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I'm a freelance writer and content creator with a passion for the outdoors and sustainable travel. I specialise in sustainable travel, gear reviews, walking routes and outdoor advice. Let's chat about your next project.
Fi Darby Freelance
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  • ABOUT
    • About Fi
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  • OUTDOORS
    • Outdoor gear reviews
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    • Ideas to get you started
    • Station to station walks
    • Devon and Cornwall
    • UK train adventures
    • Europe train adventures
  • WRITING

How to enjoy the England Coast Path by train

November 4, 2022

The England Coast Path is an exciting project that will give walkers improved access to our wonderful and varied coastline. With so many coastal train stations, this is going to be great news for train adventurers.

Where is the England Coast Path?

Imagine being able to walk all the way round the coast of England without diverting from the water. Well that’s what the England Coast Path is aiming to allow you to do. If it succeeds, we’ll have a walking route that’s at least 4,500 kilometres long. If you didn’t stop walking, that would take you around fifty non-stop 24hr days to complete.

But what about the Welsh and Scottish borders?

You’re right of course. England isn’t an island so you can’t walk directly around its coast. Once it’s complete though, the England Coast Path will join up very nicely with the Offa’s Dyke path on the Wales/England border and the proposed Scottish Coastal Way. Which will hopefully one day follow the mainland coast of Scotland.

Brilliant! Sgoinneil! Gwych!

Open sections of the England Coast Path

The England Coast Path isn’t complete yet but sections are starting to open around the country. The route will include existing rights of way plus some new access areas. Lots of people are working very hard to make this happen, many of them are volunteers.

How will I find the England Coast Path on the map?

You can see how the new coastal margin access land looks by checking out the latest Ordnance Survey maps in the right areas (the easiest way to do this is to subscribe to the OS Maps app, which gives you detailed mapping for the whole of Great Britain).

The blog below will help you find the coastal margin in more detail but you’re looking for pink areas with a darker pink border.

Have you discovered the England Coast Path?

Adventure by train along the England Coast Path

As we’re all starting to realise, travelling by car to reach our walking destinations isn’t the most sustainable of options. It’s also important to remember that not everybody has a car. The good news is that the England Coast Path is already accessible by train.

Can I walk the England Coast Path by train?

Yes! Keep reading! We have three walks from train stations, two of which are station-to-station walking routes. These will give you a taste of open sections of the England Coast Path. So, sit back in your seat, enjoy the ride, and have a good journey.

You might even spot where you’ve just walked on your return train trip.

Weston-super-Mare to Burnham-on-Sea

View over Brean from Uphill, Fi Darby

The England Coast Path is going to have plenty of station-to-station routes. This one’s a great example of a piece of coastline you might not have previously thought of exploring. It’s a long walk for a day walk (25k) but it has hardly a hill if you miss out Brean Down, which is worth an explore in its own right.

Start station: Weston-super-Mare

End station: Highbridge & Burnham

Walking route: England Coast Path – Weston to Burnham

Details: Mostly flat, plenty of beach walking, enjoy wading birds and fabulous light. For a shorter option, head along the seafront from Weston’s Grand Pier, then up onto Brean Down. Loop back to Weston Station when you’re ready.

Skegness to Anderby Creek

Flickr, Alan Samuel

This linear walk might best be undertaken in winter. Not only will you avoid the crowds from the holiday parks that sit alongside the beach, you’ll get the best opportunities to admire expansive cloudscapes and flocks of seabirds.

With such a long stretch of England Coast Path available, you could stop and turn around just about anywhere. But if you’ve got the energy to walk the 14 km to Anderby Creek (and back unless you catch the bus) you might be pleased you have. It’s home to the world’s first cloud-spotting cloud area, the Anderby Creek Cloud Bar.

Station: Skegness

Walking route: England Coast Path – Skegness to Anderby Creek

Details: This one’s even flatter than the Weston-super-Mare section. With a total of 53 m of ascent, you’ll have plenty of energy to admire the landscape. Oh, and visit the loo, if that’s important to you, this walk has plenty!

Whitehaven to St Bees

Flickr, Dan Cook

You might know Whitehaven as the start of the famous C2C challenge cycling route. You’ll eventually be able to walk to Roker Beach (the end of the C2C) via the England Coast Path (plus the Offa’s Dyke Path) but that would perhaps have even more hills than the inland route straight across.

Instead, why not head south on an England Coast Path station to station route from Whitehaven to St Bees. When you get there, you can admire the start of Alfred Wainwright’s more famous Coast to Coast walking route, which is about to become our newest National Trail. If you want to carry on walking inland, it will take you around a fortnight to get to Robin Hood’s Bay.

Start station: Whitehaven

End station: St Bees

Walking route: England Coast Path – Whitehaven to St Bees

Details: Whitehaven Station is almost on top of the England Coast Path so it makes an excellent starting point. Although this is still a relatively low-level walk (maximum elevation 112 m), it does have a few ups and downs, which might have you turning back at the halfway mark (North Head).

