(gowalk@pacbell.net)
INTRODUCTION
The Coast to Coast Walk was devised
by the late A. Wainwright in the early 1970s. The route, normally walked
west to east and encompassing more than 190 miles, takes in some of the
most spectacular scenery in England. Three national parks comprise much
of the distance, starting in St. Bee's on the Irish Sea, on through the
Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the Yorkshire Moors to end at the
picturesque village of Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea. The original
Wainwright guidebook for the route, titled "A Coast to Coast Walk," has
been revised and reissued by Michael Joseph Publishers.
Walkers should also carry the two
specially devised strip maps of the route produced by the Ordnance Survey,
issued in their Outdoor Leisure map series. These maps are indispensable,
and provide the entire route mapped at 1:25,000. Although our weather was
excellent and a compass was never required, we did hear tales of difficult
navigation in misty conditions, and highly recommend that walkers have
some familiarity with compass use. A minivan service, called the Coast
to Coast Packhorse, operates from west to east and for a modest fee transports
bags between overnight stops.* Due to the popularity of this route, we
recommend reserving lodging well in advance (for those not camping). Listings
for most of the B&B accommodations en route can be found in a guide
produced by Mrs. Doreen Whitehead. Her guide is available at a cost of
£2/$5, enclosed with a request note to Mrs. Whitehead* at Butt
House, Keld, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11 6LJ (tel: 01748-886374).
Mrs. Whitehead also offers excellent accommodation, including evening meals,
in Keld.
*Update: Packhorse, Brigantes,
Sherpa, and others now offer door-to-door transport. Doreen Whitehead now
offers her accommodation guide online (see URL for Butt House).
Although Wainwright recommended doing the route from west to east, we chose the opposite direction. (In 1997, the C2C Packhorse was only baggage service operating on the route, and at that time only transported bags from W to E to east using set stops. Not wanting to be thus limited, we carried backpacks weighing approximately 25 lbs fully loaded. Try to carry less; you'll be glad you did.) For those willing to carry their gear, we believe walking E to W has some advantages: you meet new people every day, since most walk the other direction; other walkers can clue you in on good/bad spots to come; in summer, the sun is seldom in your eyes; and you increase your fitness level and will likely be in better shape for the more difficult lake district further into the journey. Nevertheless, it is a brilliant walk in either direction!
DAILY JOURNAL
DAY 1--ROBIN HOOD'S BAY TO
GROSMONT (14 miles)
We set off under sunny skies,
and enjoyed the initial three miles along the cliffs above the North Sea.
Shortly thereafter we got our first taste of moorland over the Graystone
Hills. Descending into Littlebeck Wood, including a view of the lovely
waterfall Falling Foss, was paradise, and we emerged into the quiet hamlet
of Littlebeck at mile 12. After a climb back onto the moors we reached
Grosmont in the Esk river valley. Grosmont boasts one of the finest steam
locomotives in the country, the North York Moors Railway, but we did not
have enough time to take a ride. Since our B&B was east of the village,
we chose not to descend the 1:3 grade to the pub--too tired to walk back
up the hill.
DAY 2--GROSMONT TO BLAKEY (14
miles)
Another sunny day, with large
puffy (yet nonthreatening) white clouds to keep us cooler. Shortly outside
Grosmont we entered a lovely strip of woodland, passed the village of Egton
Bridge and continued through beautiful East Arnecliff Wood along the River
Esk. Much of the path here is covered in stone slabs, as it was a former
packhorse route. We came out of the woods into Glaisdale, a larger village
built on a steep gradient that delivered us onto Glaisdale Rigg and Moor.
This area must be spectacular in August, when all the heather is in full
purple bloom. For now, we are equally delighted with the velvet green valleys
(called dales) that meet the moors. One lovely section this day is at Great
Fryup Head, a ridge crisscrossed by small streams that join and form waterfalls
flowing down to the river. At Danby High Moor there are several ancient
boundary stones with lovely names like "Fat Betty," the "Ralph Crosses,"
and "Margery Bradley." The path meets the road briefly and brings us to
High Blakey Moor, where there is no sign of civilization besides our excellent
B&B (High Blakey House, with spectacular views of Rosedale from the
sitting room!) and a lovely old pub (c. 1550) directly opposite, the Lion
Inn. Here we were introduced by another walker (doing his second Coast
to Coast journey) to an excellent brew called Theakston's Old Peculiar.
