Holiday Homes in St Bees

A handsome sandstone village on the Irish Sea coast, St Bees is best known to walkers as the traditional starting point of Wainwright's Coast to Coast, the much-loved long-distance walk across northern England to Robin Hood's Bay. It sits just outside the national park, with a long sandy beach and dramatic red cliffs, and it makes a scenic, characterful base for the coast and the western Lakes alike.

The village takes its name from Saint Bega, and at its heart stands St Bees Priory, a Benedictine foundation of the 1120s with fine Norman architecture, still the parish church today. Rising to the north, St Bees Head is the most westerly point of northern England, four miles of red sandstone cliffs that are home to one of the largest seabird colonies on the west coast, the only place in England where the black guillemot breeds. The beach and promenade complete a thoroughly seaside scene.

St Bees works beautifully as a base for clifftop and coastal walking, with the western fells of Ennerdale and Wasdale a drive inland for bigger days, and good links on the Cumbrian Coast railway. Whether you are setting out on the Coast to Coast or simply soaking up the sea air, choose one of our St Bees holiday homes for a memorable western base.