The collision of emerald landscapes with endless blue horizons creates some of the most breathtaking scenery on Earth. These destinations prove that paradise isn’t always about white sand beaches—sometimes, the most stunning coastal views come wrapped in rolling green hills that tumble directly into the sea.
From rugged clifftops to gentle meadows, these locations showcase nature’s perfect partnership between land and water. Here is a list of 17 places where verdant grass meets spectacular ocean vistas.
Big Sur
California’s dramatic coastline stretches for 90 miles between Carmel and San Simeon, where golden grasslands cascade down steep bluffs into the Pacific Ocean. The marine layer creates perfect growing conditions for coastal grasses that remain green year-round, even during California’s dry summers.
Highway 1 winds through this landscape, offering countless pullouts where visitors can witness the seamless transition from pastoral meadows to crashing waves below.
Cliffs of Moher
Ireland’s most famous cliffs rise 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, their tops covered in a carpet of bright green grass that seems to grow right up to the precipice. The limestone cliffs support a unique ecosystem where hardy grasses thrive in the salt spray and constant wind.
Visitors walking along the clifftop paths experience the surreal sensation of standing on what feels like a manicured lawn while peering down at waves thundering against the rocks far below.
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Point Reyes
This Northern California peninsula juts into the Pacific Ocean like a green thumb, covered in coastal grasslands that cattle have grazed for over a century. The rolling hills create an almost Scottish landscape that ends abruptly at dramatic sea cliffs and secluded beaches.
Elk herds roam freely through the grasslands, often grazing within sight of the ocean, creating scenes that feel more like the Scottish Highlands than the California coast.
Shetland Islands
Scotland’s northernmost archipelago features some of the most pristine coastal grasslands in Europe, where sheep-cropped turf extends right to the edge of towering sea cliffs. The Gulf Stream keeps the islands surprisingly mild, allowing grass to stay green throughout the year despite their northern latitude.
Wind-sculpted landscapes create natural amphitheaters where visitors can sit on springy turf and watch seabirds wheel over the North Sea.
Acadia National Park
Maine’s rocky coastline transforms into something magical around Bar Harbor, where the granite meets areas of coastal meadow that bloom with wildflowers in summer. The park’s carriage roads wind through landscapes where you can glimpse the ocean through stands of pine trees, then emerge onto grassy headlands with panoramic views of Frenchman Bay.
Thunder Hole and other popular spots are surrounded by surprisingly lush vegetation that contrasts beautifully with the pink granite shoreline.
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Orkney Islands
These Scottish islands north of the mainland feature some of the most dramatic grass-topped cliffs in the world, where prehistoric stone circles sit on green plateaus overlooking the sea. The islands’ lack of trees creates an otherworldly landscape where grass is the dominant vegetation, rolling across the terrain like a green ocean that meets the real one at spectacular cliff edges.
Archaeological sites dot the landscape, many positioned to take advantage of the sweeping ocean views across the grass-covered terrain.
Mendocino Coast
California’s northern coast features numerous headlands where coastal prairie extends right to the edge of spectacular bluffs overlooking the Pacific. The town of Mendocino itself sits on such a bluff, where Victorian houses are surrounded by green spaces that seem to float above the crashing waves.
These grasslands bloom with wildflowers in spring, creating a colorful carpet that extends to the very edge of the continent.
Faroe Islands
These 18 islands in the North Atlantic are covered in some of the greenest grass on Earth, thanks to constant moisture from the surrounding ocean. Sheep maintain natural lawns that extend to the edges of some of the world’s most dramatic sea cliffs, creating landscapes that seem almost too perfect to be real.
The village of Gásadalur, with its famous Múlafossur waterfall, sits on a green plateau that offers sweeping views across grass-covered terrain to the ocean beyond.
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Cape Cod National Seashore
Massachusetts’ iconic cape features extensive coastal grasslands behind its famous beaches, where salt marshes and upland meadows create a tapestry of green that extends to the dunes. The Province Lands at the tip of Cape Cod are particularly striking, where grasslands have been sculpted by centuries of wind into rolling hills that offer spectacular views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay.
These areas remain green well into fall when the surrounding forest turns to autumn colors.
Causeway Coast
Northern Ireland’s dramatic coastline features the famous Giant’s Causeway, but the real magic lies in the emerald grasslands that extend right to the edge of the basalt cliffs. These clifftop meadows provide some of the most spectacular walking in the British Isles, where you can follow grassy paths that hug the coastline for miles.
The grass stays brilliantly green year-round thanks to the mild, moist climate, creating an emerald border to the wild Atlantic coastline.
Olympic Peninsula
Washington State’s rugged coastline includes several areas where coastal prairie extends to dramatic sea cliffs, particularly around the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The combination of mild temperatures and abundant rainfall creates grasslands that remain green throughout the year, offering a stark contrast to the often-gray Pacific Northwest skies.
Hurricane Ridge and other elevated areas provide sweeping views where green meadows seem to flow directly into the ocean.
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Pembrokeshire Coast
Wales’ southwestern tip features some of Britain’s most spectacular coastal walking, where the Wales Coast Path winds through grasslands that sheep have grazed for centuries. The resulting landscape is a perfectly manicured green carpet that extends to the edges of dramatic sea cliffs, particularly around St. David’s Head.
Puffins and other seabirds nest in the cliff faces while visitors can walk on the grass so short and even it resembles a golf course.
Monterey Peninsula
California’s Monterey Peninsula combines famous golf courses with natural grasslands that extend to some of the most beautiful coastlines in North America. Pebble Beach and other courses are built on the natural coastal prairie that has been enhanced but not fundamentally changed from its original state.
The result is a landscape where perfectly maintained grass seamlessly blends with natural coastal vegetation, all set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.
Blasket Islands
These uninhabited islands off Ireland’s Kerry coast feature some of the most pristine coastal grasslands in Europe, where abandoned villages are slowly being reclaimed by brilliantly green grass that grows right to the cliff edges. The islands can only be reached by boat, and visitors often describe the experience as stepping onto a floating green carpet surrounded by the wild Atlantic.
The lack of human habitation has allowed the grass to grow in natural patterns that create an almost surreal landscape.
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Channel Islands
California’s ‘Galapagos’ features several islands where coastal grasslands extend to dramatic sea cliffs, particularly on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. These grasslands support unique ecosystems that have evolved in isolation, creating landscapes that feel both familiar and alien.
The islands’ position in the Pacific creates a Mediterranean climate where grass stays green longer than on the mainland, providing a striking contrast to the deep blue ocean surrounding them.
Dingle Peninsula
Ireland’s southwestern peninsula features the famous Slea Head Drive, where the road winds through coastal grasslands that offer some of the most spectacular ocean views in Europe. The grass grows in patches between rocky outcrops, creating a patchwork landscape that extends right to the edge of towering sea cliffs.
Ancient stone structures dot the landscape, often positioned to take advantage of both the sheltered grass areas and the dramatic ocean vistas.
Marin Headlands
Just north of San Francisco, these coastal hills feature grasslands that provide some of the most spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The headlands’ position creates a unique microclimate where fog and ocean breezes keep the grass green well into California’s dry season.
Visitors can walk or drive through landscapes that feel more like Ireland than California, with rolling green hills that end abruptly at dramatic sea cliffs overlooking the Golden Gate.
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Where Earth Meets Eternity
These destinations remind us that the most powerful landscapes often emerge from the simplest combinations—grass and ocean, green and blue, solid Earth, and endless horizon. Whether shaped by sheep, wind, or time itself, these places offer something that manicured gardens and pristine beaches cannot: the raw beauty of nature’s design where land and sea create their eternal conversation.
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