In recent years, Fleswick Bay, at the westernmost tip of Cumbria, has become familiar to walkers setting out on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk. Read on to find out more about this hidden cove:
Where is Fleswick Bay?
Fleswick Bay is a secluded pebble beach near St Bees Head in Cumbria, England.
How to get to Fleswick Bay
A short walk from the town of St Bees, the path down to Fleswick Bay is well sign-posted as it's the starting point of the popular long-distance trail, Coast to Coast.
Fleswick Bay can also be reached from Sandwith, to the north. The road from the village is private, but cars are permitted if you park, for a small fee, at Tarnflatt Hall farm. From there, a short walk brings you to the lighthouse and on to the cliff top.
Carrying on south, pass Lawson’s Leap – apparently named for a local character who thought he could survive the jump. A huge section of cliff has become detached, and will surely fall soon. A gentle descent brings you to the ‘smuggler’s steps’, which drop more steeply into the entrance gorge.
If you're travelling by car, St Bees is just off the A595 and A596. Alternatively, it has a railway station and is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, or is on a bus route.
What is Fleswick Bay known for?
Go back a generation and it was known only to a tiny proportion of the local population. Go back farther still, and a 19th-century visitor might have found himself surrounded by a band of smugglers.
The main source of this nefarious industry can be seen to the west, on a clear day, when the Isle of Man hovers like a treasure island on the horizon. Of the many landing places for contraband around the Solway coast, Fleswick Bay was almost perfect, cut off from the rest of the country by high cliffs and accessible only from the sea or through a narrow gorge.
What to do in St Bees
A charming coastal town with several attractions and activities for visitors:
St Bees Head and St Bees Beach
Explore St Bees Head, the westernmost point of Northern England, with a coastal path offering stunning views of the cliffs and sea. Enjoy scenic views of the Irish Sea from the mile-long sandy St Bees Beach.
Coast to Coast Walk
If you enjoy hiking, consider starting or joining the Coast-to-Coast Walk, a long-distance trail that begins in St Bees and ends on the east coast in Robin Hood's Bay.
St Bees Priory
Visit St Bees Priory, a historic church with origins dating back to the 12th century. It features impressive architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows. Open daily, for more information visit St Bees Priory.
St Bees Head RSPB Nature Reserve
St Bees Head Nature Reserve is a great location for birdwatching. The cliffs are home to seabird colonies, including guillemots and kittiwakes.
The approach from the car park at St Bees beach follows the edge of the cliffs for a little over a mile. In spring and summer, every ledge on the precipice is packed to capacity with herring gulls, kittiwakes, fulmars, razorbills and guillemots, including England’s only nesting black guillemots.
St Bees Caves
Behind the boulders to the north of the beach, which themselves provide plenty of places to escape the eyes of the excise men, is a cave large enough to hide smugglers as well as substantial volumes of their illegally imported goods.
Carved into the cave walls, often with exquisite calligraphy, are the names of people who came here from the mid-19th century, possibly with intentions that fell well short of the legitimate. This is a place where children can allow their imaginations to fly freely for a few hours.
Gem-hunting
Among the myriad pebbles that cover the entire beach at St Bees, are semi-precious agates, garnets and jaspers.
Naval attack at St Bees
A notorious act of piracy occurred in 1778, during the American War of Independence, when Scotsman John Paul Jones, ‘Father of the American Navy’, attacked nearby Whitehaven, setting fire to ships in the harbour. An irony of this is that George Washington’s grandmother is buried in St Nicholas’s churchyard in Whitehaven.
Where to eat and stay near St Bees
Given that it's the starting point of the famous Coast to Coast walk, there are plenty of accommodation options to suit all budgets near St Bees:
- Seacote Hotel and Holiday Parks: Bordering St Bees beach, either stay in the hotel or book a spot in one of their holiday parks for your own caravan or tent. Check availability or book on Booking.com, TripAdvisor or Expedia.
- The Queens: Hotel on Main Street in St Bees. Check availability or book on Booking.com
- The Manor: Pub with rooms also on Main Street in the town centre. Check availability or book on TripAdvisor or Booking.com
- Lulu's Bistro - Old Station House: Guest house serving breakfasts only. Check availability or book on TripAdvisor or Booking.com
Looking for Days Out inspiration?
Our experts have compiled guides to the surrounding area, including best walks in Cumbria, Levens Hall and Seatoller to Keswick.
