Guest Post: Where to Go Coasteering Beyond the Usual UK Spots
3 June 2026 - 12 min read
Matt runs Kernow Coasteering, offering adventures in West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. He is a passionate coastal explorer, having carried out first-traverses of coastlines from diverse locations, such as the Faroe Islands and Oman. In addition, he is engaged in a long-term project to traverse the entire length of Cornwall by coasteering. We are really lucky to have Matt as one of our adventuro partners, and we asked him if he could give us the low-down on the hottest coasteering spots which you might not know about! Here’s his take.
There aren’t many activities that combine as much as coasteering – swimming, scrambling, climbing and maybe even a little cliff jumping. At its core, coasteering is exploring a rocky section of coastline, with nothing but essentials. No kayaks or SUPs, it’s pure immersion and quite literally hands-on exploration. Every inch of coastline must be earned – and that’s what makes it so satisfying.
Its origins as a guided activity in Wales are well-documented, and from there it quickly spread to all corners of the British Isles. Today, coasteering isn’t just a UK activity. Variations of it now exist across Europe and beyond, wherever the right kind of coastline can be found.
And that’s the key. Not all coastlines are made equal. There are some stretches of cliffs where, yes, you can certainly go coasteering. But, the very best combine caves, arches, deep water and exposed rock into one continuous playground, creating the kind of terrain that makes coasteering a genuinely next-level experience.
I’ve been lucky enough to guide and explore coastlines across the UK, as well as more far-flung terrain, from the North Atlantic to the Middle East. So dive in (pun intended) and enjoy this round-up of the best places in the world where you can go on a guided coasteering adventure.
1. The Isles of Scilly, Southwest UK
Adventure: ★★★★☆
Scenery: ★★★★☆
Accessibility: ★★☆☆☆
Water temperature: ★★☆☆☆
Lying 28 miles offshore of mainland England is the Isles of Scilly. This tiny archipelago of granite islands is known for its tranquil, sheltered bays and its sub-tropical climate. Indeed, on the right day you could easily mistake its granite landscape for the Magdalena Islands of Sardinia, or even the Seychelles.
While much of the Isles of Scilly is made up of low-lying islands, there are sections where the coastline becomes far more rugged. Around Peninnis Head on St Mary’s, the rock steepens into a series of exposed cliffs, with deep water, narrow inlets and the kind of terrain that makes for some of the best coasteering the UK has to offer.
Adventuring in outstanding scenery is just one component that elevates good coasteering to excellent coasteering, and Scilly doesn’t disappoint. Its granite crags provide a beautiful backdrop to the action. And Peninnis Head has a rather powerful trick up its sleeve that few coasteering routes can match: it offers plentiful deep water all along its length. Almost all coastlines tend to suffer a bit at low tide as many sections become too shallow to jump. But as the tide drops at Peninnis Head, all that happens is the jumps get bigger!
2. County Donegal, Ireland
Adventure: ★★★★☆
Scenery: ★★★☆☆
Accessibility: ★★★☆☆
Water temperature: ★★☆☆☆
With a long and varied coastline, Ireland has a huge array of high-quality destinations for coasteering. But the top of the tree is County Donegal.
The cliffs of Slieve League are one of the region’s biggest attractions. They certainly are visually stunning, with cliffs up to 600 metres in height, making them some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe — three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher. Their scale is undeniable, but they’re much more suitable for hiking than for a coasteering trip.
Instead, it’s the granite coastline around Maghery and further north that really delivers. In many ways it has a lot in common with the Isles of Scilly, with relatively low-lying cliffs and solid, feature-rich rock. Unlike Scilly though, the quality isn’t confined to a few isolated headlands. It just keeps going, with a huge choice of venues and plenty of providers based in the area ready to show you the best bits.