Don’t forget your binoculars to enjoy the views from the RSPB bird hides at St Bees Head.

A more sustainable route to adventure

If you decided to walk these sections, you might notice how vulnerable our low-lying coasts are to rising sea levels. If we all made a few small changes to the way we use energy, we might not be too late to save some of these precious coastal environments.

Adventuring by train is more sustainable than taking the car. It can also be a lot more fun. I’ve spent 2022 finding out how many of my usual outdoor adventures I can enjoy by train.

I haven’t found one I can’t do yet!!

Planning walking or cycling routes from train stations.

 

November 4, 2022
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Outdoors life by Loch Lomond in Scotland

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Okay so there probably is but my first sea swim of the year was just glorious. The sea is still cold and I did get seaweed stuck to my goggles but you really can't beat wild swimming when it comes to waking up.

The great news is that this Devon beach is just across the road from Torquay train station. That's only 3 hours from London and even less from Exeter.

Come on down. The Bay's looking great.

#swimming #beach #seaswimming #devon #outdoorswimming #sea #summer #calm
Want to.keep cool while you're walking? If you've Want to.keep cool while you're walking?

If you've ever walked on the Salt Path aka the South West Coast Path, you'll know it can be a hot place to be in the summer. 

All those sea views are marvellous but my favourite summer walking routes are river walks. With trees, pools and opportunities for outdoor swimming,  the UK's rivers have so much to offer.

And are perfect for my menopausal body.

There are rivers near train stations right across the UK. I've chosen three of my favourite locations to share with you. All of them are on long distance walking routes but walking sections can be just as rewarding.

1. The Thames Path. Walk from Kemble station to the source of the River Thames then on to London and beyond if you have the time. On the way meet Ratty and Co from The Wind in the Willows, visit Windsor Castle and dip in gently flowing waters.

2. The Ribble Way. Walk from Ribblehead station onto empty Gayle Moor to find the springs that feed the river then down to its estuary at Preston. On the way visit the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, cross God's Bridge and pass through beautiful salt marshes.

3. The Speyside Way. Join the route at Aviemore for a mountain town vibe then wander along Scotland's second longest river through the Cairngorms National Park then on to beautiful Moray Firth.

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful variety of rivers right on our doorsteps. They all need looking after. Perhaps the summer of 2025 will be the one when we all get to know them better.

#rivers #walkng #trains #walkingroutes #trainadventures
I haven't done this for a while. Sea swimming thr I haven't done this for a while.

Sea swimming through the winter saved my mental health through menopause but now, as I slowly come out the other side, I find I don't need the cold water kick as much.

Which means winter swimming doesn't happen as often.

Today I decided to celebrate summer by getting back in the sea for the first time since November.

It was cold but not biting.

And utterly marvellous.

Down here on the beaches of Devon, May is definitely the start of summer.

#devon #beach #seaswimming #outside #beachhuts
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But do it anyway.

The South West Coast Path in the sunshine; what better place to let my legs have a taste of sunshine.

Being a plus size and over fifty, I often envy people who have the confidence to wear shorts but find it difficult to accept that my legs are suitable for public view.

Today I decided that I actually didn't care.

It was very liberating.

Perhaps I should write an outdoor gear review for my legs.

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'Take all your rubbish home with you.' It is an important part of the Leave No Trace message and it's particularly important when you're camping in beautiful wild camping locations.

But what counts as rubbish?

It's a question I ask DofE trainees every year.

1. Chocolate bar wrappers? Yes -take it home
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Some of these cause comments but arriving prepared to take everything (including yours or your dog's poo home) home is the best way to look after the places you wild camp.

Things we traditionally think of as 'biodegradable' will (after a long time) eventually disappear from view but everything leaves an invisible trace that wouldn't have been there if you hadn't.

This summer, let's look after the places we love.

#wildcamping #leavenotrace #location #walking
#outside #getoutside #takeithome #outdoors
I've got some news for you... There are only 43 d I've got some news for you...

There are only 43 days until the summer solstice. That's 43 days until the nights start drawing in again.

The weeks between the start of May and June 21st are my favourite of the whole year. They are the weeks when the world turns green and the sun sets golden.

And the days stretch on forever.

Summer might not officially start until June but May brings summertime to my heart.

It's easy to waste these long evenings though. Busy lives can often be tiring and getting outside after work can seem like a lot of effort compared to sitting in front of the TV.

But it's so much better for the soul.

Why not set aside an evening next week to spend some time outside. This was Dartmoor on a Thursday night but your evening outside could be anywhere. The local park, the beach, a nearby hill or even just a footpath.

I promise, you'll sleep much better than you would after a night watching Netflix.

#dartmoor #notflix #outside #summer #may #eveningwalk
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HOP ON BOARD
I'm a freelance writer and content creator with a passion for the outdoors and sustainable travel. I specialise in sustainable travel, train adventures, gear reviews, walking routes and outdoor advice.

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How to enjoy the England Coast Path by train - Fi Darby