Walk the coast with the tide, not against it.

Reading the tide

Most coasts see two high waters and two low waters each day, about 12 hours 25 minutes apart, so each day's tides run roughly 50 minutes later than the day before. Near new and full moon the range is largest (spring tides): the water comes higher, drops lower, and moves faster in between. Around the quarter moons (neap tides) the range is smallest.

The rise and fall are not even. The rule of twelfths says that over the six hours from low to high water the level moves one twelfth of the range in the first hour, then two, three, three, two and one. The middle two hours move half the range, which is why a beach that looked wide at low water can vanish quickly.

Plan every tidal section with three times written down: the time of low water from a published table for the nearest port, the time you expect to reach the section, and the latest time you will still start it. If you are late, the answer is the inland alternative, not hurrying. Check whether the table is in local clock time or standard time; many are printed without the summer-time hour.

On wide bays and sandbanks the tide can fill channels behind you before it reaches your feet. Keep looking back, and treat any low-lying route as closed once the water has turned.

What to carry

Coastal paths are rarely far from a road, but they are exposed, and the top of a headland can be a season away from the car park. Pack for the wind first: a windproof shell earns its place on the warmest forecast, and a warm mid-layer under it turns a stop for lunch from a shiver into a rest.

Footwear needs grip on wet rock and tolerance for sand. Boots or trail shoes with a lugged sole work; smooth-soled trainers do not. Gaiters or long socks keep sand and thorny scrub out.

Sun exposure is stronger by the water because light reflects off the surface. Bring a hat with a brim, sunscreen and sunglasses even in cool weather, and carry more water than the distance suggests: there is often no shade and no tap.

Navigate with a paper map and a compass as well as a phone. Batteries drain in the cold and signal fails under cliffs. Keep the phone in a dry bag with a small power bank. Add a head torch, a whistle, a compact first-aid kit and a foil blanket; they weigh almost nothing and cover most of what goes wrong.

Before leaving, tell someone your route and the time you expect to be back, and agree what they should do if you are not.

Reading the weather

Start with a marine or inshore-waters forecast rather than the forecast for the nearest town. It gives wind strength and direction, sea state and visibility, which are the three things that decide whether a coastal day is pleasant, hard or unsafe.

Wind matters more than rain. An onshore wind builds surf and drives spray onto the path, and it accelerates over headlands and through gaps in the cliffs, so a steady breeze on the beach can be a gust that moves you near the edge. Give cliff edges extra room in anything above a light wind.

Sea mist forms when warm, moist air moves over colder water. It can arrive in minutes on a sunny day and takes the landmarks with it; a compass bearing taken while you can still see is worth more than any app.

Read the sky as a trend. High, thin cloud thickening through the day usually means a front within a day; a lowering grey sheet means rain soon; tall, hard-edged cumulus means showers and squally gusts. Long, slow swell can arrive on a calm day from a storm far offshore and send sets over rock platforms that have been dry for an hour. Never turn your back on the sea when you are close to it.

Decide your turnaround time before you start, and let the forecast, not your mood, move it.