St Bees - A Cumbrian Coast Village
Latest News
England Coastal Path (ECP) now open at St Bees.
The new section of the England Coast Path (ECP) from Whitehaven to Silecroft, which runs along the coast at St Bees, is now open. This is a new National Trail, and the coast south of the village has been opened up to the public for the first time, with extensive footpath engineering and waymarking.
See our page on Walks for more detail. Also on that page are the St Bees circular walks leaflets which have just been revised.
St Bees has been a popular holiday destination for over 150 years. The village sits beneath St Bees Head, the most westerly point of Northern England; between the Lakeland fells and the Irish Sea. There is a long sandy beach with a promenade and visitor facilities. The towering red sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head are the only Heritage Coast between Scotland and Wales and are an important RSPB seabird reserve.
The village’s history goes back over 1,000 years. It has a Norman Priory dating from 1120 dedicated to our own Saint Bega, who is said to have landed here from Ireland in AD 850, and an independent school founded in 1583.
St Bees is only a few miles from the English Lake District National Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s an ideal base to explore both the Western Lakes and the Cumbrian Coast.
It’s the start of the Wainwright Coast to Coast Walk to Robin Hood’s Bay and is on the England Coast Path which is a National Trail.
Visitor information
How to get here? – What to do? – where to stay?
Beaches & Coast
There is a large sandy beach, with car park, cafe and play park at the north end.
Walking
Wainwright Coast to Coast, the England Coast Path, and other walks
History
The village has a history dating back over 1,000 years
Feedback – The original St Bees village web site was created over two decades ago and grew over the years until it contained well over 500 pages. During 2020 the site was re-written to allow better access from smartphones and tablet computers. The site is subject to continual revision and comments are welcome. please email sbwebmaster@stbees.org.uk . The domain name stbees.org.uk is owned by St Bees Parish Council, and the site is maintained by volunteers.