A Gentle Cliff Path for Weekend Walkers

Why This Route Suits the Weekend Walker

Some coastal walks ask a lot of you. They want steep scrambles, proper boots and a full day's commitment. This one doesn't. The cliff path between the old coastguard lookout and the harbour village is roughly four and a half miles of grassy headland, gentle undulation and some of the most generous sea views in the country. It's the sort of route you can decide to do over breakfast and still be back for a late lunch.

The gradient is kind throughout. There's one proper climb in the middle section, maybe eighty metres of ascent spread over a quarter of a mile, and the rest is rolling. If you can manage a steady hour of walking on uneven ground, you'll manage this. Families with children over seven or eight tend to love it, and so do couples who'd rather talk than pant.

What makes it genuinely special, though, is the infrastructure. Whoever laid this path out understood that most of us aren't athletes. There are benches at regular intervals, almost all of them facing the water, and the last stretch delivers you into a village with a pub that has been feeding walkers for the better part of two centuries.

The Route, Step by Step

Start at the small car park beside the coastguard lookout. It's a pay-and-display affair with space for about twenty cars, so arriving before half nine on a weekend gives you a comfortable margin. There's a tap by the wall for filling bottles, which is worth knowing on a warm day.

From the car park, take the signed footpath heading west. You'll pass through a short stretch of gorse and blackthorn before the land opens out onto the first headland. This is where the views begin, and they don't really stop.

• First mile: A wide, well-drained grass path along the top of the cliff. Look for stonechats and the occasional kestrel hovering over the slope.
• Second mile: A gentle descent into a shallow valley, then the climb up to the second headland. This is the steep bit. Take it slowly and enjoy the excuse to stop.
• Third mile: The most dramatic section. The path narrows slightly and hugs the edge, with a long view down the coast. There are three benches here, all positioned to catch the sun.
• Final stretch: A steady drop down toward the village, past a small ruined chapel and through a field that's often full of sheep. Close the gate behind you.

The path is waymarked with acorn symbols throughout and is generally easy to follow, but a paper map or an offline map on your phone is sensible, particularly in mist. Mobile signal is patchy along the middle section, so don't rely on it.

What to Wear and Carry

This is a walking route, not a stroll along a promenade, so treat it with a bit of respect. Trainers with decent grip are fine in dry weather; if it's been raining heavily, you'll want walking shoes or boots, because the grass sections get slippery and the valley floor can be muddy well into spring.

Bring a light waterproof regardless of the forecast. Coastal weather turns quickly, and there's very little shelter along the headlands. A windproof layer is worth its weight even on a still morning, because the exposed sections can be breezy.

In terms of kit, keep it simple:

• Water for each person, at least half a litre, more in summer.
• A snack or two. There's nowhere to buy anything between the start and the village.
• Sun cream and a hat between April and September. There's almost no shade.
• A charged phone, ideally with the route downloaded.
• Dogs are welcome but must be on a lead near livestock, which is most of the second half.

Wildlife and What You'll See

The headlands are managed as rough grassland, which means wildflowers rather than monoculture. In late spring and early summer you'll find sea thrift, kidney vetch and several varieties of orchid along the verges. The clifftop nesting season runs from March to July, so keep well back from the edge during those months and keep dogs close.

Look out for fulmars gliding along the cliff face, and if you're lucky, peregrines. Below the path, grey seals haul out on the rocks at low tide, particularly around the second headland. They look like smooth grey boulders until one of them yawns.

The ruined chapel in the final mile is worth a pause. It's a simple stone shell with no roof, but the graveyard around it has some beautifully weathered headstones, and the view from the gate is arguably the best on the whole route.

Timing Your Walk

Allow two and a half to three hours if you're walking at a relaxed pace with stops. Faster walkers manage it in under two, but that rather misses the point. The benches are there to be used.

Tide times matter if you intend to drop down to any of the small coves along the way. The two accessible beaches are both cut off at high water, so check a tide table before you set out and don't attempt the descent unless you've got a good three hours either side of low tide.

Dawn and late afternoon are the loveliest times, both for light and for wildlife. If you're walking in winter, note that the path can be genuinely slippery after frost, and the daylight window is short.

The Pub at the End

The village pub sits about fifty metres from where the path meets the road. It's a proper low-beamed place with a flagstone floor, a fire in winter and a garden that looks straight out to sea. Lunch is served from noon, and the menu leans heavily on local fish, hearty pies and a decent range of ales.

It's dog-friendly, muddy boots are tolerated without comment, and the staff are used to walkers arriving windswept and hungry. If you've timed it well, you can eat outside and watch the light change over the water.

From the pub, you've two options. You can retrace the cliff path back to the car park, which takes about two hours with a full stomach, or you can arrange to be collected. Plenty of walkers do the latter. There's no shame in it, and the extra hour spent in the garden is arguably the best part of the day.