Lake District

Whitehaven colourful coastal walk

The path along the Whitehaven Coast on a sunny day with views out to the sea and rocky cliffs. — A path among the wildflowers on the Whitehaven Coast | © Rob Grange Photography

This dramatic clifftop walk starts at Whitehaven’s historic 17th-century harbour, passing the town’s industrial archaeology to join Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path.

Near to

Whitehaven Coast

Start point

The Beacon, Whitehaven

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 7 (km: 11.2)

Duration4 hours

Dog friendly**

*Easy terrain although some uneven and narrow sections with short but steep climbs. For more information visit the section marked Terrain.
**Dogs welcome under close control due to grazing livestock. For further information please visit the section marked Facilities.

See the work of the Colourful Coast project

Experience wild, secluded beaches and discover a series of hidden gems such as Saltom Pit, the Haig Pit and Fleswick Bay. Wander through flower rich open access grasslands near Whitehaven managed by the National Trust in partnership.

Address
The Beacon, Whitehaven, Cumbria. CA28 7LY
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Whitehaven station 0.1 mile (0.2km) from the harbour. St Bees' station 0.7 miles (1.1km) from the beach.
By bus
600 from Cockermouth, X6 from Barrow, 570 from Kendal, Grasmere and Keswick.
Cycling
Hadrian’s Cycleway route 72 goes through Whitehaven, and the Coast to Coast route 71 starts from Whitehaven, as does Reivers’ cycle route 10. See Sustrans website for more information on all these routes.
www.sustrans.org.uk
By road
Whitehaven 26 miles (42km) west of Keswick and 10 miles (16.1km) south of Workington on A595. There is plenty of free parking at Haig Pit where you can start your walk from step 2. If you don't want to retrace your steps to walk back, you can take the train back from St-Bees to Whitehaven and follow along the harbour to the beacon museum, taking in step 1 as you return to the car park.
Total stages: 5
Total stages: 5
Start point
The Beacon, Whitehaven
Stage 1
Start by Wellington Terrace at Whitehaven Harbour (just past the Beacon Museum). Follow waymarkers up to The Candlestick (Wellington Pit's imposing chimney), then continue to the Haig Pit. On the clifftop you'll join the wagon way where trucks full of coal used to be shunted down to the harbour.
Stage 2
Just after Haig Pit, follow the side path to the right to a board above Saltom Pit. There was once a path here which led to the ruined winding house. Continue along the cliff path.
Stage 3
Follow the path for a short distance to come to another junction. Here, the wagon way continues on to the left, while the narrower footpath runs along the clifftop to the right. Follow the cliff edge path beyond the fields up the heathery slopes ahead onto St Bees Head. You will join an incline sloping up the cliffside towards the sandstone quarry. Here you can choose to drop down to Barrowmouth Bay.
Stage 4
At the quarry follow the waymarked path on the seaward side of the quarry gates for stunning precipitous cliff top views of the coastline to the North all the way to Workington.
Colourful coast
We've been working with partners to improve access and conservation along this coast. Here you can see old sandstone quarry workings along the cliff tops and inscriptions into the stone, out to sea you might catch a glimpse of cetaceans or in summer large jellyfish. This stretch of water is now designated as a Marine conservation zone. There is a wealth of wildlife along the cliffs where humans have had less impact which have been designated a SSSI for their cliff ledge plant and animal communities. You can also spot a whole host of wildflowers growing on the cliffs and beside the path.
Stage 5
This path brings you to the lighthouse, RSPB viewing points, Fleswick Bay and eventually to the beach at St Bees. To reach the railway station next to St Bees Priory, take the road running out of the car park behind the beach. When the main road curves to the left, turn right onto a side-road and then onto a footpath which crosses a field towards the Priory. The station is 220yd (200m) to the right of the Priory.
Guillemots, puffins and chough
St Bees Head is a Heritage coast, SSSI, and an RSPB nature reserve featuring three secure viewing areas on the cliffs near the lighthouse. From May to July, it's possible to get stunning views of the nesting sea birds. The cliffs of St Bees provide the only nesting site in England for the black guillemot. Although rarely seen, ten pairs of puffins are also believed to nest here. Fleswick bay is well worth a visit. Said to have semi-precious stones hiding among the shingle and sea caves which we’ve been told were used by smugglers.
End point
The Beacon, Whitehaven
Trail map
Wellington Lodge, part of the buildings remaining in this industrial landscape | © National Trust Images / Joe Cornish
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