(The food was also excellent.)
DAY 3--BLAKEY TO GREAT BROUGHTON
(11 miles)
An overcast but dry morning, with
a hint of sunnier skies to come. Today's walking is very easy, with much
of the distance over a dismantled railway line that is now a wide, level
path. The moorland provides beautiful views to both Rosedale and Farndale,
two exquisite valleys of green fields reaching steeply up to the moor and
crisscrossed by dry stone walls. The former rail track (there is no longer
any "real" track left; this is the term used in Britain for an unpaved
road) is left at Bloworth Crossing, a junction with another long distance
path, the Cleveland Way. From here we continued onto Urra Moor; in the
midst of all this undeveloped, bleak but beautiful landscape, it was a
shock to climb to the triangulation post at the highest spot on the moor
and see civilization in the distance! We then descended from the ridge
and diverted from Clay Bank Top two miles north into Great Broughton for
lodging. There is an excellent choice of accommodation here, and the walk
off the main road is through a lovely wood carpeted in bluebells (in late
May).
DAY 4--GREAT BROUGHTON TO INGLEBY
ARNCLIFFE (12.5 miles)
We got a late start today (11:00
a.m.), thinking the distance wasn't too great, but we weren't figuring
on the difficulty of traversing the Cleveland Hills. Harry Mead, our host
from Hilton House (the best B&B on our route, sadly no longer operating)
drove us from Great Broughton back to Clay Bank Top to pick up the path,
thus avoiding two uphill miles. The first three miles are solid up and
down: over Hasty Bank at 1304' (through lovely rock formations called the
Wainstones), Cold Moor at 1317', and Cringle Moor at 1427', descending
to a welcoming cafe carved into the hillside at Carleton Bank (easily missed
when walking from the west) for a much needed break. At the café
we met up with two walkers also doing the route from east to west, with
whom we tried to match strides for the remainder of the day. We say tried,
as they were taking six fewer days for the entire route and therefore walking
much faster. Their delightful company helped compensate for the sore legs!
Further ascents included Carleton Moor, Holey Moor, then Live Moor before
joining a woodland path (including further carpets of bluebells) and another
ascent onto Scarth Wood Moor. The last climb of the day is over Beacon
Hill, followed by a descent through Arncliffe Wood and a diversion to visit
Mount Grace Priory (a ruin). We finished our day in Ingleby Arncliffe,
but would encourage other walkers to add an extra mile each direction and
stay in the much prettier village of Osmotherley.
DAY 5--INGLEBY ARNCLIFFE TO
BOLTON-ON-SWALE (15.5 miles)
A. Wainwright, who always preferred
high ground, referred to this stretch as the "slough of despond." Expecting
the worst, we found it a bit more enjoyable than that! Nevertheless, after
the wild moors and beautiful dales, this stretch of country--called the
Vale of Mowbray--is flat and predominantly agricultural, thus less dramatic
than what comes before or after. The main village met en route is Danby
Wiske, which formerly offered no provisions for walkers (to A.W.'s consternation),
but now caters to this ever growing tourist trade with a great pub (the
White Swan), wonderful tea room (Oakdene), and good B&B accommodation.
Many walkers-- particularly those who use the packhorse service--break
their journey here (10 miles from Osmotherley), but we continued another
five miles to the village of Bolton-on-Swale. The biggest problem in this
day's walking is the unrelenting stretch on paved roads. While there is
little or no traffic, the hard surface causes many walkers problems; we
developed blisters that were troublesome the rest of the trip. At St. Mary's
church in Bolton-on-Swale there is a monument to a man named Henry Jenkins,
who reputedly lived to 169 years of age. Our host, Christopher Robinson,
assured us that since this was directed at tourists it had to be true!
