymouth Museum was so big and fierce, he would have eaten you in two bites!)
One of Dorset’s most iconic landmarks is Chesil Beach, which consists of 18 miles of shingle. Locals grade the pebbles (which like sand, you should never take from beaches) from pea-sized (Bridport) to potato-sized (Portland). Or Bunter pebbles in the pretty East Devon town of Budleigh Salterton. Smugglers landing on beaches, would know where they were, simply by handling the pebble sizes.
Nearby is Fleet Lagoon, an undisturbed bracklish lagoon filled with saline water, and home to a nesting colony of mute swans. The coast carries on to East Devon towns like Sidmouth (a favourite haunt of Sir John Betjeman) and Lyme Regis. Plus you’ll find the popular seaside resorts of Bournemouth, Weymouth and Poole.
South West Coast
This is home to North Devon, parts of Somerset and Cornwall. Home to sandy beaches, hidden coves, dramatic coastlines and seaside hamlets, the maritime city of Plymouth is right on the border with Cornwall, and there are holiday destinations including Ilfracombe and Teignmouth.
One big issue here is that many homes lay empty for most of the year, only populated by rich Londoners who come here to enjoy the beaches and surf lifestyle. This has pushed prices up, so locals who grew up here, now cannot afford to buy their own homes.
Yorkshire Coast
This rugged area is home to many seabirds and England’s first holiday resort of Scarborough. It’s also home to Whitby, a town with a sad history of whaling, and known for its steep steps, which lead to a beautiful view of the East yorkshire Coast.
Here is also the end-point of Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Walk, where you paddle your toes in the village of Robin Hood’s Bay. The chalk cliffs at nearby Flamborough are where you can likely hear the half a million seabirds from the nearby nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs (owned by the RSPB).
Each spring, puffins, kittiwakes, gannets and guillemots all arrive here, along with skylarks, linnets and corn buntings to breed in the grasslands. Even owls and kestrels arrive to hunt under the wide open skies.
England’s Coastal Walking Paths
If you want to follow an official walking paths, England has many, including a few dedicated to coastal regions:
King Charles III England Coast Path
King Charles III England Coast Path is the longest coastal path in the world, to weave through 15 National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Beauty, with dramatically changing scenery. The trail is opening in sections:
- North West is from the Scottish border at Gretna Green. It stretches to the Chester and Welsh border, passing through the Lake District to Liverpool and Blackpool.
- North East is from the Scottish border above Berwick, to the Wash and seaside holiday resorts. Passing sheltered coves and cliffs, and seabird colonies.
- East is from the Wash to the Thames Estuary, exploring sand dunes (don’t walk on them), market towns and villages and stunning seascapes.
- South East stretches from the Thames Estuary to Bournemouth, a huge stretch of coast with seaside piers and resorts, plus empty beaches and nature reserves.
- South West is from the Welsh border at Chepstow to Bournemouth, along dramatic coastlines. It links coastal resorts, towns and villages, plus piers, promenades and estuaries.
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
This combines two long-distance walking paths. Peddars Way starts at Suffolk (near Thetford) and follows the route for 49 miles to Holme-next-the-Sea on the North Norfolk Coast.
The Norfolk Coast Path is 84 miles from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea through fantastic scenery. These walks have huge skies and sandy beaches, tidal marshes and pine woods teeming with wildlife.
It’s a pretty gentle walk with few hills. In summer the hedgerows are in full bloom, so it’s quite the charm. You’ll also come across medieval ports and churches, villages and pubs.
The Norfolk coast is not all sand, but also shingle, pebbles, salt plains and mud flats. The Wash (between King’s Lynn and Hunstanton) is where treacle mud empties into the sea, so there are plenty of birds here to see.
The South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is 630 miles from Minehead in Somerset, to Poole in Dorset. It offers views of the coast plus pretty ports and historic towns. It’s quite a challenging walk. It passes through:
- Somerset and Exmoor is 35 miles, from Minehead to Combe Martin and includes the Exmoor coast, coastal woodlands, high cliffs and the world’s second-highest tidal range. Dartford warblers and nightjars will sing as you walk, and you may glimpse Exmoor wild ponies and elusive red deer. From the summit of Dunkary Beacon, you can see Wales.
- North Devon is 90 miles, mostly facing out over the Bristol Channel. Covering Ilfracombe, Croyde and sandy beaches, you’ll pass by Braunton Burrows sand dunes, and follow old railways lines.
- North Cornwall is 66 miles. This offers strenuous walks, with many hills so don’t do this part, if you’re not fit. It’s windy, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the surfing town of Bude and the village of Boscastle, now recovered from the floods. You’ll also see stunning wildflowers and the lovely town of Padstow (one of the few towns that’s nicer than you thought when you arrive, rather than the other way round!)
