Where the coast still belongs mostly to the wind. Eight stretches across Europe and beyond.
A coast that hasn't been over-built is something to value. A working list of the wild edges still mostly intact, with the trails to walk them and the small inns to break the days in two.
Donegal, Ireland
Slieve League cliffs are taller than the Cliffs of Moher and emptier. The Wild Atlantic Way runs the whole coast, but the Glencolmcille loop and the Inishowen peninsula are where the route earns its name. Stay at Rathmullan House on Lough Swilly, then push north to Malin Head for the last stretch before the Atlantic takes over.
Northumberland, England
Bamburgh, Lindisfarne and the wide white beach at Embleton. The castles are still where the Vikings left them. Walk the St Oswald's Way from Lindisfarne south; sleep at the Joiners Arms in Newton-by-the-Sea, then catch the tide tables for the Holy Island causeway crossing on foot.
Brittany's Cap Sizun, France
The far west of Brittany, with the Pointe du Raz and the Île de Sein offshore - one of the lowest islands in France, evacuated entirely in winter storms within living memory. The GR34 sentier des douaniers traces the headlands; eat in Audierne and sleep at the Hôtel de la Plage in Sainte-Anne-la-Palud for the long-table seafood dinner.
Galicia's Costa da Morte, Spain
The Coast of Death, named for the shipwrecks, with the Camino dos Faros walking the lighthouses across 200 kilometres from Malpica to Finisterre. Eat percebes at O Muro in Camariñas and walk to the Cabo Vilán lighthouse in the same afternoon. The coast feels closer to Ireland than to anywhere else in Spain.
Western Sardinia, Italy
From Alghero down to Bosa is one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the Mediterranean. The road clings to the cliffs above a Griffon vulture reserve; stop in Bosa for the pastel houses along the Temo and lunch at Borgo Sant'Ignazio. Continue south to the Sinis peninsula for empty beaches even in August.
Albania's Karaburun peninsula
Reachable mostly by boat from Vlorë. Empty coves and a marine reserve that protects monk seals and posidonia meadows. Day trips run from the Sazan island base; for an overnight, the small Bregu i Detit guesthouses along the Llogara pass put you between the peninsula and the Ionian coast.
Norway's Helgeland coast
Skerries, archipelagoes and the Seven Sisters mountain range as your backdrop. Reachable by the coastal Hurtigruten, with stops at Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen. Hire a kayak at Vega for the UNESCO-listed eider duck islands, then climb Torghatten for the famous through-hole in the rock.
Oman's Musandam fjords
Outside Europe but in the same spirit. The fjords are sharp, the dhow rides quiet, and the snorkelling underrated - Telegraph Island and the Khor Sham inlet are accessible by half-day boat from Khasab. Stay at the Atana Khasab on the bluff, and time the visit for late October or March when the heat is manageable.