3. Côte d’Azur, France
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
Scenery: ★★★☆☆
Accessibility: ★★★★☆
Water temperature: ★★★★☆
Coasteering has yet to take off in France in a big way, with just a mere handful of providers available in the entire country. In the north, the coastline of Brittany lends itself very well to coasteering and a couple of providers offer the activity here. It’s even possible to go coasteering on the island of Corsica, which has some incredible coastal terrain, such as the stupendous Calanques de Piana.
But for a more accessible objective, I’d strongly recommend the French Riviera. And not just because I picture myself mixing with the rich and famous. The coastline between San Tropez and Cannes looks perfect for coasteering, in particular the sections of coast composed of the red rhyolite of the Estérel Massif.
The resulting high and strikingly coloured rocks provide a superb backdrop to a well-featured coastline full of hidden coves, inlets, and sea caves. What’s more, this is the Mediterranean, which means water temperatures that are the envy of anyone coasteering in more northerly climes.
4. The Algarve, Portugal
Adventure: ★★★★☆
Scenery: ★★★☆☆
Accessibility: ★★★☆☆
Water temperature: ★★★☆☆
Coasteering is well-established across Portugal, from the mainland to its offshore islands. One of the foremost areas is the Algarve, southern Portugal’s package holiday paradise. But for anyone looking to add a bit of adventure to your holiday, coasteering in the Algarve should definitely be on the list.
Whilst much of the Algarve has gorgeous, well featured coastline, much of it is fairly friable sandstone, and its crumbly nature doesn’t lend itself to easy (or safe!) exploration. In addition, exploring the coast in much of the Algarve won’t win you any friends with the multitude of boat tour operators who make the most of the perennially calm seas to get their craft into the caves and other tight spots along the coast (ask me how I know!).
However, past Lagos the crowds disappear and the boat tours thin out. In addition, the rock transitions to limestone, a much more hardened and predictable medium. In particular, the area around Sagres is home to some incredible coastline and the coastline is an endless gallery of caves, sinkholes, ledge systems and other mouth-watering features. In all the areas I’ve been lucky enough to explore personally, I’d probably have to say that the best coasteering I have ever done was in this area.
5. Sardinia, Italy
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
Scenery: ★★★★★
Accessibility: ★★★☆☆
Water temperature: ★★★★☆
Sardinia has been somewhat trending in recent years. And with its seemingly endless array of world-class beaches it’s easy to see why. Sardinia’s coastline is long and varied, with many areas consisting of high, featureless cliffs, such as the famous Baunei coast. The scenery is gorgeous, but the coasteering in places like this would be simply an endless swim along a vertical, if beautiful, wall.
Where you find granite in Sardinia, the likelihood for adventurous coasteering terrain goes up considerably. This includes the areas around Capo Testa to the La Maddalena archipelago in the north. Also, on the southwest tip of the island, in the vicinity of the famous Chia beach, the granite coastline here is top-quality stuff. I enjoyed a wonderful exploration of the section around Capo Spartivento. Picture that quintessential Sardinian bright blue water with golden granite cliffs that you see on your Instagram feed. It’s like that, but with excellent coasteering added on top.
There are coasteering providers active in this area of Sardinia. As well as having this incredible playground to work with, like many Mediterranean providers, they also borrow from the canyoning world. So you can expect some via ferrata, abseiling and even zip-lining thrown in to spice up the adventure even more.
6. Madeira, Portugal
Adventure: ★★★★☆
Scenery: ★★★☆☆
Accessibility: ★★★☆☆
Water temperature: ★★★☆☆
Madeira may be best known for its incredible hiking along verdant ridges with heart-stopping drop-offs to the sea far below. But the isolated Madeira archipelago is also another quality venue for coasteering. I’ve personally got my eye on a full traverse of Ilheu da Cal, a small island next to Porto Santo. But unless you’re looking for a full coasteering expedition with logistical and nature reserve permit issues, you’ll want to keep things simple and stick to the main island.
