Yorkshire’s seasides, Dartmoor’s grazing ponies and southern Scotland’s glens are among the temptations – for soft adventure or multi-day challenges
Once the summer crowds have dispersed, Britain’s shores are ripe for mellow autumn walks. But you could take your exploration a step further by striding out on a coast-to-coast hike. From fortnight-long challenges to shorter, county-tracing hikes, here are five paths that start and end by the sea…
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, Cumbria & Yorkshire
The route to Robin Hood’s Bay covers 190 miles (Photo: © Joe Daniel Price, joedanielprice.smugmug.com, 500px.com/JoeDanielPrice/Getty)
Legendary fell-walker Alfred Wainwright first published his plan for a coast-to-coast route across northern England in 1973. In 2026 the route – which has been tweaked over the years – will officially become a National Trail. Quite right too, it’s a classic.
It covers around 190 miles from St Bees, on the Irish Sea, to Robin Hood’s Bay, on the North Sea, via three national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.
It’s a scenic smorgasbord, with wave-smashed cliffs, high passes, serene waters, heather moors, billowing hills and winsome towns and villages. There’s a lot of undulation along the way, but plenty of welcoming post-walk hospitality too.
Wainwright broke the route into 12 sections, which makes for a tough hike; allow longer for a more moderate adventure. And walk it in September/October – these months often bring drier weather and a crisping of the countryside, with greens turning to rich autumn hues.
Macs Adventure offers a 14-day self-guided trip from £1,499pp and an 18-day trip from £1,899pp, including B&B accommodation.
See also: wainwright.org.uk/coast-to-coast
Tamara Coast to Coast Way, Cornwall
You can take the Calstock ferry to the Cornish village of the same name, if you visit this month or next (Photo: Nigel Hicks/robertharding/Getty)
A newcomer to the UK’s coast-spanning scene, the 87-mile Tamara Way opened in 2023. It crosses Cornwall south-north, from bustling Plymouth to tiny Morwenstow, loosely tracing the River Tamar, staying close to – and crossing – the Devon border.
It’s a little-tramped part of the West Country, leaving the seaside behind to discover the rural hinterland, a gentle valley-scape rich in mining heritage.
The southern sections are a highlight. The journey starts with the foot ferry over to Cremyll, for a walk from Mount Edgcumbe alongside the estuary.
The next stage wanders the bucolic Bere peninsula. Calstock, with its handsome viaduct and thriving wetlands, is across the river – walk the trail in September/October and the newly relaunched Calstock Ferry will still be running; otherwise, take the train.
At the northern end, the trail finishes with a flourish, meeting the Atlantic at glorious Marsland Mouth before tracing the clifftops to Morwenstow, once home to an eccentric vicar, still home to a great pub, The Bush Inn.
Contours offers a nine-night self-guided trip from £1,180pp, including B&B accommodation.
See also: tamarvalley-nl.org.uk
Offa’s Dyke Path, Welsh borders
Offa’s Dyke Path follows remnants of an earthwork built by King Offa of Mercia (Photo: Asset Wales)
For a shorter coast-to-coast walk alongside a really old fortification, you could opt for the Hadrian’s Wall Path, linking the North Sea to the Solway Firth – a mere 84 miles in length. However, if you prefer a longer adventure deep in autumn’s mellow fruitfulness, walk the whole height of Wales along Offa’s Dyke.
This 177-mile National Trail follows the remnants of the eight-century earthwork built by King Offa of Mercia to keep the Welsh at bay. There isn’t a whole lot of it left, although good sections can be seen around Devil’s Pulpit, in the Wye Valley, and close to the town of Knighton, which straddles the Powys-Shropshire border and has an Offa’s Dyke Centre.
The path provides plenty more history too, passing ancient hill forts, Marcher castles and the romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey. But the natural scenery alone is worth the walk, as the trail links the moody Black Mountains, remote Berwyn Mountains and expansive Clwydian Range.
Celtic Trails offers a 10-day self-guided trip from £1,130pp and a 21-day trip from £2,580pp, including B&B accommodation.
See also: offasdyke.org.uk
Two Moors Way, Devon
Grazing ponies are one of the landmarks of Dartmoor’s wilds (Photo: Paul Mansfield Photography 2021/Getty)
The original Two Moors Way wasn’t quite a coast-to-coast trail: its northern terminus was in Lynmouth, on North Devon’s awesome Exmoor coast, but its southern end was Ivybridge, inland, on the edge of Dartmoor. However, a semi-official extension from Ivybridge to Wembury, using the Erme-Plym trail, takes the mileage up to 117 miles and enables you to walk from sea to sea.
The founders of this terrific trail describe it well: “Two national parks, two coasts and over 100 miles of stunning countryside”. It’s a belter of a route, with early autumn especially lovely: the crowds are gone, the weather still mild, the heather blooming.
You can think of the route in four chunks. First, the rolling hills and river meadows of south Devon. Next, the wilds of Dartmoor, with its empty, eerie uplands, ancient relics and grazing ponies. Mid-Devon is sylvan green pastures and peacefulness, with a few good pubs. Finally, Exmoor, with its softer moorland, secretive valleys and air of magic.
Mickledore offers an 11-night self-guided trip from £1,272pp, including B&B accommodation.
See also: twomoorsway.org
John Muir Way, southern Scotland
Falkirk Wheel is one of the highlights of the John Muir Way (Photo: Nick Fox/Getty)
There are several waymarked ways to walk coast to coast in Scotland, such as the Great Glen Way, which follows the natural faultline of the Great Glen, or the challenging Southern Upland Way.
However, the John Muir Way crosses the country at one of its skinniest points, and in the spirit of one of the world’s great conservationists. John Muir is best known as the founder of America’s National Parks, but he was born in Dunbar in 1838 – his birthplace is now a museum.
The 134-mile John Muir Way links Helensburgh, on the Firth of Clyde, to Dunbar, by the North Sea, via Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Scotland’s own first national park – splendid in autumn, when the leaves start to turn.
The trail also passes fragments of the Antonine Wall (the Roman Empire’s north-west frontier), the ingenious Falkirk Wheel, imposing Blackness Castle, vibrant Edinburgh and East Lothian’s lovely beaches. It’s a good choice for novices too, with largely easy-going terrain and plentiful facilities en route.
Absolute Escapes offers an 11-night self-guided trip from £1,490pp, including B&B accommodation.
See also: johnmuirtrust.org/john-muir-way