- West Cornwall is 144 miles. This is also a rugged walk, passing through Newquay, Perranporth, and Carbis Bay to arrive in the arty town of St Ives, named after an Irish princess who was carried over the waters. You’ll see the open-air Minack Theatre and spot locations for the BBC series Poldark. Dogs are not allowed on St Michael’s Mount, due to lack of sheltered places in hot weather.
- South Cornwall is a gentler and sheltered stretch. Take in the Roseland Peninsula and the pretty town of St Mawes. St Austell Bay and Fowey are on this route.
- South Devon stretches from Plymouth to seaside villages like Hope, and sailing resorts to Agatha Christie’s house, which the author described as ‘the loveliest place in the world’. Also visit the English Riviera towns of of Brixham and Torquay.
- The Jurassic Coast begins in Exmouth in East Devon and walks on England’s only natural World Heritage Site, with dinosaur fossils. From the red cliffs of Sidmouth to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, you’ll also find a freshwater lagoon at Fleet, Chesil Beach and the arch of Durdle Door.
Northumberland Coast Path
The Northumberland Coast Path goes for 62 miles from Berwick in the north to Cresswell in the south. The walk also takes in Seahouses, which faces out to the Farne Islands.. It’s mostly flat.
If walking to Lindisfarne, set off 2 hours before low tide (walk with the outgoing, rather than rising tide) for 3 miles and don’t walk in poor weather or dusk, and wear good boots. Most people simply use the hopper bus for this section, and begin walking again on the other side.
Walking Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Path
The Coast-to-Coast Walk from Cumbria to East Yorkshire, was created by fell-walking guide writer Alfred Wainwright, who took a pay drop to move to the Lake District. After an unhappy first marriage, he married the love of his life (on condition that she walked several paces behind him, and didn’t talk on their walks!) It seemed to work, as they remained blissfully happy until he died of natural causes, at a ripe old age.
The coast-to-coast-walk is not a national trail, more connecting dozens of Alfred’s favourite footpaths, bridleways and minor roads. The beginning is more strenuous as you walk the hilly Lake District, then pans out to more leisurely walking through meadows as you progress through the Yorkshire Dales.
The walk takes around 10 days (staying in bed-and-breakfasts) if you do the whole thing. Despite being 192 miles, it only covers two counties (Cumbria and Yorkshire). You’ll see plenty of waterfalls and even more sheep (Herdwick sheep will change to Swaledale sheep!) If you don’t drive, there’s a train station at St Bees, and Robin Hood’s Bay is a short bus or taxi ride form Whitby.
If taking fit young dogs for some of the route, good tour companies filter for suitable accommodation. Read this book on dog safety (includes a simple first aid guide). Read The Essential Guide to Hiking with Dogs for tips by Jen Sotolongo.
Remember to take with you phone numbers (if concerned for farm animals or wildlife). And avoid walking at night or in bad weather (check at The Met Office and mountainforecast).
Contours offers inclusive tours (with dog-friendly filters). These are expensive (£1500 to £2000) but no more than if you hire accommodation yourself – they include breakfast, baggage transfers, info guides and maps. The budget option is to only do part of the walk, and find somewhere to stay for a few nights at private accommodation like Snaptrip.
Another option for affordable accommodation is YHA (not just for young people, they let old people stay too!) Often housed in beautiful grounds, these dorms are very affordable (around £30 a night) or you can hire private rooms for around £60 a night.
Ssome are dog-friendly, check before travel. Outside Landpods are secure, so you know dogs are safe, after lights out. And all offer affordable meals (with vegan options, due to many travellers being young backpackers).
The Coast to Coast Path is the official 2024 guidebook. It features maps and route planners, plus details on places to stay and camp, plus local pubs. Or go for the older but more interesting guide by Alfred himself, with pictures (updated regularly).
You can report damaged paths or overgrown hedgerows. Alfred was extremely fond of nature and wildlife, and donated profits from his books to animal charities, and a local animal shelter is even named after him.
Running Around the Coast of Britain
Coasting is a book by Elise, who after graduation had a nice nice flat, proper job and budding relationship. But she was utterly miserable, and spent a lot of time crying on buses.
So sitting at work one day, she hit upon the obvious solution: she would run the entire coast of Britain, with her kit on her back!
Over 301 days (with no running experience and unable to read a map or pitch a tent), she developed a fear of farmyard animals, cried on a lot of beaches – and saw her country at its most wild and wonderful. A book about putting one foot in front of the other (even when it feels impossible).
Elise Downing is a sea-loving runner from the middle of the Midlands. She writes various things on the Internet and on paper for a living. When not covering stupid distances by foot, she loves wild swimming and post-adventure trips to the pub.
