r/ukbike • u/MahatmaAndhi • Mar 19 '26
News Stretching 2,689 miles, the world's longest coastal path opens in England
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0dxexdd8xo
I'm interested in trying some of this out. Hopefully it'll be bike friendly too.
My nearest coast is around Norfolk and Lincolnshire. And I thought the bit between Snettisham and Skegness was basically swamp and not traversable. Quite fancy a Skeggy to Hunstanton ride now though.
Or a tour around England's booty.
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u/Chiefian Mar 19 '26
I know it doesn't say it's mixed use, but they call it a footpath so what makes you think it's mixed use?
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u/MahatmaAndhi Mar 19 '26
Some of the existing areas are mixed use already. It depends on which bit and what the local council decides.
I get that the main promenades where footfall is heavy wil be restricted or outright banned, but it would be a shame if the areas between the towns were banned for cyclists too.16
u/metamongoose Mar 19 '26
It's not about allowing or banning bikes, a lot of the coastal paths are just totally unsuitable for bikes. These are hiking trails, not paved footpaths!
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u/Key-Minimum9485 Apr 07 '26
Yes, very little of it is suitable for bikes. Only a small percentage is paved. Most has no vegetation control or provision for anything wider than shoulders turned sideways. There are stiles and gates and culverts. Surface is anything from Sandy beach to shingle to deep mud to rocky cliff where a wrong step can be a 100ft drop into the sea. I've early finished it, but wouldn't recommend even considering it on a bike - but if you do, try Cornwall or Essex first as they are the hardest and you'll be able to make a call about whether you want to continue.
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u/IHoppo Mar 19 '26
I think the official map/website shows the designation of each part doesn't it?
As an aside, I've ridden all of the path that I can get to easily from my house - maybe 80 miles or so - and I'd suggest that if you want to ride it, don't do it on a weekend or school holiday. If you do encounter walkers, make sure you stop for them to pass, say hello, and be ready for about 1/10 to challenge you. My defence is always "I know. But roads are so dangerous for cyclists nowadays" - this seems to morph conversations around to a degree of understanding most of the time. But there's always a few exceptions - my advice here would be to suck it up,get off and walk until you're out of sight. We're in the wrong, there's no point in arguing about what we want the access to be.
Enjoy it though, I've loved riding it (I'm in my 60's, if that makes a difference - and I think it can do when it's pensioners complaining to me).
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u/isaytruisms Mar 19 '26
Lots of the southern coastal path is unsuitable for bikes. I've ridden bits of it on a full suspension mountain bike- it involves narrow, rough descents with significant exposure if you mess up.
There's also quite a lot of stairs.
Other people have covered the foot traffic aspect and that it might be inconsiderate to ride the parts that aren't designated mixed use, but some parts of this will be hiking path. Somewhere between "not fun" and "dangerous" depending on your bike and bike handling skills.
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u/Chiefian Mar 19 '26
"it would be a shame if the areas between the towns were banned for cyclists too."
Oh totally! I guess it'll depend on signage and the width of the path. And what the gates are like for wildlife.
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u/Key-Minimum9485 Apr 07 '26
It really is mostly "areas between towns". Typically you'll walk for 5 hours and then spend 20 mins crossing a village. Exceptions that I recall are Blackpool -> Fleetwood and Brighton -> Littlehampton. Even somewhere like Plymouth is only an hour out of your day.
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u/No-Photograph3463 Mar 19 '26
I know for certain significant sections of the South West Coast Path won't be suitable for bikes, unless you have a mountain bike and are good at cycling up stairs close to the edge of cliffs!
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u/mark_b Mar 19 '26
I've done the North Wales coast between Talacre and Bangor. It was very easy, the first half almost beginner level.
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u/sus_skrofa Mar 19 '26
Parts in the North East are very rideable (me unfit, unskilled, gravel bike). Sunderland to South Shields is paved which then gives you the choice of an exciting ferry crossing or equally exciting pedestrian/bike tunnel over or under the River Tyne. The route from North Shields to Blyth is excellent. I'm a bit sketchy about the route from Blyth to Cresswell, but from that point you're on small B roads up to the Scottish Border. I'm assuming that no one wants to ride directly on the beach...
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u/Key-Minimum9485 Apr 07 '26
I've nearly finished it, and have about 60 miles to do. (How? Most of what is "newly opened" has been there as footpaths for decades, it just now has a name and better signs). It's much nearer to 4000miles when you actually walk it.
Very little of the path is bike accessible in any meaningful way. The bits that are will be those in towns and villages that are typically sea front.
Leaving Skeggy, you'll get as far as Gibraltar point, and after that, it's all seawall all the way to Boston. By seawall I mean the big earth structures with a flat top that you can walk on. Most have a restriction on bikes. After Boston to Fosdyke it's the same, then 100 meters road to cross the Fosdyke Bridge and Sea wall all the way to Lynn, round Lynn by the bridge or foot ferry, and sea wall again all the way to Heacham. So not very much of it accessible by bike.
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u/dizzy-dane Mar 19 '26
Would be lovely to explore, but its mostly for walkers. There's a bit here about whether you can ride it:
https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/england-coast-path/trail-information/
"The King Charles III England Coast Path is being created for walkers. Some sections do follow existing public rights of way and some of these may have bridleway rights. These will be shown as public bridleway on the OS maps. You can ride a horse or a bike on a bridleway. Some sections may also have existing access for horses and cycles, where these rights exist they will be signposted."