Port St Mary to Port Erin, Isle of Man
Five miles one way
"The Way of the Gull" (Raad Ny Foillan in Manx) sounds a bit dodgy, and a Victorian guide to the full 95-mile Isle of Man coastal circuit involves swimming one section. No need for that on this stretch, the most spectacular, which rounds the island's pointy southern tip. Cliff scenery of the Chasms, Stacks, Calf and Sugar Loaf is outstanding and you can divert to the Manx Village Museum at Cregneish to extend the day. Wrecked coastal defences at Port Erin are a little-known symbol of democracy; controversy over their cost turned the House of Keys from a self-elected chamber to a real parliament in 1866.
isle-of-man.com
The Undercliff, Dorset
Eight miles
Tourist guides call this the Jurassic Coast and the tangle of woodland on collapsing cliffs seems just the place to meet a velociraptor. You'd be easy prey because the going needs constant attention - up, down, sideways, slither, whoops. Go either way between Seaton and Lyme Regis, where the beaches are good for fossil hunting. En route, it's mostly difficult to get down to the shore from the winding path through the jungle. Views are few once in the woods - focus instead on spotting nightingales, lizards and the 300 species of wild flower.
southwestcoastpath.com
Clare Island, Co Mayo
Five miles circular
A feisty clanswoman called Grace O'Malley ruled these 15 lovely square miles in the 16th century, sheltering her private fleet in the bays and striding about to watch for pirates. Follow her footsteps from the midget harbour where ferries arrive from Westport. Locals will keenly advise routes which take in the fine lighthouse, bog flora (be careful) and Ireland's fourth largest gannetry on the seacliffs.
clareisland.org
Pittenweem to Elie, Fife
Six miles one way
I've always wanted to visit Pittenweem just because of the name, and the Fife Coastal Path is a good additional reason. The section between the town and Elie includes two ruined castles, a finely restored windmill and associated saltpans at St Monans - plus, of course, "Pittenweem, Pittenweem/ Every fisher laddies' dream ..." You'll have go to find out why.
fifecoastalpath.co.uk
Craster to Dunstanburgh, Northumberland
Six miles circular
Craster has the country's best kippers, so this could be a good post-breakfast hike. The seacliffs are excellent and the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle summon up every possible image of Macbeth, Richard the Lionheart and all those other mighty chaps.
nationaltrust.org.uk
Boggle Hole to Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire
Three miles one way
Boggle Hole is a lovely and often amazingly unfrequented cove. compared with always bustling Baytown just up the coast. There's a youth hostel in the narrow ravine and the cliff or beach walks south to Ravenscar are a great alternative. It is essential to check the tide times in advance if using the beach, which makes the most fascinating of three ways of getting to Robin Hood's Bay. The clifftop path is clear if a little over-fenced, but the disused railway half a mile inland is lovely for a round trip.
clevelandway.co.uk
Burnham Overy Staithe to Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Eight miles
If the sands of Holkham Beach are good enough for the royal family, picnicking from Sandringham, then the rest of us should be OK. This walk begins from the lovely old windmill at Burnham - which, curiously, used to stand at the end in Wells. The big beach is seven miles of sand with sea lavender, dark green fritillary butterflies and peregrine falcons. Remember Gwyneth Paltrow all alone by the breakers at the end of Shakespeare in Love? It wasn't Hawaii, it was here.
nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay
Stackpole Head, Pembrokeshire
Six miles circular
One of the finest stretches of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, this takes in spectacular eroded limestone cliffs and the peaceful loveliness of Barafundle Bay. Start at Stackpole Quay, once a limestone harbour, now National Trust, and follow the cliffs south to the Head. It's back the way you came, but who minds another dip at Barafundle?
pcnpa.org.uk
Loch Coruisk to Elgol, Isle of Skye
15 miles
This long walk in the heart of the craggy Cuillin mountains is surrounded by a lonely sea loch. Catch a boat to Coruisk from Elgol, then walk back via Camasunary - but check the weather first, because the stream here can rise too high to ford, forcing a long detour. The "bad step", a slanting slab above Loch Coruisk, is intimidating to some and other stretches of the walk are rough underfoot.
walking.visitscotland.com
Hartland Quay to Hartland Point, Devon
Six miles circular
Fine, rocky shores are the target on this wild stretch of coast, where vile weather can actually make the whole experience more romantic. From the pretty quay it's all up and down along a three-mile switchback to the lighthouse at Hartland Point (that big grey lump out to sea is Lundy Island). Wend back inland via Titchberry, Hartland village and other sources of cream teas.
southwestcoastpath.com
The Coast to Coast Walk by Martin Wainwright is published by Aurum Press, £12.99. Buy it at the Guardian Bookshop
Or just catch the train ...
"It was only seven miles from Dover to Folkestone, but the railway line had the magnificence that all lines do when they run beside the sea. It was not just the sight of cliffs, and the sea breezes; it was also the engineering, all the iron embedded in rock, and the inevitable tunnel, the roar of engines and the crashing of waves, the surf just below the tracks, the flecks of salt water on the train windows that faced the sea. The noise was greater because of the cliffs; and the light was stranger - land shadows on one side of the train, the luminous sea on the other; and the track was never straight, but always swinging around the bays and coves. It was man's best machine traversing earth's best feature - the train tracking in the narrow angle between vertical rock and horizontal water."
(From The Kingdom By the Sea by Paul Theroux, Penguin Books)
There are many classic stretches of railway on our coast, some of them mainline routes such as the run from Dawlish Warren to Teignmouth in Devon, which braves splashing waves at Dawlish before tearing through its red-cliffed tunnels. The mainline stretch from Alnmouth in Northumberland past Holy Island and on up to Dunbar in Scotland is similarly spectacular.
Branch lines with views include the little Cambrian Coast service from Aberdyfi north across Barmouth bridge to Harlech and Porthmadog, and the wonderful single-track St Ives service to St Erth with panoramic views of Carbis Bay. Steam trains, too, enjoy wonderful settings, such as the West Somerset line from Minehead to Blue Anchor, the Jacobite Steam Train (renowned as one of the world's great railway journeys) from Arisaig to Mallaig, and the Paignton and Dartmouth steam railway along the Torbay coast.
