Walking the coast

The Durham Coastal Footpath is an 11 mile walking route from Seaham to Crimdon following the England Coast Path National Trail – discover and explore spectacular grasslands, magical coastal denes and uncover the rich heritage that has shaped this coastline into a unique and fascinating place to be. Our coastline is unique – nowhere else in Britain has such a wonderful display of Magnesian Limestone Coastal Grasslands supporting a vast array of wildflowers and insects. The orchids, sound of skylarks and lapwings in summer are a treat to the senses not to be missed!

The coastal denes created at the end of the last ice age support some of the most natural woodland in North East England and provide a valuable habitat for mammals such as deer, foxes, badgers and bats. Woodland floors are seasonally adorned with wild garlic, bluebells and snowdrops, with birdsong echoing through the mature and elegant oak, ash and yew trees.

After the decline of coal mining on the coast, water quality continues to improve, now matching standards found around the UK. We are seeing a fascinating recovery of life beneath the waves, with kelp beds expanding and large populations of colourful anemones as well as seals and a little further of basking sharks are frequently sighted in the summer months.

Coastal footpath walk information

The footpath is marked by waymarkers and finger posts with a variety of informative and interesting artwork along the way.  A copy of the leaflet can be found here Coastal Footpath leaflet Hendon to Hartlepool edition

Circular Coastal Walks

As well as the stunning cliff top scenery along the coastal path, the path also links into coastal settlements with their own unique stories to tell, these are circular walks around coastal villages which link into the coastal footpath route which are presented below for download.

	Dalton-le-Dale and Dawdon View our Dalton-le-Dale and Dawdon walking the coast PDF document.
	Hawthorn View our Hawthorn walking the coast PDF document.
	Easington Colliery View our Easington Colliery walking the coast PDF document.
	Horden View our Horden walking the coast PDF document.
	Castle Eden View our Castle Eden walking the coast PDF document.
	Crimdon View our Crimdon walking the coast PDF document.

Blackhall Village Walking Booklet

Ryhope Village Walk Leaflet

Seaham Marina and Seaham Town Walking Leaflet

For public transport information visit the Traveline website.

You will need Adobe Reader to view our PDF documents which can be found here.