Unmissable sea views

Living on an island we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to sea views, from wild cliffs and open seas to tranquil beaches and hidden coves. There are endless beautiful places along the coastline we look after to sit and relax, walk or even run with a sea view and we’ve chosen ten of the very finest seascapes.

A view from above the beach at Birling Gap, East Sussex

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters, East Sussex 

Part of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, Birling Gap and Crowlink have incredible views along the South Downs, the sea foaming at the base of the dazzling white cliffs while the grass chalkland hills, rich in butterflies and wildflowers, undulate into the distance. The beach at Birling Gap offers an alternative view of the cliffs from sea level and other sights tucked away in the many rockpools found along the shore.

Visit Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters
A view of the Blakeney Point landscape at sunset

Blakeney Point, Norfolk 

Blakeney Point is a four-mile long sand and shingle spit within the Blakeney National Nature Reserve with views into the North Sea, dramatic skies and plenty of opportunities to spot coastal wildlife from seabirds to seals. You can enjoy the landscape on foot, get panoramic views from the Morston Information Centre Observation Tower or take a boat ride from Morston Quay for a perspective from the water.

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Sunrise at Dunwich Heath, Suffolk

Dunwich Heath, Suffolk 

Cloaked in heather and gorse, Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast is a patchwork of colour from June to September. The cliffs are home to sand martins in summer which perform acrobatic aerial displays and on the shingle beach below clumps of sea pea and sea kale grow. To the north you can see Dunwich, known for its lost medieval town, while looking south reed beds and shallow lagoons contrast against the Sizewell power stations.

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Waves crash against the Giant's Causeway, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim 

Flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a landscape of dramatic cliffs on the other, for centuries the Giant’s Causeway has captured the imagination of all who see it. Inquiring minds have marvelled at the regularity of the basalt columns’ shape and vastness of their number and while the world-famous stones are an undeniable draw on any visit, climbing the Shepherd’s Steps to the cliff top offers spectacular views along the Causeway Coast.

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Godrevy, Cornwall

Godrevy, Cornwall 

This stretch of the north Cornwall coast is a great spot for watching surfers and enjoying the views of St Ives Bay. Set out in the bay off Godrevy Head, the Godrevy Lighthouse on Godrevy Island is said to have inspired Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse. Walking around Godrevy Head, away from Gwithian Beach, you get to a very wild part of the coast dominated by the dramatic coves of the North Cliffs.

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View of Burton Cliff and Beach, Dorset, looking East taken in late winter sunlight

The Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset 

The Jurassic Coast covers over 90 miles of stunning coastline and offers an amazing variety of landscapes. Old Harry Rocks is one of the most recognisable landmarks, the chalk formations standing proud at the southern end of Studland Beach. From the great rocky shoulder of Golden Cap you can see across Lyme Bay to Dartmoor on a clear day. Beautiful coastal flowers pepper the shingle at Cogden Beach near Burton Bradstock.

Visit Studland Beach on the Jurassic Coast
The iconic Isle of Wight view: Alum Bay and the Needles

The Needles and Tennyson Down, Isle of Wight 

Tennyson Down is a wonderful place for cliff-top walks. There’s a great view of the Needles chalk stacks from the western end of the ridge and in spring and early summer there are beautiful displays of flowers such as primroses, cowslips and sheets of yellow vetches. You can also see peregrines, ravens, cormorants and gulls gliding. The Needles Old Battery tea-room is perfect for a scone with a view and you can borrow binoculars while you're there.

Visit the Needles Headland and Tennyson Down
Souter Lighthouse, Sunderland

Souter Lighthouse, Tyne & Wear 

The 19th-century Souter Lighthouse has some of the best sea views in South Tyneside. From the top of the lighthouse, reached via 76 steps, you can take in the expanse of cliff tops and sea stacks on the Leas, and perhaps a boat or two on the horizon.

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Red cliffs, Cumbria

Whitehaven Coast, Cumbria 

Just a few miles from the border of the Lake District National Park, the Whitehaven Coast is known as the ‘colourful coast’. On a clear day you can even see across to Northern Ireland.

Explore the Whitehaven Coast
Worms Head from Rhossili Cliffs, West Glamorgan, South Wales

Worms Head and Rhossili Bay, Gower 

Worms Head is a tidal island at the end of Rhossili Bay. It’s only accessible via a causeway for two and a half hours either side of low tide. Once you’re at the tip of Worms Head you have a 360 degree view of Rhossili Bay, the south Gower coast and across to Devon. The very outer part of Worms Head isn’t accessible between March and mid-August due to nesting birds but the views from the inner head are still breath-taking.

Visit Worms Head and Rhossili Bay
View along the shingly beach looking out over Robin Hood's Bay at dawn, North Yorkshire

Yorkshire Coast 

Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire Coast offers far-reaching views out to sea and you can spot seabirds as well as seals and passing ships. The Old Coastguard Station in Robin Hood’s Bay village is a great lookout from the north side of the bay while Ravenscar offers views from the south. Warsett Hill between Saltburn and Skinningrove is well worth the climb for the panoramic views of the coast and surrounding area.

Visit the Yorkshire Coast