Walk · Cumbria

Whitehaven clifftop to Haig Pit and Saltom Bay

Whitehaven · CA28 9BA

3.2MILES

1h 45mON FOOT

150mCLIMB

Out & backSHAPE

Off-road 85% 15% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 60%Lane & track 25%Road with traffic 15%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

The Candlestick, Wellington Terrace, above Whitehaven harbour CA28 9BA

Parking

Free roadside parking on Wellington Terrace and Bransty Row, plus a free car park at the Haig Colliery site partway along; Wellington Terrace fills with residents' cars by early evening

Directions to the start →

South out of the town on the England Coast Path, climbing from the Candlestick along the edge of Kells to the winding house at Haig Pit and then on above Saltom Bay, where the ruins of Saltom Pit sit on a shelf below the cliff. The path is wide grass and cinder track with the drop fenced most of the way, but the last section down to the Saltom shelf is steep and loose and is better done on a lead. Wind off the Irish Sea is the defining feature; there is no shelter and no water on the route, so carry some. Turn round at Saltom and come back the same way, or carry on to Sandwith.

THE SMALL PRINTOn the England Coast Path and its coastal margin, Natural England's published rule is that dogs must be kept under effective control at all times and on a short lead of no more than 2 metres at all times near livestock. The clifftop fields above Saltom are grazed. Kells Play Area (CA28 9BA) beside the start is a Schedule C dog exclusion area under Cumberland Council's PSPO.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.5470, -3.5947

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.GOV.UK/GUIDANCE/OPEN-ACCESS-LAND-MANAGEMENT-RIGHTS-AND-RESPONSIBILITIES

Whitehaven clifftop to Haig Pit and Saltom Bay

House rules, decoded

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