Portling
to
Sandy Hills
Walk
Walk Distance: 5.6km
Time: 1.5 – 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Stout footwear with a good grip recommended
Tide dependent: Yes – ⚠️
beach section at low tide only
Dogs: Welcome, leads required in some sections
Portling itself is a small hamlet, just a handful of houses above the bay. You can either walk along the cliffs 1st then return via the beach or walk along the beach to Sandyhills and back via cliff path.
You could also start at Sandy Hills but parking there is expensive
Parking at Portling
Getting there-
Take the A710 towards Sandy hills, go past Colvend Golf club, turn left towards portling/port o warren, past coast guard station. Park on the road at a track on your left. Follow the track down to the beach
Portling Bay to Sandyhills – via the coastal path (40-50 min)
Join the coastal path where the road then bends to the right (about 100m before the beach via a gate up a bank on your left, and head east towards Sandyhills. The route takes you along the clifftop.There is a fence on your right along the cliff top and there are stiles and gates and livestock in the area, so keep dogs under very close control or on a lead.
Follow the path along the cliff top, the views of the bay below and the cumbrian coast are stunning. Take a breath when you get to the view point about half way along and use the sign on the rock to identify the landmarks you can see in the distance.
The downhill path back into Sandyhills is quite steep and can be slippy so take care. There’s a bench on the way down to the beach for a well earned rest while you take in the view of Sandy Hills Bay
There is a shop at Sandy Hills caravan park selling ice cream.
Sandyhills Beach to Portling Bay (30-40 min)-To return to Portling via the beach
From the beach, head along the shoreline towards Portling Bay (turn right when you’re facing the sea). The beach can be quite wet even when the tide is out so walking close to the cliffs is a good idea.
The structures you see on your left are the abandoned stake nets used for catching salmon. The structure visible further out are old bombing ranges used as target practise in WW2
There are several coves and caves along the shore, you will also pass some interesting rock formations, Needles eye being the most spectacular. The caves were reputedly used by smugglers If you venture into one of the caves and hear pipes playing, this will be the piper who explored the cave playing his pipes till he could be heard no more and was never seen again.
You can also find Razor clam shells along this beach.
Continue along the foot of the cliffs and head over the rock pools back towards the track and back to your car.
This walk is part of the kippford to Sandyhills walk but we find that a bit long.