🥾 England Coast Path from Morecambe to Kents Bank
Date: 6th August 2025. More pictures from the walk visit our Instagram page 👉 @aa_on_foot
Start: Morecambe Promenade End: Kents Bank Railway Station
👇STEP BY STEP DESCRIPTION BELOW!
Distance: Approx. 19 miles (including train section Arnside → Grange)
Difficulty: Moderate – a mix of sand walking, grassy paths, and inland lanes
Tide Safety: Always check tide times before starting – parts of this route are on tidal sands, and the incoming tide can be fast and dangerous. Use UK Hydrographic Office EasyTide or local tide tables.
OS Map: 👉 OS maps link – click here!
Morecambe to Red Barn Farm
Leaving Morecambe the promenade/pavement takes you to Chayette Fitness before heading along the shoreline. At low tide, the beach is firm and easy underfoot, but there’s also a grassy verge option if conditions are muddy.
This first section leads to the car park at the far end of the beach, where the route climbs gently into the hillside towards Red Barn Farm and its holiday park.
Towards Bay View Holiday Park
From Red Barn Farm, a footpath follows the bank — or, as we chose, a lower route — towards Bay View Holiday Park. Keep to the public path here and avoid entering the caravan park.
This section can be boggy, and the path is not always clear. At low tide, you might follow the beach, but watch for hidden creeks and muddy channels.
River Keer to Crag Foot
As the River Keer narrows, you reach a small road and car park. Follow this to a wooden bridge and pick up Cycle Route 6 towards Warton. The route takes existing inland footpaths around Warton, then joins Crag Lane (Cycle Route 700) towards Crag Foot.
Avoid New Road — we tried it and regretted it! There’s no pavement and the traffic can be heavy. The England Coast Path may one day add a trail alongside the railway here, but there’s no sign yet.
Quicksands Pool to Silverdale
From Crag Foot, follow a short (270-yard) stretch on New Road with a pavement, then turn left under the train bridge towards Quicksands Pool. Well-signed paths lead to the chimney on the stone and Brown’s House, where the route leaves the beach for a small lane.
This passes Jenny Brown’s Point and enters the National Trust’s Jack Scout Reserve before reaching Lindeth Road. Turn left to Shore Road, which leads to Silverdale’s beach car park.
Silverdale to Arnside
At low tide, you can walk the beach to Arnside Park. At high tide, follow inland roads and footpaths. Even on sand, take care — hidden river channels can appear unexpectedly.
Around Park Point, we weren’t sure if the beach could be followed, so we took the higher path through Arnside Park. We later saw it’s possible on the beach at low tide, but staying close to the park edge is safer.
At Blackstone Point, the route drops back to the beach. With the tide out, we followed it all the way to Arnside. At high tide, there’s an inland option clearly marked on OS maps.
Arnside to Grange-over-Sands
From Arnside, the England Coast Path currently suggests taking the train to Grange-over-Sands. Alternatively, you could join one of the Arnside to Grange Bay Walks — a historic crossing led by the King’s Guide to the Kent Estuary, Michael Wilson.
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Duchy of Lancaster took over Cartmel and Conishead Priories — along with the duty to appoint guides for travellers across Morecambe Bay. The original route was from Hest Bank to Kents Bank, but soft sand at Hest Bank means the crossing now starts at Arnside.
Depending on conditions, the walk is between 5.5 and 9 miles. Dates and booking details are at guideoversands.co.uk.
Grange-over-Sands to Kents Bank
From Grange, the promenade runs between the railway and the shore — a flat, scenic stretch with views across the estuary. When it ends, a faint path leads towards a cluster of houses.
Here’s where we went wrong — instead of crossing the railway to the inland path (then road) into Kents Bank, we followed the shoreline. It quickly turned into a muddy slog. Not recommended!
A Little History of Kents Bank
Kents Bank has a rich maritime past. One notable moment came on 30th May 1985, when Cedric Robinson, then the Queen’s Guide to the Sands, led the Duke of Edinburgh and a dozen horse-drawn carriages across Morecambe Bay to mark the 10th anniversary of the Holker Hall Horse Trials.
It’s a reminder that for centuries, this coastline has been shaped by tides, sands, and the skilled guides who navigate them.
Travel Info
- Start: Morecambe Promenade — easily reached by train or bus
- End: Kents Bank Railway Station — trains run to Lancaster, Barrow-in-Furness, and Manchester
- Refreshments: Cafés and shops in Morecambe, Silverdale, Arnside, and Grange-over-Sands
- Tide Safety: Never underestimate the speed of the tide in Morecambe Bay — consult tide tables before you set off, and don’t attempt to cross the bay sands without an official guide
- If there are any changes on open stretches, these are managed by the local councils and they should add any alerts to the interactive map here: 👉National trail
