UK's best coastal walks have mythical chapels, rope bridges and mermaid tales

10 May 2023 , 09:03

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Causeway Coast Way walkers have to take on a perilous rope bridge (Image: Getty Images)

A stunning walk across the Welsh coast with views of iconic natural landmarks and one of the most beautiful, remote walks in Britain are among the best in the UK.

The Stack Rocks to St Govan’s trail in Pembrokeshire, Sandwood Bay route in Sutherland, and the Causeway Coast Way have been named among the best 15 coastal walks in the UK by Go Outdoors, and for good reason.

The list highlights some of the most breath-taking paths you can take along the UK's coastline, which is among the most varied in the world and runs for close to 8,000 miles.

We take a look at three of the hiking trails that are particularly worth adding to your bucket list...

Stack Rocks to St Govan’s trail

Across its 6.3 miles (10.1 km) walkers get many incredible view points of the sea waves as they crash into the rocks, as well as plentiful vistas across a particularly wild and nature rich section of land inland.

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Part of the joy of the walk is that it's based on the Castlemartin firing range, which is closed intermittently so the military can test their latest guns, so make sure you check in the local newspaper or online before you head for a day's walk.

If you manage to catch the hiking route when it's open then you'll follow a stony or grass covered track across the range which can be a little uneven, but is mostly made up of short grass and is quite easy going.

UK's best coastal walks have mythical chapels, rope bridges and mermaid tales

Powerful waves smash into the famous Green Bridge arch (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Used by the Ministry of Defence as a firing range since the 1940s, there has been relatively little human influence on this area of the south Pembrokeshire coast since then.

As a result of this lack of disturbance a rich, unspoilt range of habitats for animals and plants have been able to form, filled with British wildlife of many sorts. On a warm day the bright sun brings area to life into a rich mixture of smells, sights and sounds.

It is against this lovely backdrop that walkers can view a range of intriguing natural rock forms, including the famous Stack Rocks - two detached pillars of limestone.

In the spring the tops of the stacks and the ledges below are crammed with guillemots and razorbills, while fulmar and kittiwake nest on the cliffs along with herring and black-backed gulls.

Close to the car park where many start the walk is the Green Bridge, a natural arch similar to Durdle Door in Dorset that has been carved out over thousands of years by the waves.

St Govan's Chapel is definitely worth visiting (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

At the other end of the walk and down a flight of steps is a chapel dedicated to St Govan, an Irish abbot of the 6th century.

The legend goes that Govan managed to wiggle out of the deadly clutches of pirates when they landed on the coastline and he hid in a crack in the rocks which miraculously opened to him.

Make sure you count how many steps you take on the way down to the chapel and then again on the way back up, as rumour goes the two numbers are never quite the same. Below the chapel is a well, believed to cure eye problems, rheumatism and lameness.

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As if that weren't enough landmarks to keep you busy, the walk is also blessed with views of a number of iron age forts, built more than 2,000 years ago.

These forts would have looked out over a wooded valley, but sea levels have risen since they were built, forming the Bristol Channel as we see it today.

Stack Rocks in Pembrokeshire rise up out of the sea (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Another feature seemingly straight from the geography books is Huntsman’s Leap, a narrow steep-sided inlet, formed by sea erosion along a fault line in the cliff.

Legend has it that a huntsman urged his horse over the chasm, landed safely, then looked back and dropped dead from shock when he saw what he had jumped over.

"A walk filled with photo opportunities on the glorious Pembrokeshire Coastline," Go Outdoors writes of the walk. "The untouched nature of this area means it’s teaming with wildlife at varying times of year, so it’s worth bringing your binoculars."

Sandwood Bay

Sandwood Bay is trick to get to, but worth the effort (SUNDAY MAIL)

This route is found at the north-western edge of Sutherland, which sits in the Highlands and has as many stunning views as you'd expect from such a location.

The walk itself is a great one for beginners due to its gentle inclines and sturdiness of the path. It is also one of the quietest, partly due to the lack of car park that requires a two hour walk to along a moorland track to reach the bay.

Once you've made the trek you will be treated to fulmars, puffins and shags flapping about on the sea cliffs. With a mile of golden sands, rocky cliffs and a giant sea stack, there is plenty to explore.

Its isolation has also helped myths and legends build up with one telling of a mermaid being spotted there in 1900. Farmer Alexander Gunn said he had seen the creature lying on one of the rocks, a story he stuck to throughout his life.

Sandwood Bay also has a darker history, acting as a grave to many ships before the Cape Wrath lighthouse was built in 1828.

Causeway Coast Way

The walk is broken up into more manageable chunks (Getty Images)

The Causeway Coast Way is a 33-mile section of walk in County Antrim that will take you from Portstewart to Ballycastle.

Along the way you’ll pass castles, areas of outstanding natural beauty, bays and beaches and of course the Giant’s Causeway that gives the path its name and has become one of the best known geological wonders in Europe.

The path has been handily split into smaller more manageable chunks for those who don’t wish to take on the whole thing in one go.

Section four runs from Giant’s Causeway to Dunseverick Castle and is 4.5miles long, making it ideal for sightseers, while section six features a rope bridge to Carrick-a-Rede Island that is bound to make your heart flutter.

The route is well serviced by public transport and the elevation isn't too great, making this a great route for the less experienced hiker.