Coast to Coast in 12 Days

I walked the 190 mile Coast to Coast on the 22nd September to 3rd October, 2009. Having walked the 268 mile Pennine Way in 2007, it was high up on my must things to do.

Take a pebble at the start from the beach at the Irish Sea, St Bees, carry it with you and throw it into the sea at the end, the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay.

Day 1 – I walked the optional route up Red Pike, resting place of Alfred Wainwright’s ashes. The walk to Red Pike from Ennerdale Water is hard but that will take you along a rugged ridge for some amazing views of the surrounding Lake District. Once you have made the ridge you don’t need to drop back down to the Black Sail Youth Hostel, as you will only have to climb back up loft beck – I found out the hard way!

Day 3 – Decided to do Helm Crag, a good tip would be to finish at Grasmere instead of Patterdale, which means you can tackle Helvellyn or St Sunday Crag the next day.

Day 9 – Save some energy for the end, after walking 23 miles you will need to run across a busy motorway to reach Ingleby Cross.

About the Coast to Coast

The Coast to Coast Walk is a 182-mile (190 miles long if you follow the traditional Wainwright route) unofficial and mostly un-signposted long-distance footpath between the west and east coasts of Northern England. Wainwright recommends that walkers dip their booted feet in the Irish Sea at St Bees and, at the end of the walk, in the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay. The Coast to Coast was originally described by Alfred Wainwright in his 1973 book A Coast to Coast Walk.

The Coast to Coast 12 Day Route

The 12 day itinerary is listed below, England’s Coast to Coast path can be walked either way, but generally the start is considered to be begin at the Irish Sea coast of Cumbria at St Bees, and conclude at the North Sea coast of Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire which is the route that Alfred Wainwright undertook in 1973. It passes through three National Parks – Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.