A coastal walk is a very special experience. If you love the sea, there’s nothing better than a walk that takes you along cliff tops, beaches and peninsulas, with the crashing waves or crystal clear sea an ever-present companion as you make your way. If looking out across the ocean to the horizon is an important element of your walking holiday, read on for some of our favourite coastal walks.
The South West Coast Path, at 630 miles, is the longest National Trail in the UK, and the majority of it winds its way along the spectacular coast of Cornwall, regularly voted Britain’s favourite holiday destination. Despite Cornwall’s popularity, you can easily escape the crowds, dipping in and out of coves and harbours and ascending beside dramatic cliffs, up to high viewpoints, along promontories and back down to expansive beaches which out of the high season can be all but deserted.
Walkers' Britain offers several trips along different sections of the South West Coast Path, each one offering something special as you pass through delightful fishing villages, larger towns and some of the most stunning scenery to be found anywhere in the UK.
Read more about all of the trips we offer on the South West Coastal Path.
The Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the quintessential Italian holiday - with stunning scenery and mouth-watering food. Pastel-coloured fishing villages are perched on the staggering cliffside overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.
You can walk along the Amalfi Coast using the extensive web of footpaths and mule tracks that thread along the cliffs, and a wealth of natural and cultural treasures can be reached relatively easily. The walking routes pass close to nature reserves, beautiful monasteries, caves and ancient farmhouses. You will also have the chance to walk through the historic towns of Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello, Scala Praiano and Positano, all little pearls set in a fantastic landscape.
Walkers' Britain offers the Classic Amalfi Coast as a 6-day, 8-day or 11-day trip – and you can also combine it with the best of the neighbouring Cilento region in the 10-day Cilento and Amalfi Highlights trip.
Starting in France and finishing in Spain, this walk along 'La Cote Vermeille' follows the steep coastline where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean. Taking in the culture and cuisine of French Catalunya and Spanish Catalonia, the trip visits beautiful coastal villages, including Collioure, where the colourful Fauve school of painting began, and follows waymarked paths between the vineyards of Roussillon and through heavily scented maquis to the seaport of Banyuls, home of the great French sculptor Aristide Maillol.
After crossing the frontier into Spain, you continue past rocky bays and then climb inland over a high col and along the mountains to the monastery of San Pere de Rodes, before descending steeply, passing ancient Dolmens to the attractive fishing village of Port de la Selva. From here the trails become more remote as you head into the recently established Natural Park of Cap de Creus - into the beautiful whitewashed old town of Cadaques.
This is a great opportunity to explore a lesser-known, but beautiful, stretch of European coastline. Find out more about the trip.
Sardinia is an inspirational island of natural beauty, with a mix of Italian and Spanish cultures. Walking from the black mountains of Montiferru to the Sinis wetlands you will discover beaches, bays, headlands, ancient ruins and historical sites. This is a gentle walk crossing a variety of terrain and home to much bird life, especially in the spring. The Montiferru mountains, a basaltic area famous for green forests, clear spring water and local 'red' beef provide wonderful walking opportunities with sweeping coastal views, charming accommodation and plenty of places to swim.
Bird watchers will be entertained by the large colonies of grey herons, pink flamingoes and a wealth of other bird life, while the ancient Spanish watchtowers, small villages and the ancient site of Tharros occupied by the Phoenicians, Punics and Romans offer welcome distractions for those keen to learn more about the island's history and culture.
Find out more about the trip.
With Walkers' Britain you can walk or cycle the entire coastline of the Isle of Wight, a jewel of an island off the south coast of England, where you can visit historical places on scenic coastal paths and cross hilly grassy down land, through ancient woodlands, and past rustic farms.
Famous for its sailing regattas, white chalk cliffs and Queen Victoria’s holiday home, Osborne House, the Isle of Wight seems to exist in its own time. Beyond the big tourist towns of Shanklin and Sandown, and the sophistication of Cowes harbour, everything is on a manageable scale - no huge towns, or big industrial blights, but long chalky downs, sandy beaches and enchanting woodlands. Seaside rock, ice cream and fish ’n’ chips of course, but also great pubs and restaurants, quiet paths, historical churches and gems of villages.
Whether you choose to walk or cycle around this island, you’re sure to have a charming experience. Find out more.
The Cleveland Way isn’t an entirely coastal walk – but fans of walking along cliff tops overlooking the sea will have plenty to entertain them, as over half of the walk follows the hilly coastline of the Yorkshire seaside.
This is the second of the UK’s National Trails, dating from 1969 and is rooted in the North York Moors National Park and Yorkshire Heritage Coast. Along its length there are contrasts in walking between field-quilted farmlands, forest patches, dramatic sandstone rock scarps, bleak moorlands and the highly eroded coastline, punctuated by beautiful little fishing villages, clinging to the cliffs. Apart from busy coastal towns such as Scarborough, it remains a tranquil area, bolstered and protected by the presence of the National Park, which is about 80% of the walk occupies. Highlights of the Cleveland Way include the remains of the Norman Rievaulx Abbey, and 13th century Whitby Abbey (but dating from the 7th century!), the Captain Cook Monument and Robin Hoods Bay with its cliff-hanging cottages.
Find out more about walking the Cleveland Way.
Enjoy some of the finest coastal walking in Europe on this most beautiful section of the Italian Riviera. The five charming villages of the Cinque Terre - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore have been praised by artists and poets for centuries. They have celebrated the tiny aquamarine inlets that serve as fishing harbours and the ancient terraces rising steeply out of the coastal crags in words and pictures.
The trip is perfect for walkers who enjoy being based at a single centre. You’ll stay in a traditional style ‘albergo’ in the small resort of Monterosso close to the sea, where regional dishes are very much the speciality. The idea is that on most days you either walk from the hotel or take the train from Monterosso to start the next walk. If you don't feel like walking, or if you want to reduce the length of the existing walk, you can always spend time on the beaches or more time discovering the beautiful villages of the Cinque Terre more intimately, with each village boasting its own unique character and flavour.
Find out more about Cinque Terre Villages.