Saxon Shore Way
262 km (163 miles) from Gravesend to Hastings, in England.
- Distance
- 261.9 km
- In miles
- 162.7 mi
- Day stages
- 13 at ~20 km
- Typical trip
- 10–13 days
- Countries
- England
- Listed summits within 2.5 km
- 0
- Within 1.5 km of the coast
- 57% of the line
How long it really is
We measure Saxon Shore Way at 261.9 km (162.7 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point . The route is tagged in OpenStreetMap as 262 km; where that differs from our figure, the difference is usually alternative sections, spurs, or a published distance that rounds.
This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 62 h 50 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.
Access rights along the way
The route stays within England, so one access regime applies along its length.
England
Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Conditional Wild camping: Permission needed — except on the Dartmoor commons.
A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.
The route in day stages
Saxon Shore Way cut into 13 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.
OpenStreetMap does not hold Saxon Shore Way as one continuous line, so the stages below run through the pieces in order of length and the joins between them are not walking distance. Treat the stage boundaries as approximate, and check the official route for the sections between them.
| Stage | Distance | Cumulative | Starts near | Ends near | Flat-ground time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.2 km | 20.2 km | TQ 8253 0949 | TQ 9299 2167 | 4 h 27 min |
| 2 | 20.2 km | 40.4 km | TQ 9299 2167 | TR 0193 3496 | 4 h 27 min |
| 3 | 20 km | 60.5 km | TR 0193 3496 | TR 1576 3806 | 4 h 24 min |
| 4 | 20.2 km | 80.6 km | TR 1576 3806 | TR 3154 4123 | 4 h 27 min |
| 5 | 21 km | 101.7 km | TR 3154 4123 | TR 3646 5742 | 4 h 37 min |
| 6 | 20.1 km | 121.8 km | TR 3646 5742 | TR 2381 6317 | 4 h 25 min |
| 7 | 20.2 km | 142 km | TR 2381 6317 | TR 1113 6717 | 4 h 27 min |
| 8 | 20.2 km | 162.1 km | TR 1113 6717 | TR 0250 6342 | 4 h 27 min |
| 9 | 20 km | 182.1 km | TR 0250 6342 | TQ 9168 6432 | 4 h 24 min |
| 10 | 20.2 km | 202.3 km | TQ 9168 6432 | TQ 8602 6762 | 4 h 27 min |
| 11 | 20.5 km | 222.8 km | TQ 8602 6762 | TQ 7433 6814 | 4 h 31 min |
| 12 | 20.7 km | 243.5 km | TQ 7433 6814 | TQ 7365 7651 | 4 h 33 min |
| 13 | 12.1 km | 255.6 km | TQ 7365 7651 | TR 0494 3584 | 2 h 40 min |
Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.
Conditions on the route
Weather at the route midpoint live
Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…
Forecast for the midpoint of the Saxon Shore Way, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Daylight at the midpoint today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 51.373, 1.168. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.
Plan this walk
- Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
- Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
- Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
- Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.
Other long-distance paths nearby
Sources for this route
- Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 8864 — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
- Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
- Background reading: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.