Coastal walks travel guide

Our coastal walks travel guide whisks you around some of the world’s most spectacular – and salty – paths. Find out what we recommend and why packing a picnic in advance is usually a bad idea. (Spoiler: where there’s a harbour, there’s usually a chef who knows exactly what to do with the day’s catch.) Read on to find out more about our positive-impact hiking adventures that support local people and places.

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Coastal walks travel guide

Our coastal walks travel guide explores the places where life is lived on the edge – the beaches, fishing villages, clifftops and islands where coastlines transform from tide to tide. Go clambering through the wind-whipped dunes of Northumberland, hike along Japan’s newest trail, and follow lemon grove paths to Amalfi Coast views. Legendary paths like the Camino de Santiago and Lycian Way go coastal – but so do trails that feel like they’re visited by no one but you and flurries of swallows.

There’s something magical about coastal paths, wandering a liminal space where everything changes by the second – the tide, the weather, the wildlife, the people.

Along the way, you’ll get to know the communities that live on these wild edges of the world, too. Small, locally owned hotels and B&Bs are the theme – design hotels with sea-view pools and cosy inns with crackling fires. As for food? It’s often sourced from within a few miles and enjoyed at palm-shaded chiringuitos and salty seaside vineyards en route. Keep reading to find out more in our coastal walking travel guide.

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What we rate & what we don’t

Underrated

Geology geekery

Have you ever given much thought to the rocks beneath your feet? Coastal walks are your chance. This is where geological happenings are cracked wide open in spectacular ways. A great guide or detailed route notes will tell you about the fossilised coral, cooled lava flows and chalky tracks beneath your feet, so you get to know your adder stones from your St Cuthbert’s beads.

Stories behind the paths

Walking paths are always made with intent, so where there’s a path, there’s a story – whether it’s fisherpeople taking their catch between la mer and la marche, or the escape route of fleeing kings. Sometimes, it’s an unfinished tale. Japan’s Michinoku Coastal Trail connects towns affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, designed to boost recovery by gently drawing tourists to this rarely visited northeast coast of Honshu Island.

Autumn strolls

You’d be forgiven for thinking that unabashed sunshine is the optimal weather for a coastal walk. But we’d throw in autumn for consideration: for peaceful paths, coppery foliage, migrating seabirds, harvest festivals, and cosy places in which to hunker down and refuel. Plus, the falling leaves often reveal widescreen views that summer strollers never get to see.

Public transport

Walkers are a passionate bunch, forever campaigning for better access to public paths. That means some of the most spectacular walks in the world can be reached by train and bus routes – and extremely scenic ones at that. Of course, in the event they don’t, our holidays will include a minibus or taxi transfer for you.

Rated

Knowing your tides

Time and tide wait for no man – and that’s doubly true on the coast. If you’re walking along beaches, check the tide tables and then check them again. They change from day to day; in some places, they change from bay to bay. If in doubt, sign up to a small group walking tour guided by professional perambulators who have the research covered and have walked the route many times.

Island-hopping

Island-hopping is a great way to see lots of coastlines easily – and in style, if you opt for a walking and sailing holiday. The Canaries and Cyclades are classics; the Azores lesser-trod but no less terrific. Then there’s the inspiring islands that duck well below the tourist radar: the pastel-hued mountain towns of northern Cape Verde and the fractured forests of the Stockholm archipelago.

Famous walks

Great Ocean Walk. Amalfi Coast. Lycian Way. The famous walks are famous for a reason – they skim some of the loveliest seascapes in the world. Our holidays help you hike them in a thoughtful way, staying in small, locally owned hotels and guest houses wherever possible, and offering departures in quieter months for more peaceful paths.

Flora & fauna

There’s always something to see while walking on the coast – a snort of a whale spout, pods of dolphins rolling by, shearwaters slicing the waves, or puffins peeking out of their burrows. Otter and iguana trails might crisscross walking paths; in some places, the coastline is even the realm of bears, including polar bears, with a taste for tideline treats.

Overrated

Living on the edge

It’s tempting to creep as close to a cliff edge as possible and peer at the sea far below – but resist! There’s no such thing as a safe cliff edge, especially in regions of soft rock like chalk and sandstone. The climate crisis is another factor to throw into the mix, with extreme weather escalating erosion and causing more regular and unseasonal rock falls that can occur at any time.

Gated beach hotels

Islands like Bali and Jamaica are notorious for gated beach hotels that keep tourists in and local people out. We prefer hotels that embed rather than impose themselves on the local community – think family-run city pads by the sea and remote lodges tucked between the forest and the beach.

Bestselling stories

The Salt Path (and controversies around it) just scratches the surface of page-turning coastal yarns. There are plenty more salty stories in the sea – books with intriguing titles like Drift, On Chesil Beach, To the Lighthouse, Night Swimmers, Earthsea, The Secret Beach and Salt on Your Tongue. Why choose? Pack an e-reader and bring them all.

Packing a picnic

Packing trail mix and plenty of water is all very sensible, but consider leaving the packed lunch behind from time to time. That leaves you open to stopping at that mackerel smokery or beachside taco truck for lunch. No need to worry about finding these treasures either. Gastronomy-minded guides lead the way on our small group trips, while our self guided walks include local food recommendations in the route notes.

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Written by Catherine Roberts

Coastal walks travel guide