Fleswick Bay

Fleswick Bay:

This is one of the most beautiful places we have visited! Found 2 miles from St Bees this really is a hidden gem of West Cumbria, and one of the many reasons as to why the Cumbria Coastal Way is stealing our hearts at the moment.

There are a few ways that you can reach Fleswick Bay, as well as a few different places to park. For this route we parked at Tarn Flatt Hall Farm, see photo 1, there is enough car parking spaces for approximately 15 cars. The nearest postcode is CA28 9UX. Please note you will require £3 in cash for the car park where you can stay all day, please see photo 2. Our children LOVED that cows ‘lived inside the car park’!

We find that this car park is the easiest way to access Fleswick Bay. However, you are also able to park at St Bees and begin the walk from St Bees promenade if you would prefer a slightly longer walk (CA27 0ES). There are more facilities if you begin the walk from St Bees promenade, for example ice cream vans and toilets, however it is a longer walk to reach Fleswick Bay.

If, like our children, your family enjoys following a trail map on their adventures then this walk is perfect for you! You are able to access The Kittiwake’s Tale on Tale Trails website here. This easy to follow map and story follows the trail to Fleswick Bay helping your children to explore, spot things and search for clues on the way.

The sign for the car park.

The children enjoyed the view from the car park!

Studying our Tale Trail map!

Passing the lighthouse before reaching the coast.

Out and back route:

On this occasion we opted for the slightly shorter walk, at 3 miles, and parked at Tarn Flatt Hall (see photo 1). From here you follow the public footpath sign for St Bees/The Lighthouse. You walk up a wide farm track until you reach the lighthouse on your left hand side, photo 4. From here you can see the coastline ahead of you. Walk down towards the coast until you reach a sign for Whitehaven or St Bees, photo 5, turn left here and walk towards St Bees.

The path is self explanatory from here and you really can’t go wrong. The path down to Fleswick Bay is part of the famous Cumbria Coastal Way and is well worn and easy to see. Follow this path, photo 6, until you reach a steep staircase down towards the bay (photo 7). This is when the walk really does get interesting. The views down towards the bay are breathtaking, our children loved the walk down the stairs and across the bridge. When you reach the bottom you head through a kissing gate and directly in front of you is Fleswick Bay, photo 8.

What a view! This secluded bay really is a hidden gem. We played for hours here, enjoying a spot of lunch and searching for the gemstones as mentioned in the Tale Trails map – my children were overjoyed when they found so many stunning gemstones washed up on the beach! This would be a fantastic place to sit on one of the many rocks and read your children the story of The Kittiwake’s Tale. This story and map can be found on the Tale Trails website, please click here to access this.

Having enjoyed the many hidden delights of Fleswick Bay we retraced our steps and headed back towards the car. A fabulous 3 mile walk, that really gets the heart rate going, yet provides fantastic entertainment for the children. A rare find!

Please note: don’t forget to check the tide times before visiting, we couldn’t reach the hidden caves on this occasion due to water levels. There are also some slippery rocks as you head down to the bay so please do take care.