DISTANCE/DURATION: 9.3miles (14.9km) 5 hours. Southern section 7.1 miles (11.4km) 3 hours 30 minutes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Service bus Angle 366/388, Coastal Cruiser.
CHARACTER: Strenuous and steep in places, fields and livestock, cliff edge, 0.6 mile (1.0km) minor road walking.
LOOK OUT FOR: Angle village with unique Indian Colonial-style architecture, old and new lifeboat stations, Thorne Island, old military installations, pleasant woodland walk with fine views of the Haven on the north section of the route.
CAUTION: Check tide tables for low tide route.
The Angle Peninsula is a striking, windswept landscape. The little beach at West Angle faces the mouth of the Haven waterway and can be hammered by strong winds, but on a good day it is a marvelous place to go rockpooling.
Beyond West Angle Bay is Thorne Island, with its Victorian fort. The fort is one of seven, dating from the second half of the 19th century, to protect the Haven.
Built to defend against a threat from France that came to nothing, the fortifications were later dubbed Palmerston’s Follies after Lord Palmerston, Prime Minister of the day.
The route also takes in Angle Bay, a sheltered expanse of mud and sand that attracts wildfowl and wading birds at low tide. The bay becomes especially busy with birds during winter when there are large flocks of dunlin, grey plover and redshank to see.
The village of Angle has a rich seafaring tradition and was once a busy fishing community. Its single street of cottages is backed by fields that are marked by centuries of Medieval strip cultivation – a clue to Angle’s long history.
Look out too for several Medieval buildings including a fisherman’s chapel, a dovecote and the unique three-storey Tower House, recently restored by the National Park Authority.
Dating from the late 1300s, the Tower House was built as a fortified home for Angle’s lords of the manor. It was perhaps ‘insurance’ at a time of political tensions with France or against raiding pirates.
Find this walk
Grid ref: SM860027
SAFETY FIRST!
- Take great care when on the Coast Path
- Stay on the path and away from cliff edges
- Wear boots and warm,water proof clothing
- Take extra care in windy and/or wet conditions
- Always supervise children and dogs
- Leave gates and property as you find them
