Ravenglass
Beat the crowds to the brand new Lake District section of the England Coast Path National Trail.
Early 2021 marks the opening of the long-awaited Whitehaven to Silecroft stretch of England Coast Path (ECP) in west Cumbria, and the first section to include part of the Lake District National Park. Opening in stages around the country (see nationaltrail.co.uk for open sections), the ECP consists of both a new waymarked route along the coast, and also access rights between the path and the sea in many places, via the new ‘coastal margin’.
This section of the route boasts not only its newfound status as National Trail, but also passes through Ravenglass village’s unique double World Heritage Site status – as part of both the Hadrian’s Wall and Lake District sites – meaning the Cumbrian coast’s profile is sure to be dramatically raised in the coming years.
The remote windswept beach and dunes at Drigg, the epic views into the jaws of Wasdale and Eskdale, and the classic seaside villages juxtaposed against Sellafield’s sci-fi skyline are well worth beating the crowds for, and will definitely leave you coming back for more. Why not make the Western Lakes your base for a weekend and enjoy the Irish Sea alongside the fells?
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NY036010 From the car park or railway station, head to the seafront and turn left. At the end of the green, take the lowest wide concrete path below the sea defences, and continue on the beach when it runs out (the road and public footpaths can be used to bypass some sections on the highest tides). After about 550m of beach, a short flight of steps leads onto the waymarked path through Drigg dunes. You’ll cross the end of a bridleway accessing the beach; stay on the ECP in the dunes, with great views of the Wasdale and Eskdale fells, to the beach car park. Please note that dogs must legally be kept on leads around livestock on the ECP; rare and hard-tosee ground nesting birds, toads and reptiles are very sensitive to disturbance in this SSSI too.
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SD048984 You may like to turn right through the gate to access the WWII observation post; otherwise turn left up the road for 180m. ECP waymarks on your right should bring you back into the dunes; follow them as they swing left in another 800m after a fence corner, to a lane.
In the long term, a bridge may cross the Irt
Estuary, but for now, the detour via
Drigg is a very pleasant one. Turn left on the lane, and then right on Shore Road and through Drigg village. Go right at a T-junction, and right again onto a lane opposite the church. Where the field opens out, aim left of the hedge to an ancient, pretty packhorse bridge – but beware, the area can flood after exceptionally high tides.
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SD076987 Cross the bridge and climb the steps. Staying above the bank, in the field, aim for a gate in the right-hand corner. Continue down the lane, then at the next junctions turn right, then left at Hall Carleton, then right again, to the foreshore at Saltcoats. Turn left, then cross the Mite estuary viaduct into Ravenglass. Keep to the green on the seafront, and then follow the old main street to the foreshore.
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SD084961 Turn left to the foreshore’s back corner, then right on the path behind the stone wall. You’ll drop back to the foreshore after about 300m, and then under the railway. Use the ECP high tide route now, turning immediately left, past a large property, and straight on at a path junction – you’ve just circuited the site of the old Glannoventa fort – to the Roman bath house remains. Continue through the wood alongside the road, then turn left opposite the caravan park, to cross the railway bridge and drop back to the main street. Or, you can turn right off the bridge to the station platforms, car park and La’al Ratty pub.