The UK coast provides such diversity in such a small area, and to cap it all off, none of us lives more than 75 miles from it. Once at the coast, you can travel just a few miles in any direction, and it feels like you have entered a different world.
It is very hard to specify the distance of the UK coastline as you have the main landmass of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and thousands of islands. The Ordnance Survey recorded the coastline as 17,820 km or 11,073 miles, which is good enough for us. The most southerly point is Pednathise Head, Isles of Scilly, the most Westerly point is Gob a’ ghaill, Outer Hebrides, and the most Easterly point is Lowestoft Ness in Suffolk.
The UK coast has such variety that you can enjoy an old Victorian pier in a traditional seaside town or walk along the coast path to find an empty beach. The best thing of all, these two extremes may only be a few miles apart.
Let’s have a look at the makeup of the UK coast.
Islands
There are over a thousand islands, roughly 130 of which are permanently inhabited. The others are used for a mixture of farming and may be occupied occasionally. Some are nature reserves with restricted access, and some are little more than rocks protruding from the sea.
Isle of Mull Photo by Zambog 
The larger islands and island groups are:
- England: Canvey Island, Foulness Island, Hayling Island, Isle of Sheppey, Isle of Wight, Mersea Island, Portsea Island, Wallasea Island, and Walney Island.
- Northern Island: Rathlin Island.
- Scotland has too many to list, but here are some of the bigger ones: Arran, Barra, Bernera, Bute, Hoy, Jura, Islay, Isle of Skye, Lewis and Harris, Mull, Orkney, Shetland, The Uists, Unst, and Yell.
- Wales: Anglesey, Bardsey Island, Caldey Island, Cardigan Island, Flat Holm, Holy Island, Puffin Island, Ramsey Island, Skokholm, Skomer Island, and The Skerries.
- The Channel Islands (including Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark) and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK; they are self-governing Crown dependencies. However, for the purpose of our UK Guide, we include them as separate countries for ease of search. The easiest way to explore is to start at our search page.
Peninsulas
Gower Peninsula Photo by interbeat
A peninsula is a piece of land bordered by water on three sides but connected to the mainland. The UK has hundreds of peninsulas, and some of the bigger ones are The Lizard in Cornwall, Ards and Lecale in the Northern Island, Creuddyn, Gower (shown above) and Llŷn Peninsula in Wales and Fife, Kintyre, and Rhins of Galloway in Scotland.
Coves, Bays and Estuaries
3 Cliffs Bay, Swansea Bay and The Gower, Photo by Gareth Lovering.
When thinking of bays, the large ones with big towns come to mind, such as St. Ives, Weymouth, and Swansea. But as you walk along the coastline, you will see bay after bay, and this is where the beauty of the UK comes alive when you find a bay with a few small coves and sandy, isolated beaches. Yes, there are no facilities, but the isolation and views are second to none.
Coast Paths
Wembury Bay, Devon, Photo by Robert.Pittman
Most of the coast is accessible, but some parts need more effort to reach than others. If you want a little more formality or proper treks, then the UK coast has some well-marked trails, and the aim is to create a joined-up England coast path formerly known as King Charles II Englan Coast Path, but for the time being, some of the main paths we have are:
- South West Coast Path is 630 miles of such superb coastline from Minehead in Somerset, through North Devon, Cornwall, South Devon and on to Poole Harbour in Dorset.
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path is 86 miles, providing a mixed landscape from rugged cliff tops and isolated and sheltered bays to wide-open beaches.
- Cleveland Way is 110 miles long, although half of it is not on the coast, Saltburn to Filey has 50 miles of great coastline.
- Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path are 93 miles long and, like the Cleveland Way, are not all on the coast. The coast part is from Hunstanton to Cromer and passes through the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
A great resource for National trails is the www.nationaltrail.co.uk website which lists all the above trails.
And then you have the Beaches
So, while you are exploring the Islands, peninsulas, coves, bays, estuaries, and coast paths, you will come across a wide variety of beaches. Beaches in the UK vary underfoot in part based on the surrounding environment. Chalk cliffs of the South East provide pebble beaches, and the flatter landscapes have long stretches of sand backed by dunes.
So, should it be sand or pebbles?
This is really down to your circumstances, as sand is better for games, while pebble beaches are better for exploring. Also, remember that pebble beaches often have compacted sand as the tide goes out. Another factor is that sandy beaches typically have a gentler sloping profile, while shingle and pebble beaches are often steeper.
Hope you enjoyed this insight into the UK coast and beaches, but we would like to leave you with just one message:
Whatever your circumstances, we encourage everyone to wander away from the large blue-flag beaches in populated seaside towns and discover the true beauty and often isolation that the UK Coast has to offer.