DAY 6--BOLTON-ON-SWALE TO RICHMOND
(7.5 miles)
We intentionally planned a short
day today, for purposes of rest and rejuvenation and to allow time to see
the largest town en route, Richmond. The walk joins the River Swale at
Bolton-on-Swale, and the river features prominently for the next several
days. The route into Richmond includes a lovely stretch of woodland covered
in wild garlic, while a diversion from Wainwright's route across the river
takes in the magnificent ruins of Easby Abbey. Richmond is a handsome old
market town, though there was a hideous fair set up in the market square
for a holiday weekend. Fortunately we were nestled into a quiet B&B
(Old Brewery Guest House, highly recommended) on a green near the river
and castle. Richmond is also noteworthy for its excellent outdoor gear
shop, called Alt-berg, also the last bootmaker in Britain. Stop and chat
with the charming proprietor, Mike Sheehan, who like all true Irishmen
will chat with you endlessly. They also sell a full range of blister supplies
for those in dire need.
DAY 7--RICHMOND TO REETH (11
miles)
Awoke to a gorgeous, sunny day!
After a super breakfast, we departed uphill out of Richmond and shortly
entered a beautiful old bit of forest called Whitcliffe Wood. We left the
wood and crossed into lovely countryside bordering the River Swale, with
many interesting rock formations called "scars." After passing through
the village of Marske (following a quick tea break and chat with some German
walkers), we progressed through a seemingly endless series of fields (with
accompanying stiles to get across walls!) before rejoining the river. Here
we again departed from the Wainwright route and instead followed a footpath
next to the river into the village of Grinton, where we enjoyed a wonderful
lunch at the Bridge Inn (more Theakston's!). From here is was a short walk
into the beautiful town of Reeth, which features a huge green, lots of
cafes and tea shops, good accommodations, and a wonderful bakery.
DAY 8--REETH TO KELD (13 miles)
Another beautiful day! Today we
chose a route completely different than that described by Wainwright and
shown on the strip map. Several people–including friends who planned to
join us for part of the day's route–had mentioned that they felt Wainwright's
route missed the best of Swaledale by heading over a ridge and following
another stretch of moorland to visit a series of abandoned mines. We don't
care about mines, and thus took the advice of others (with the aid of a
Yorkshire Dales map loaned to us by another walker) and walked an alternative
route along the river into upper Swaledale. Our route, which included a
climb to a ridge 800' above the river that we followed for the last several
miles, could not be faulted! This is gorgeous countryside. We sadly parted
company with our friends near a small path that took them down to Muker,
while we forged on and rejoined Wainwright's route at Swinner Gill, a stream
emerging from a gorge, then proceeded to an interesting ruined manor house
called Crackpot Hall (destroyed by mining subsidence) before descending
into the village of Keld. This is a lovely spot, with a sequence of beautiful
waterfalls along the River Swale. We highly recommend a stay with Doreen
Whitehead at "Butt House" (especially given the absence of a pub in Keld).
Mrs. Whitehead compiles an accommodation guide for the route, and is a
most interesting woman. She takes good care of her guests (nearly all walkers,
including many on the Pennine Way...Keld is at the crossroads of these
two long distance routes), greeting them with homemade scones, cream and
jam, good strong tea, and excellent evening meals. (Tea is served at 5:30;
don't be late!) Butt House is licensed, so you don't have to forego an
evening beer.
DAY 9--KELD TO KIRKBY STEPHEN
(12.5 miles)
Another sunny day; will we ever
need our waterproofs? Our departure from Keld takes us above the Swale,
with views to yet more waterfalls and green hills. After skirting around
a lonely farm called Raven Seat, we enter a very bleak area of moorland
called Whitsundale; this was actually lovely on our day, but could be hell
in bad weather and poor visibility. The ground becomes mostly peat, which
while dry for us had been wet ("the slops," as one walker referred to it!)
only days earlier. There is seasonal rerouting over this area to help control
erosion, but thanks to a borrowed map (and good visibility) we had no trouble
finding the alternative route that did not appear on our strip map. After
an extended but gentle ascent we reached Nine Standards Rigg, with views
in every direction and topped with mysterious huge stone cairns. From here
a faint permissive path brought us down off the fell (hill to Americans)
and joined a paved road. The sight of Hartley Quarry is less than pleasing
after the beauty that has preceded it, but we are soon past, through Hartley
village, and across the River Eden into Kirkby Stephen. We stopped into
the beautiful church, St. Stephens, then walked through the village to
our excellent and friendly B&B (Jolly Farmers Guest House).
