Braced for impact: walking the ‘camino’ of Cumbria

The newest section of the all-encompassing England Coast Path, from Whitehaven to Silecroft, takes in beaches, blustery dune lands and bird-filled clifftops

The winding coastal pathway promised to be sublime: a gorse-lined trail atop a sweep of airy crags that fell away to reveal a nesting ground for kittiwakes, razorbills and rare black guillemots. The weather, a mix of smoking fog, brutal winds and lashing rain, was another matter. Talk about blowing the cobwebs off.

“Take a bracing walk along the clifftops,” read the info board near the trailhead at Whitehaven harbour, where I began. “The outlook is great for sea watching.” On the morning I set off, storm watching Shackleton-style was more apt.