‘We strolled to a pink-sanded beach’: readers’ favourite coastal walks | Walking

Winning trip: Pristine beaches, south-west Crete

The E4 European path cuts across Crete, and we did a few sections while backpacking there last October. One of the most scenic sections is from Krios Beach (you can drive here or take a bus from Paleochora town) to the beautiful pink-sanded beach of Elafonisi. Along the way you walk for about 10km across pristine white sand beaches and get to swim in clear turquoise water. You can get a taxi back to Paleochora from Elafonisi. All Trails has a “there and back” walk mostly following the same path, but there are plenty of descriptions of the route online.
Rachel Elizabeth

Guided walk across Morecambe Bay, Cumbria

Morecambe Bay is one of England’s loveliest beauty spots, and the best way to experience it is with a walk across the sands at low tide. Led by the official guide (first appointed in the 16th century, and essential for safety reasons), the serpentine seven-mile stroll between Arnside and Grange-over-Sands is unique in Britain and absolutely unforgettable, whatever the weather. Costs are typically £15 for adults and £10 for children, which goes entirely to a different charity for each outing. The walk conveniently ends at Kents Bank railway station, for trains back over the bay.
Gary

On the Sheep’s Head Way, Ireland

The Sheep’s Head Way of West Cork has a wild, at times stark, beauty that its more famous cousin, the Kerry Way, does not. Often grassy and indistinct, this 58-mile circular route traces the coast of the Sheep’s Head peninsula, the slimmest and boniest of the fingers that Ireland juts into the Atlantic at its extreme south-west. Expect kind locals, many sheep and views over the blue of Bantry Bay. The walk, when my mother and I did it in 2016, was lonelier than I expected given its loveliness. Ruined villages and neolithic stone circles came slowly into focus over many miles as we picked our way towards them with bog-dampened feet, past holy wells. We loved it, despite being harassed by horse flies at one point.
Phoebe Arslanagic-Wakefield

Amber on the Baltic coast

The European long distance hiking route E9 is now complete, with a route along the coast of the Baltic States – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The Latvian portion is referred to as Jūrtaka and boasts sandy beaches, green fairytale forests stretching along the coastline, blue skies and the brackish water of the Baltic Sea with its unique freshwater wildlife. And if you’re into beachcombing, the Kurzeme (Courland) coast and Cape Kolka are brilliant places to look for amber.
baltictrails.eu
Laura Vabis Knight

Fancy some Quiddles? Dorset

We had an unexpectedly beautiful, family-friendly walk on the Isle of Portland. We started at the delightful Quiddles cafe – which advertises itself as serving “seafood that’s off the wall” – at the very end of the esplanade with stunning views looking back along Chesil Beach. Here you are encouraged to borrow a picker and a carrier bag, and collect a bagful of litter from the beach while walking.

Setting off along the seawall, heading south towards Blacknor Fort, we soon found ourselves winding along sandy paths, clambering up huge slabs of Portland stone from the Tout Quarry on the cliffs above, and through stunning coastal flora and fauna. Who could ask for a more memorable and dramatic coastline?
Johanna Ogden

High on the Amalfi coast, Italy

The name Sentiero degli Dei, Path of the Gods, sets up this 8km walk to be something special and it does not disappoint. This stretch of the Amalfi Coast, south of Naples, was once dotted with Roman temples, and strolling along it is celestial in more ways than one. From Bomerano, a hamlet in Agerola, it’s about 10km to Nocelle, near Positano. The path emerges on to craggy clifftops with views of the Med fizzing around the shoreline below and at points there are matchbox multicoloured houses tumbling down the hillsides towards the beaches. At Nocelle you can catch a bus to Positano or walk down more than 1,000 steps to the sea. Our experience was capped off by meeting some strolling monks who offered us a refreshing glass of limoncello – heavenly!
Jasmine

Harbouring bliss, Pembrokeshire

An ancient gateway, Porth Clais Harbour outside St David’s once served as a transport hub for vital materials (the old harbour wall is thought to have been built by the Romans), today it’s primarily frequented for leisure. My boots are bound for the steady dirt track that quickly opens up to panoramic views of the furthest horizon, and the striking Solva coastline. Muted tones underfoot, I’m suddenly surrounded by verdant…