Steps to the UK coast
See how long it would take to walk round the coast of Britain at your daily step count.
Your details
Walking the Great Britain mainland coast
8.7 years
5.6 km a day from your steps
- Coastline17,820 km (11,073 miles)
- Your step70 cm, about 41% of your height
- Steps for the whole way25,292,912
- Days at your daily steps3,162
Coastlines get longer the closer you measure (the coastline paradox), so these are Ordnance Survey figures along the mean high water line from 1:10,000 maps. Walking paths cut corners, so a real walk is shorter.
The working
8,000 steps a day, 170 cm tall
A step of about 41% of your height is 70 cm, so 8,000 steps cover 5.6 km a day. The Great Britain mainland coast is 17,820 km, which is 3,162 days, or 8.7 years, and 25.3 million steps.
Coastlines and coast paths
Ordnance Survey and National Trails figures
| Coast | Length |
|---|---|
| Great Britain mainland | 17,820 km |
| Great Britain and main islands | 31,368 km |
| England (mainland) | 8,982 km |
| Scotland (mainland) | 6,718 km |
| Wales (mainland) | 2,120 km |
| King Charles III England Coast Path | 4,345 km |
| Wales Coast Path | 1,400 km |
| South West Coast Path | 1,014 km |
| Norfolk Coast Path | 135 km |
The coastline paradox
Why the answer depends on your ruler
Measure a coast with a shorter ruler and it gets longer, because you follow every inlet and rock. These figures follow the mean high water line on detailed 1:10,000 maps; a walking path that cuts across bays is much shorter.
Read with care
What this cannot tell you
- Plan a real walkPaths cut corners, so real routes are shorter than the coastline.
- Measure your strideStep length is estimated from height; pacing out 10 steps is more accurate.
- Count islands for youPick the main islands option to include them.
Questions
Common questions
How long is the UK coastline?
Ordnance Survey puts the Great Britain mainland at about 17,820 km (11,073 miles), and 31,368 km with its main islands. Other bodies quote very different figures because of how they measure.
How many steps is it round Britain?
For someone 170 cm tall, about 25 million steps for the mainland coast.
Has anyone walked the whole coast?
Yes, a handful of people walk it each decade. It usually takes around a year of walking every day, along footpaths and roads.
Why is Scotland's coast so long?
Sea lochs and islands. Adding Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and the big islands takes Scotland to about 18,588 km.
Sources
- Ordnance Survey via the British Cartographic Society: how long is the UK coastline? (mean high water, 1:10,000 maps)
- Herrmann SD et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. J Sport Health Sci 2024;13:6-12 (codes noted beside each value; two walking and running values are from the 2011 Compendium)
- National Trails: trail distances
Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Stop and get help
Stop and get help if you have chest pain, feel faint or are unusually breathless, and call 999 if chest pain does not go away. Check with your GP before stepping up if you have a heart, lung or joint condition.
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