Walk the England Coast Path – Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge Route Map and GPX Download

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Natural England state

Natural England has begun to investigate how to improve coastal access along a 95 km stretch of coast in North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire between Easington and Filey Brigg. This new access is expected to be ready in 2020.

Officers from North Yorkshire County Council and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council are providing expert local advice and helping to ensure there is full consultation with local interests during the development of the route.

Up to date information can be found here, with maps providing an idea of where this section will go.

Walk the England Coast Path – Easington to Filey Route Map and GPX Download

As the route involves some significant sections on Main Roads, we’ll publish a map once the official route is in place.

From Easington, the coast northwards has been eroded and villages lost, so any footpaths have long been lost to the North Sea. The only significant section that can currently be walked is the Headlands Way around Flamborough Head.

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Natural England state

Natural England has begun to investigate how to improve coastal access along a 63km stretch of the coast between the Humber Bridge and Easington. This new access is expected to be ready by spring 2020.

Officers from Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council are providing Natural England with expert local advice and helping to make sure there is full consultation with local interests during the development of the route.

Up to date information can be found here, but there are no indications yet as to the route of this section of the England Coast Path.

Walk the England Coast Path – Humber Bridge to Easington Route Map and GPX Download

As the route involves some significant sections on Main Roads, we’ll publish a map once the official route is in place.

From the Humber Bridge, the England Coast Path follows the established Trans Pennine Bridleway as far as Hull before the going becomes tricky past the docks and industrial areas. However, once the village of Paull there’s a good section of right of way that can be followed. This isn’t long lasting, and you’ll need some imagination in order to follow the coast as far as Easington. Lengthy sections are walkable, but a through walk would be best left until the route is opened officially. Spurn Point can be reached, but it does not appear to be on the official route as presumably it’s both a lengthy diversion and prone to erosion. There’s also the Spurn Discovery Centre run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust that’s presumably on the route of the England Coast Path that provides more information on Yorkshire’s very own “Land’s End”.

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Natural England state

Natural England has begun to investigate how to improve coastal access along an 81km stretch of the coast between Mablethorpe and the Humber Bridge. This new access is expected to be ready in spring 2020.

Up to date information can be found here, but there are no indications yet as to the route of this section of the England Coast Path.

Walk the England Coast Path – Mablethorpe to Humber Bridge Route Map and GPX Download

As the route involves some significant sections on Main Roads, we’ll publish a map once the official route is in place.

Mablethorpe to Cleethorpes

This section can be followed on right of ways as far as Saltfleet, but requires a diversion on the main road for 5km to North Somercoates before heading back to the coast at Donna Nook. Another diversion is needed to avoid the old airfield, after which the access is pretty good into Cleethorpes. Note that it’s not recommended (and possibly illegal) to try and find your own way along this coast as most of the section is MOD land and denoted as Danger Areas on the OS maps.

Cleethorpes to Humber Bridge

From Cleethorpes to Immingham, the access is patchy but beyond that the Humber Bank Path continues along the embankment of the Humber Estuary as far as the Humber Bridge. This final 23km section can currently be followed along existing rights of way.

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However, the section from Boston to Skegness is largely along newly created access.

With the route being around 90km in length, the best way to split this down is into three roughly equal sections. Starting from Sutton Bridge to Fosdyke, from Fosdyke to Frieston Shore and then on to Skegness. There’s no public transport on the initial sections, but there are trains from Boston to Skegness, which provides some options. You’ll need to organise local accommodation, or in the case of Freiston Shore you can order a taxi into Boston without breaking the bank. Splitting the route at Boston is the easiest logistically, but involves two epic days of around 50 and 40km. Considering how flat the route is, that’s not as bad as it seems, but would probably be too far for most to consider.

Note that the map is purely indicative of the route and does not imply any access rights.

Sutton Bridge to Fosdyke Bridge

Setting off from Sutton Bridge, a small port on the A17 close to both the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border, the route is long but without fail quite flat. Sea embankments dominate the walk, with salt marsh towards the sea and flat farmland landward which is all reclaimed from the sea. From Sutton Bridge the coastal path heads along the River Nene towards the shores of the Wash once more. Along the way, you’ll pass two lighthouses – with the Guy’s Head lighthouse on this shore (and the Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse on the east shore) which are now far inland but marked what was once the coastline before the land was reclaimed. The route continues in much the same vein along the sea wall, remote and quiet with the exception of the Holbeach bombing range which the route passes, before heading far inland along the River Welland to Fosdyke Bridge.

