The bucket-and-spade brigades have packed up and gone home, but the end of summer doesn’t mean that beach life is over. Autumn is the best time of year to head to the coast, enjoy vast empty beaches, strike out along coastal trails, plunge into the ocean, and watch dramatic sunsets beside a roaring log fire. Whether you head for the sub-tropical south west coastline or the wild highlands and islands of Scotland, these are our favourite reasons to embrace the autumn glow.
1. Experience Autumn Colours
As the leaves turn, autumn drenches the coast and surrounding countryside in golden hues overhead and underfoot. Crunch through waterside woodland and feast your eyes on a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows and browns, and hike across wild moorland that slopes towards the sea. One of our much-loved autumn woodland walks is along the estuary-edge trails at National Trust’s Trelissick in Cornwall. Or, if you prefer to wrap up and experience misty peaks carpeted in purple heather and golden bracken, head to the islands and highlands of Scotland.
2. Tuck Into Autumn Food
Autumn’s harvest brings with it an abundance of delicious ingredients to be devoured in the UK’s gastronomic hotspots. Booking a table at the best restaurants can be difficult in the busy summer months, so autumn is a fantastic time to bag a sea-view table and tuck into the finest produce plucked from land and sea. Make a beeline for the Michelin-starred delights of pretty Padstow and Port Isaac in Cornwall, sample seafood at Michael Caines’ new venture in Exmouth or opt for Scottish haute cuisine on the Isle of Skye.
3. Catch Autumn Swells
Autumn is the season when long-range Atlantic swells lash our shores, bringing more consistent waves than during the summer months. And there’s no better time to try surfing than while the water is still warm, the line-ups less crowded and the surf’s up. Cornwall and Devon have plenty of surfing schools scattered around their coastlines, but we also love Wales’ Gower Peninsula as a stunning autumn destination for your first foray into wave riding. With equipment being so high-tech these days you’ll be on your feet in no time and won’t feel the cold, no matter what the weather throws your way.
4. Enjoy Wild Coast Walks
Autumn is the perfect season to stomp along the coastal trails, soak up the dramatic seascapes and discover empty beaches where you can feel the sand between your toes. Pack a picnic and hit the South West Coast Path that traces the coastline 630 miles from Somerset to Dorset, let the briny air bring a glow to your cheeks as you tackle some of the Wales Coast Path, or explore the stunning Heritage Coast along the Suffolk Coast Path. Whichever way you wander, you’ll be rewarded with eye-popping scenery, beautiful beaches and some welcome waterside pit stops along the way.
5. Visit Seaside Attractions
Once the summer crowds have diminished, it’s a great time to visit the UK’s best seaside attractions – and you can often get some great deals on entry, too. Stroll along the iconic Cromer Pier and catch a show at the theatre, get high on Blackpool’s Big Wheel, visit the Sea Life Adventure Park on Weymouth’s grand esplanade, or hop on a boat trip from Tenby’s historic harbour. With a plethora of indoor and outdoor attractions to choose from, you can enjoy an awesome autumn day out in any weather.
6. Go Storm Watching
As the autumn storms whip the Atlantic into wild and exhilarating seascapes, there’s no better time to witness the magnificent power of the elements crashing ashore. Stand atop the clifftops and watch the white caps marching across the horizon, or hunker in a sea-view café and watch the wild weather scud in with a hot chocolate in hand. We love watching the storms in lash the south-westerly tip of Britain in Sennen, and the coast of Pembrokeshire is also an awesome storm-watching location. However, if you really want to feel the full blustery force of the weather systems hitting our rugged shores, take a trip out to Scotland’s wild Hebridean islands.
7. Witness Dramatic Sunsets
While we don’t applaud autumn’s shorter days, with the ‘golden hour’ arriving earlier each day, it’s a little easier to stay awake to watch the blazing coastal sunsets. In autumn the light seems even more dramatic, and the orange hues of the sun even more intense as it drops into the ocean. So, whether you’re rolling back along the coast road, eeking out the last light in the surf, or already curled up by the log burner in a cosy pub or coastal cottage, make sure you look to the horizon and have a camera at the ready as the sun goes down.
Stay In A Cosy Cottage By The Coast This Autumn
Feeling inspired to take a seaside break this autumn? Check out our collection of coastal cottages in stunning locations around the UK and find the perfect base for your autumn holiday.