DAY 10--KIRKBY STEPHEN TO SHAP
(20 miles)
What, more sun? Even with an 8:00
am departure it already felt warm, especially as much of the early route
today is uphill. After passing a few farms, we entered Smardale, site of
a large prehistoric settlement called Severals. This didn't look like much
to our untrained eyes, but the surrounding area is very attractive. The
area also supported a large mining industry, but now is very quiet and
remote. We followed an extensive section of stone walls, and met up with
another heather moor that led to a lovely inland lake called Sunbiggin
Tarn. This was a perfect lunch spot, surrounded by the calls of hundreds
of seabirds, but only a few other people. From Sunbiggin we crossed Tarn
Moor, then bypassed the path into the village of Orton (a one mile diversion),
crossed Orton Scar (an interesting rock formation), and Crosby Ravensworth
Fell, another very remote upland heather moor. We managed to spot "Robin
Hood's Grave," really just a stone cairn and one of many reputed graves
of RH! Further moorland included the crossing of two ancient Roman roads,
sighting several huge standing stones along the way, and further strange
sections of exposed rock before passing the village of Oddendale. To get
into Shap we had to cross a footbridge over the M6 motorway; quite a shock
after the utter remoteness and tranquility of our day. Shap is nothing
special, though our B &B (The Hermitage) certainly was: a Jacobean
era house, where we were served a superb evening meal and enjoyed a marvelous
night's rest to help prepare us for another long day tomorrow.
DAY 11--SHAP TO PATTERDALE (16
miles)
We began our day with the first
good view of the Cumbrian (lake district) Mountains, looking their best
in the sunshine. Some careful map reading was required to get through a
succession of farm fields after passing the ruin of Shap Abbey. The scenery
around the River Lowther was very tranquil and beautiful, becoming more
dramatic as we approached our first lake, Haweswater (now a huge reservoir).
This is not the prettiest lake, but still looked spectacular to us after
so much anticipation. We followed the lakeside path for more than four
miles, before our first climb, the ascent of Kidsty Pike (2560'). This
was a reasonable climb, but we met gale force winds on top! The views became
more stunning with each foot gained in elevation. An especially lovely
spot as we began our steep descent into Patterdale was Angle Tarn (the
term for a lake at higher elevation). The path became very rocky and loose,
requiring precise footing to avoid a fall. Our pace thus slowed considerably,
and we did not reach Patterdale until 7:30 p.m. Other than fears of a missed
meal, this presented no problem with the long days--it was light until
nearly 11:00 p.m. Patterdale is a small village near Ullswater (one of
the loveliest lakes), with steep hills surrounding it providing a very
alpine atmosphere.
DAY 12--PATTERDALE TO GRASMERE
(8.5 miles)
We were delighted to have another
beautiful day, especially in the lakes where the weather can be unpredictable.
However, it was quite breezy again so we chose an alternative to the main
valley route into Grasmere that presented no danger of being blown off
a mountain. The classic walk is over Helvellyn, via a somewhat precarious
ridge called Striding Edge. This is considered dangerous in wind (not to
mention with backpacks), so we instead chose to go over the opposite ridge
and climb St. Sunday Crag. This was not a disappointing choice, as the
climb was tough but safe and the views incredible: Ullswater to the northeast,
Helvellyn directly north, and Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield (another fell...er,
mountain to us!), and the Vale of Grasmere straight ahead. The descent
into Grasmere was long but easy thanks to good paving stones, along a stream
called Tongue Gill. We reached our lodgings at a lovely old roadside inn,
the Traveler's Rest (very good accommodation and food), around 4:00 p.m.
Before dinner we took a walk into Grasmere village (approximately one quarter
mile further on). Grasmere's most famous resident was William Wordsworth,
who lived in Dove Cottage (now a museum). The village itself has a lovely
position, but many consider it excessively touristy compared with other
lakeland villages lacking the famous literary associations.
