The Coast to Coast is a magnificent walk covering 192 miles from St. Bees on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire. Two thirds of the route is inside the National Parks of the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North York Moors. This 3-day itinerary is perfect for covering the middle section of the route if you only have a few days to spare and allows you to complete this truly memorable long distance footpath in 3 stages.
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 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.
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.
Inclusions
- 3 nights’ accommodation in a good quality B&B or hotel with ensuite or private bathroom and breakfast
- Luggage transfers each walking day
- Map and guide book plus detailed directions to your accommodation from the trail
- Expert local knowledge and 24 hour emergency assistance during your trip
- Professional event organisation
Exclusions
- Travel to the start and finish points of the trip
- Lunches and evening meals
- Personal insurance (for cancellation, accident, health, emergency evacuation and loss, theft of or damage to baggage and personal effects)
- Guiding (please contact us if you would like this trip to be guided)
Optional extras
- Single room supplement £90 per person per night (subject to availability)
- Solo traveler supplement £90 per person per night
- Odd Group Supplement £90 per group per night may apply if a single room is required
- Extra night prior to start (single room) £180 per person
- Extra night prior to the start (twin room, needs 2 people) £95 per person
- Extra night at the end of the event (single room) £180 per person
- Extra night at the end of the event (twin room, needs 2 people) £95 per person
- Transfer back to your car at the end of your walk available upon request
Please select from Optional Extras at checkout.
Getting there and back
Getting There
By road: Kirkby Stephen is located between the A1(M) junction at Scotch Corner and Junction 38 of the M6.
By public transport: There is a train service from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle (1 hour) or Leeds (approx 2 hours). Please check train times in advance as they can be infrequent.
By air: The nearest airports are Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL) or Leeds/Bradford (LBA).
Getting Away
By road: Richmond is on the A6108 a few miles from the A1 (M) junction at Scotch Corner and 11 miles south-west of the major town of Darlington.
By public transport: The nearest main line station to Richmond is the East Coast Main Line at Darlington, approximately 11 miles away.
The town is served by Arriva North East buses to Darlington, as well as links to Barnard Castle and Northallerton provided by Hodgsons.
By air: The nearest airports are Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL) or Leeds/Bradford (LBA).
Evening meals and lunches
You can purchase evening meals either at the accommodation or nearby. When our event planners send you the schedule with itinerary you could prearrange directly with the accommodation or during the walk.
For lunches we would suggest bringing some of your own favourite snack bars and then asking the accommodation for a packed lunch for the following day and also supplementing that at stops en-route.
Accommodation
Accommodation is generally at B&B, guest houses and small hotels. Once booked in, your event planner will send you a list of your booked accommodation. It is possible to adjust according to preference at this stage so please mention it if you wish to change.
Dog-friendly
If you would like to bring your four legged friend, then we will do our best to source dog friendly accommodation. It is usually possible but if it were not, then we would suggest a change of date to enable it or offer a refund. There may be a small surcharge for the overnight stays. Therefore, once booked in, please alert your event planner that you would like to bring your dog and we can proceed from there.
Need a guide?
If you would prefer to have a guide for your walk, even just for one day, then we are happy to help. We can provide a qualified leader (also first aid qualified) to lead your trek or on just one of the sections. Just ask us.
A guide can not only take the stress out of navigation, but you will also find them a great asset in terms of providing an insight into all things environment and nature.
Dates and prices
For available dates please click on the ‘book now’ option on the left hand side on desktops or at the bottom on mobiles. You can reserve your space via this route.
After you book
After placing your booking with us, you will in the first instance receive an automated email from our system confirming receipt of your reservation. If you don’t receive it, it is worth checking your spam/clutter folder.
In the process of placing your booking, you will generally set up an access password to our online gateway where you can review the details of the booking.
Your personal event planner will then be in touch with you to start to confirm the details. This contact will usually be taken up in the working day after receipt of your booking, but may, in busy times, take a little longer. The event planner will then liaise with you regarding the details of the course. If you have any specific requirements, please do mention it at this stage.
At the end of your trip
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and when you arrive in Richmond, you have one of several options. If you have not booked an additional night’s stay then we can transfer your luggage to a location of your choice. From there you may have onward travel arranged as per the ‘Getting There and Back’ tab above.
Some people like to treat themselves to a night’s stay in Richmond at the end. And why not? You’ve earned it. You can arrange this as an optional add on with your event planner.
Kirkby Stephen - our office location!
Sitting a third of the way into the Coast to Coast walk (and the start of your walk), is the lovely market town of Kirkby Stephen in the Eden Valley, which is also where our office is. As a result, we know the area pretty well! We will be working away organising events, but it is always nice to put faces to names. Oh, and if you need a top tip for some nice fish and chips, just ask us….
We look forward to seeing you!