Coastal Hiking Trails in England
For a country so small, England boasts a wealth of supremely scenic coastal trails. Moreover, England’s best coast path hikes often link up with epic long-distance trails. This allows hikers to uncover cinematic shorelines, absorbing histories, and testing gradients, all while enjoying views and routes that stretch for miles.
These English hiking hotspots are poised to receive even more attention in 2020, as the England Coast Path officially launches. Spanning nearly 2800 miles, it promises to be the longest managed and waymarked coastal path in the world, winding around the country’s coast from the Scottish and Welsh borders. If you desire to explore this trail, be prepared for a journey that may take even the fittest walkers nearly a year to complete.
Lynmouth
South West Coast Path / Two Moors Way
Tucked away in England’s south-west, the picturesque town of Lynmouth offers stunning scenery where towering headlands meet broad beaches and gorges plunge from tawny moors. This charming town is situated on the 630-mile South West Coast Path, facilitating an eight-to-10-week roller-coaster adventure around England’s southwest peninsula. The path showcases beaches, bays, shipwrecks, seaside resorts, fishing villages, and clifftop castles. Lynmouth also marks one end of the Two Moors Way, a 100-plus-mile trek through both Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks.
Robin Hood’s Bay
Coast to Coast
A maze of winding lanes, historic pubs, and Victorian villas leads to the beach at Yorkshire’s Robin Hood’s Bay, a historic fishing village nestled among dramatic cliffs. Once known as a smuggling hotspot, this port has become recognized as a starting point for the 190-mile Coast to Coast trail. This adventure, taking approximately 14 days, features numerous variations and journeys through three national parks while showcasing the beauty of valleys, plains, mountains, dales, and moors.
Bowness-on-Solway
Hadrian’s Wall Path
Bowness-on-Solway is set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on England’s northwest coast, just west of Carlisle. Known for its sand dunes and salt marshes that attract bird watchers, it also serves as the endpoint of the magnificent Hadrian’s Wall Path. This eight-day, 84-mile trail traces the famous Roman structure from Wallsend in the east across northern England, featuring castles, ramparts, battlements, and forts along the way.
Eastbourne
South Downs Way
Despite its reputation as a sleepy seaside resort, Eastbourne offers visitors access to a restored Victorian pier, sweeping pebble beaches, and towering chalk cliffs. The town is also the finishing point for numerous hikers completing the 100-mile South Downs Way. This stunning seven to nine-day hike draws walkers through rolling hills that showcase expansive skies, remarkable views, charming villages, and prehistoric sites.
Lyme Regis
Jurassic Coast / South West Coast Path
The charming heritage resort of Lyme Regis is famous for several hiking opportunities. Not only is it located on the vast South West Coast Path, but it is also a pivotal point on the Jurassic Coast, a spectacular 95-mile stretch where rock arches, sea stacks, and natural features reveal 185 million years of geological history. Stretching from Exmouth in East Devon to Swanage in Dorset, it is England’s only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both Lyme Regis and nearby Charmouth are perfect for fossil hunting, with local beaches revealing treasures exposed by the erosion of surrounding cliffs.
Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
Northumberland Coast Path
Visiting Holy Island requires careful timing, as this 2-square-mile landmass on England’s northeast coast is only accessible via a causeway at low tide. Rich in history, its story stretches from monks to Vikings, and more recently to daring sea rescues. This enchanting locale is partway along the 62-mile Northumberland Coast Path, which travels from Cresswell to Berwick-upon-Tweed, presenting stunning high cliffs, vast beaches, and Northumberland’s renowned castles.
Cromer
Norfolk Coast Path
Cromer, located on the east coast, features fishing boats alongside a pebbly shore and an appealing pier that reaches into the waves. With cafes offering delicious meals made from sweet-tasting Cromer crab, visitors can also explore the Norfolk Coast Path. This picturesque trail, together with the inland Peddar’s Way, encompasses 130 miles, winding through a predominantly flat landscape populated with charming villages, ancient windmills, salt marshes, and endless skies above the sand dunes.
Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Coast Path
The Isle of Wight situated off England’s south coast, has recently embraced a sense of driftwood chic alongside traditional family holiday vibes, enhanced by vintage campervans and trendy seafood shacks. It offers some delightful coastal hiking opportunities, with 68 miles of stunning trails across the shoreline. These pathways feature the breathtaking Needles chalk stacks and fort, yachting haven Cowes, resort towns, fishing harbours, and surf beaches.