Like so many coastlines, stupendously high cliffs doesn’t automatically make for good coasteering. And this does indeed make up much of Madeira, with many of these cliffs terminating in boulder beaches, they offer no opportunity at all. However, there are plenty of well-featured sections of the coast, particularly on the eastern end of the island, Ponta de São Lourenço. Here we find a top-shelf section of coastline — high cliffs, yes, but at sea-level generously featured, with ledgy terrain to move on, huge sea caves, and endless opportunities for cliff-jumping into the Atlantic Ocean.
7. The Fjord Coast, Norway
Adventure: ★★★★☆
Scenery: ★★★☆☆
Accessibility: ★★★☆☆
Water temperature: ★☆☆☆☆
A definite curve-ball in the coasteering scene, Norway has a number of providers operating on its Fjord Coast. If you are imagining water temperatures that are at best ‘refreshing’, then consider that coasteering is available year round in this part of Norway. That fact alone gives Norway an extra ‘star’ on the adventure scale!
Norway’s fjords themselves are a natural wonder of the world, with vertical walls on an unimaginable scale guarding narrow bodies that can be as deep as the cliffs surrounding them are tall. But the lack of open-ocean wave mechanics means that, for the most part, the clifflines inside the fjords are not where the action is. Instead. Head to the seaward-facing sections where the aeons of swell have re-worked the landscape into a coasteering playground, full of the pre-requisite ledges, caves, and other features that make for top-quality adventure terrain.
8. Hong Kong, China
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
Scenery: ★★★★☆
Accessibility: ★★☆☆☆
Water temperature: ★★★☆☆
When you picture Hong Kong, you immediately think of a dense city of towering skyscrapers all vying for space around the edge of the South China Sea. And with a population of 7.5 million people, you wouldn’t typically associate Hong Kong with outdoor activities and areas of wilderness.
In fact, 75% of Hong Kong is undeveloped land, including mountains, country parks, and protected areas. You can go from skyscrapers to hiking trails within minutes. More importantly, for our interests, there is a huge amount of unspoiled coastline to explore.
In particular, the coastline around Sai Kung in eastern Hong Kong offers some outrageous coastal scenery. Part of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, this area offers the chance to coasteer amidst gigantic basalt columns, full of sea arches, caves, and plentiful cliff jumps. Add in relatively warm water, and you have a recipe for coasteering that is hard to beat.
9. Cape Town, South Africa
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
Scenery: ★★★★☆
Accessibility: ★★★★☆
Water temperature: ★★☆☆☆
Outside of Europe, opportunities for coasteering are few and far between. But one location worth considering is Cape Town. That’s right, you can go coasteering a stone’s throw from Table Mountain. The area of False Bay provides a stunning playground to explore South Africa’s southernmost tip.
The low-lying granite boulders that form the coast here may not offer the most adventurous terrain on this list, but they certainly are picturesque and offer ample opportunities to explore the nooks and crannies of the coast. As an added bonus, you might also get the chance to see some of the African penguins that call this place their home.
If your alarm bells are ringing at the thought of sharks, rest assured — the kelp forests that line the waters here ensure that you won’t be sharing the water with anything big enough to eat you! Out of interest, this location was also the site where the fascinating documentary My Octopus Teacher was filmed.
10. Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
Scenery: ★★★★☆
Accessibility: ★★☆☆☆
Water temperature: ★★★★★
A reactive newcomer to the coasteering scene, coasteering is now available in the Caribbean. The island of Trinidad has a varied coastline offering a wide range of adventures. Whilst it may not be coasteering in the classic sense, you can definitely expect adventure as you hike through the rainforest to reach the coast. From there, you’ve got the option to explore mangrove forests — definitely a unique offering in the coasteering world — or stick to more traditional rocky coastline exploration.
In coasteering terms, this is a unique proposition. A far cry from coasteering’s origins in the UK, here you expect bath-warm water, a genuinely tropical feel, as well as the chance of seeing incredible wildlife, such as exotic birds, manta rays, and even caimans!
It’s been exciting to see how coasteering has developed across Europe and beyond. No doubt, over time, we’ll see even more of the world’s most amazing coastlines opened up for coasteering adventures. I, for one, can’t wait.
