The Coast to Coast is one of the most magnificent walks you could find anywhere. It covers 192 miles from St. Bees on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire. Fully two thirds of the route is inside the National Parks of the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North York Moors. This 16-night itinerary is an ideal span for this trip; it allows comfortable walking distances and leaves you to really enjoy this truly memorable long distance footpath.
The route is the creation of legendary fellwalker Alfred Wainwright. After finishing his guides to the Lakeland Fells in the 1960s, he set himself the challenge of devising a long-distance walk to rival the Pennine Way, using purely existing rights of way. He decided on a Coast to Coast route, going across the country at one of its widest points. By universal consent, he improved on his model. His route offers variety and contrast: uplands and lowlands, sharp peaks and lonely moorland, towns and country, limestone and granite country, beautiful wooded lakes and remote upland tarns, glorious natural features and fascinating remains of human occupation. An expert on the North of England, he shared his wisdom about some of England’s finest places, linked them up, and invited you to travel in his footsteps.
The experiences on this walk are too many to list, but highlights include the following. In the Lake District, you’ll visit four of the finest lakes: Ennerdale, Grasmere, Ullswater and Haweswater, plus the valleys of Borrowdale and Patterdale and the fine peaks of Helm Crag and Kidsty Pike. The limestone country of Westmorland offers some of the finest limestone pavements in the country, ancient settlements of Severals and Castle Folds, the Smardale Nature Reserve and the Stainmore Railway. The Yorkshire Dales offers remote moorlands; the strikingly steep, green, and sinuous valley of Swaledale dotted with drystone walls; the fascinating relics of former lead mining works in Gunnerside Gill and Old Gang gill; and the progression of settlements from the remote farmstead of Ravenseat, through Keld and Reeth, to the town of Richmond. After the attractive farmland of the Vale of Mowbray, the North York Moors offer fine views from Beacon Hills, escarpments of Wainstones and Hasty Bank, ancient tracks across remote moorland, old railways and forested glens before arriving at the dramatic cliff-side setting of Robin Hood’s Bay. That’s just a partial list of the riches on offer during this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
We take the stress out of your trip with expert local knowledge, hand-picked accommodation, luggage transfers and detailed support to help you find your way. You will need full walking kit including a waterproof jacket and trousers, a comfortable day sack and comfortable walking boots. You will receive a more detailed kit list upon booking. This trip is based on 2 people sharing, if you are a solo traveller please contact us for further details and we will be happy to help.