Fosdyke Bridge to Boston

From the former port at Fosdyke Bridge, the England Coast Path again returns to The Wash along the embankments. This section follows the Macmillan Way, and is an established route. Try and see how soon you can see the Boston Stump, or St Botolph’s church, which is visible from a considerable distance. After endless embankments, you’ll arrive at the The Haven, the estuary of the River Witham. The route into Boston along here isn’t the most salubrious, with warehouses and a landfill, but the large ships that ply their way across the North Sea to Boston add some interest. The route enters Boston via London Road, a road lined with numerous historic Georgian buildings that point to a more affluent past. Many are converted into flats, and some were falling into decay including the home of Thomas Garfit JP, founder of the 1st bank in Boston in 1754. This was for many years an eyesore, but has recently been saved by Heritage Lincolnshire. Anyone with an interest in buildings of that era will be spoilt here.

The official route is set to cross the Haven along the through pass (one of those failed ideas from the 1970s and 80s, the building of which bulldozed numerous historic buildings) and back out along the Haven. You should enter the town along here instead, with an opportunity to visit The Stump and the fine marketplace.

Boston to Skegness

The final stretch along the Wash is again a remote walk. Once out of Boston, the route reaches Freiston Shore and it’s historic Plummer’s Hotel. You would be forgiven for wondering why there’s a hotel at this point, but at one point this was a seaside resort complete with sandy shores. That all changed in the 19th century as the fens were drained and the beach was replaced by salt marsh. Despite this, it was still popular with locals as recently as the 1960s and known as the poor man’s Skeggy, the blog linked to providing a fascinating account of this bygone era. Today, it’s bird watchers who visit Freiston Shore, and presumably with the completion of the England Coast Path, walkers will help keep the local economy going. Near Freiston Shore you might spot sections which were once reclaimed from the sea, but are now being allowed to flood. This is managed realignment of the coastline and helps improve the habitat for wildlife and reduces coastal erosion by creating a buffer zone, maybe the sandy beaches will return once day?

There are absolutely no facilities from here until you reach the Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre. If you are looking to reduce the section into two, you can divert inland towards one of the villages along the A52 if you absolutely must, but would make an already hefty walk even longer if you think you can just divert to find a spot of lunch. You’re on your own. There will be plenty of choice once you arrive at sunny Skeg to make up for it.

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View this video by Natural England that provides an overview of this section.

Walk the England Coast Path – South Bents to Amble Route Map and GPX Download

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Natural England have created a video of the section:

Skegness to Chapel St Leonards

From the seaside resort of Skegness, the England Coast Path heads along the prom, past numerous rides and amusements that you can try out if you wish. Of particular note is the pier, or what remains if it. One look at the map shows a pier that ends above the high water mark, which is indeed correct as it was largely destroyed in a storm in 1978.

There are endless caravans to accommodate the thousands who flock to the sandy beaches as the England Coast Path continues past Seathorne, Ingoldmells Point and on into Chapel St Leonards. You’ll pass the Fantasy Island theme park as well as the Butlins Holiday Park which was the first to be built in 1936.

Chapel St Leonards to Mablethorpe – The Coastal Country Park

The section from Chapel St Leonards onward is much quieter, especially along the Coastal Country Park between Chapel and Sutton on Sea. Chapel St Leonards is a small and well kept seaside resort, much quieter than those you’ve already passed. The Coastal Country Park is quiet and there are facilities all along the stretch at all the car parks, and the village of Anderby Creek also has cafe and pubs if you need them. The scenery continues to be low land and dunes, which is pretty much par for the course.

Keep an eye out for the Structures on the Edge (SOTE) art installations along the section which includes the Cloud Bar at Anderby Creek as well as the Salt Licks, The Sound Tower, Round and Round House and the Reflector. There are also a number of artistic beach huts known as the Bathing Beauties. One you won’t miss is the North Sea Observatory at Chapel Point, which is one place you must visit on this section.

The section ends at Mablethorpe, unceremoniously leaving the coast inland to finish at Mablethorpe North End. Follow the beach instead if you can! There’s a pub – The Ferry Boat Inn – that’s conveniently located at the finish.

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