DAY 13--GRASMERE TO STONETHWAITE
(8.5 miles)
Our route from Grasmere was again
along an alternative to the main valley path, as recommended by Wainwright,
and began with an ascent up Helm Crag. There are some interesting rock
formations on top, including one aptly named "The Howitzer." There followed
a succession of ups and downs, over two further crags of approximately
1600' elevation, ending at a summit named Greenup Edge. From here we began
our steep descent over Lining Crag, with views of the gorgeous valley called
Borrowdale unfolding. The climbs had taken their toll, and blisters now
several days old and layers thick were causing increased discomfort. But
we plowed on along the stream to the hamlet (smaller than a village) of
Stonethwaite. It was rush hour (i.e., sheep were being herded down the
road). This is a very peaceful spot. We had a comfortable night at the
Langstrath Inn, the only pub in the village and justly popular with walkers
for excellent food and hospitality.
DAY 14--STONETHWAITE TO ENNERDALE
BRIDGE (15.5 miles)
The morning began with clear skies
and sunshine, though some clouds began to build over the course of the
day. From Stonethwaite we walked through Johnny's Wood into another
village, Seatoller, then past (and above, i.e., another climb!) Honister
Pass. The pass is flanked by steep hills on both sides, with remnants of
much slate mining activity--including the route of an old funicular. Once
on top we had great views to many peaks, as well as another lake, Buttermere.
Due to the encroaching weather we (wisely, it turns out) decided to forego
Wainwright's last alternative routing over a series of four fells (Haystacks,
High Crag, High Stile, and Red Pike). Wisely foregone, because this would
have had us into Ennerdale around midnight had we lived to see it!! When
Wainwright says that a route is only for supermen, believe him. And don't
kid yourself; you are not superhuman. Even the main route was demanding,
with an extremely steep and rocky descent over Loft Beck (a stream flow
from 800' up) into Ennerdale. This route passes the most remote youth hostel
in Britain, called Black Sail Hut, before entering a huge plantation forest.
Fortunately there are some good views beyond the forest to the surrounding
hills, including the famous peaks Great Gable and Pillar (popular with
rock climbers). After emerging from this endless and unattractive forest
we reached the eastern edge of Ennerdale Water, our final lake. By now
we were weary, and had a hard time coping with the remaining nearly five
miles along another rough path into Ennerdale. We quickly settled into
our B&B and chatted with the delightful hostess, Sheila Sherwen (‘Ehen
Garth...recommended). The local pub was a welcome sight, with Theakston's
Old Peculiar on tap and some very creative dishes on the menu (how about
vegetarian tikka masala Yorkshire pudding, for a start?). With a side of
chips, of course.
DAY 15--ENNERDALE BRIDGE TO
ST. BEES (14.5 miles)
Our final day; can it be? And
it looks like we will complete the entire 190 miles without rain, virtually
unheard of. We departed Ennerdale by 9:00 a.m., shortly reaching a lovely
spot called Nannycatch Gate (why? don't ask me!). From here we briefly
followed the adjacent stream before entering a forest to climb our last
hill, called Dent. The summit provides great views back to the lake district
mountains, as well as to the less spectacular but gratifying sight of the
Irish Sea. The descent from Dent brought us to the town of Cleator, not
much to look at. In fact, this day was something of a letdown after all
that had preceded it; many towns on the western edge of the lake district
are unattractive, and views north and south take in the industrial blight
of both chemical and nuclear power plants. So it was pretty much heads
down, one foot in front of the other, past another village (Sandwith) and
on to the cliffs south of Saltom Bay. At this point our spirits were revived,
because we knew the end was near (well, three miles distant), and the scenery
became much more inviting. St. Bee's Head is a dramatic stretch of marbled
red cliffs, covered in wildflowers with seabirds circling overhead. A mist
had settled in, but no rain; this weather seemed to fit the scenery better
than sunshine. We took a short detour to Fleswick Bay, noted for it's dramatic
cliffs and beach of beautiful multicolored pebbles, then it was a final
push down to the sea wall (the village is one-half mile back from the sea).
The tide was out, so we walked an extra quarter mile to dip our boots in
the Irish Sea. According to Wainwright, this is the official ending/beginning
of the walk; you can go no further! Despite aching feet, we suddenly felt
overcome with sadness that we'd reached the end. Our solution: begin planning
another long distance walk for next year!
write to us:
(gowalk@pacbell.net)
