Walk · Cumbria

Whitehaven to St Bees over St Bees Head

Whitehaven · CA28 7LR

8.1MILES

4h 50mON FOOT

460mCLIMB

Linear — plan the returnSHAPE

Off-road 88% 12% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 70%Lane & track 18%Road with traffic 12%

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

West Strand, Whitehaven harbour CA28 7LR

Finishes at

St Bees beach car park, Seamill LaneLinear — plan how you get back

Parking

Pay-and-display on West Strand at the Whitehaven end; the St Bees beach car park at the finish is also pay-and-display and fills by mid-morning on hot days

Directions to the start →

The full day out from Whitehaven: up past the Candlestick and Haig, along the cliff above Saltom and Barrowmouth, past the old Birkhams sandstone quarry and round the two headlands of St Bees Head with the lighthouse at North Head, then down the long descent to the beach and village at St Bees. It is the biggest cliff walk on the Cumbrian coast and the drops are unfenced in places, so a lead near the edge is sensible. The fields on the landward side are grazed by sheep and cattle for most of the distance. Trains run back to Whitehaven from St Bees roughly every two hours.

THE SMALL PRINTNatural England's published rule for the England Coast Path and its coastal margin 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 between Saltom and St Bees Head are grazed all year, and the cliff edge is unfenced on the headland sections.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on

REGION · CUMBRIA

GRID · 54.5498, -3.5931

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

Whitehaven to St Bees over St Bees Head

House rules, decoded

Abby's Café

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Ali Taj Tandoori Takeaway

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