| Coast to Coast Walk | |
|---|---|
| Length | 192 mi (309 km)[1] |
| Location | Northern England |
| Designation | UK National Trail |
| Trailheads | St Bees, Cumbria 54°29′31″N 3°36′43″W / 54.492°N 3.612°W Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire 54°26′06″N 0°32′06″W / 54.435°N 0.535°W |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation Change | 1,560 m |
| Highest Point | Kidsty Pike, 780 m (2,559 ft) |
| Lowest Point | Sea level |
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile (according to a recent re-measuring the real distance is almost 220 miles[citation needed]) unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, it passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park.
Wainwright recommends that walkers dip their booted feet in the Irish Sea at St Bees and, at the end of the walk, dip their naked feet in the North Sea at Robin Hood's Bay.
In 1991, the route was run in 39 hours 36 minutes and 52 seconds by Mike Hartley, setting a new record,[2] beating the previous record set in 1985 by Mike Cudahy who completed it in 46 hours 49 minutes.[3]
Contents |
The Coast to Coast was described by A. Wainwright in his 1973 book "A Coast to Coast Walk". Due to legal restrictions with certain stretches of the path, increased traffic on some of the road sections, and erosion, the exact original route followed by Wainwright is not recommended. Wainwright's book has been revised a number of times in recent years (most recently in 2003) to provide a route which avoids trespass.
Wainwright suggests a way of breaking the walk miles into stages, each of which to be completed in a day. With one or two rest days, this makes the route fit into a two-week holiday, and web logs of coast-to-coasters seem to indicate that this is still a very common way of splitting the route. However, Wainwright explicitly states that he did not intend people to necessarily stick to these stages or even to his route: for example, by reducing day-lengths to 10 or 12 miles, the walk becomes a much easier three-week trip with time to "stand and stare".
| “ | I want to encourage in others the ambition to devise with the aid of maps their own cross-country marathons and not be merely followers of other people's routes: there is no end to the possibilities for originality and initiative. | ” |
| —A. Wainwright, A Coast to Coast Walk | ||
Although unofficial, the Coast to Coast Walk uses public rights of way (public footpaths, tracks, and minor roads) and is one of the most popular of all the Long-distance footpaths in the UK. In 2004 the walk was named as the second best walk in the world according to a survey of experts.[4]. However, in 2004 Ordnance Survey decided to stop publishing dedicated maps of the route as uneconomic.[citation needed]However Harveys pubish two excellent strip maps at 1:40,000
This is given here from west to east - the more popular direction, given in the original and most of the current guides, and the direction which keeps the prevailing wind and rain at one's back, and the evening sun out of one's eyes.
The route begins in West Cumbria, on the shores of the Irish Sea. People choose to begin at St Bees, Whitehaven or Workington. The route then crosses the coastal plain, the Lake District, the Pennines and the North York Moors, and ends on the North Sea coast at Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire. Some walkers however, start from the east coast, preferring to have the Lake District as the climax of their walk.
The following hills are crossed by the route:
Template:Infobox Hiking trail
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile (according to a recent re-measuring the real distance is almost 220 miles) unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, it passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park.
Wainwright recommends that walkers dip their booted feet in the Irish Sea at St Bees and, at the end of the walk, dip their naked feet in the North Sea at Robin Hood's Bay.
In 1991, the route was run in 39 hours 36 minutes and 52 seconds by Mike Hartley, setting a new record, [1] beating the previous record set in 1985 by Mike Cudahy who completed it in 46 hours 49 minutes.[2]
Contents |
The Coast to Coast was described by A. Wainwright in his 1973 book "A Coast to Coast Walk". Due to legal issues with certain stretches of the path, increased traffic on some of the road sections, and erosion, the exact original route followed by Wainwright is not recommended. Wainwright's book has been revised a number of times in recent years (most recently in 2003) to provide a route which avoids trespass.
| “ | I want to encourage in others the ambition to devise with the aid of maps their own cross-country marathons and not be merely followers of other people's routes: there is no end to the possibilities for originality and initiative. | ” |
| —A. Wainwright, A Coast to Coast Walk | ||
Wainwright suggests a way of breaking the walk miles into stages, each of which to be completed in a day. With one or two rest days, this makes the route fit into a two-week holiday, and web logs of coast-to-coasters seem to indicate that this is still a very common way of splitting the route. However, Wainwright explicitly states that he did not intend people to necessarily stick to these stages or even to his route: for example, by reducing day-lengths to 10 or 12 miles, the walk becomes a much easier three-week trip with time to "stand and stare".
Although unofficial, the Coast to Coast Walk uses public rights of way (public footpaths, tracks, and minor roads) and is one of the most popular of all the Long-distance footpaths in the UK. In 2004 the walk was named as the second best walk in the world according to a survey of experts.[3]. However, in 2004 Ordnance Survey decided to stop publishing dedicated maps of the route as uneconomic suggesting that the route's popularity may be waning.
This is given here from West to East - the most popular direction, given in the original and most of the current guides, and the direction which keeps the prevailing wind and rain at one's back, and the evening sun out of one's eyes.
The route begins in West Cumbria, on the shores of the Irish Sea. People choose to begin at St Bees, Whitehaven or Workington. The route then crosses the coastal plain, the Lake District, the Pennines and the North York Moors, and ends on the North Sea coast at Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire. Some walkers however, start from the east coast, preferring to have the Lake District as the climax of their walk.
The following hills are crossed by the route:
This article is an itinerary.
The Coast To Coast Walk (properly "A Coast To Coast Walk") is an 190 mile long-distance walking trail in England which crosses the North of England from St Bees in Cumbria on the West coast to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire on the East coast.
The walk was created in 1972 by Alfred Wainwright, when in response to the creation of the Pennine Way he set about devising the best walk he could imagine in England. It has never been adopted as an official National Trail, though a campaign has begun, but is hugely popular and came second (after the Milford Track) in a recent poll among travel writers conducted by Country Walking magazine to find the finest walk in the world.
Along its route the walk passes through three National Parks - The Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors. The creator suggested walking from West to East in order to enjoy the best possible views, and to have any prevailing weather at your back rather than in your face.
The original guide book was written in Wainwright's characteristic style of hand-written text and hand-drawn maps, in the same manner as his seminal Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells.
The walk typically takes people two weeks to complete. You'll want a copy of the guidebook, maps, and suitable outdoor gear. The walk crosses through the mountains of the Lake District but generally keeps to the passes, apart from the occasional option to cross summits.
Walkers may split the walk in various ways to suit the distance they want to walk in a day, though the availability of accommodation may limit this. The author suggested breaking the walk into twelve days, which makes about 16 miles a day. Some may find this a little too much for comfort and choose to have the odd rest day or a couple of short days.
To St Bees[1].
Train
St Bees has a station on the Cumbrian Coast rail line. From the West Coast Main Line change at Carlisle or Lancaster.
Car
Leave the M6 at junction 40 (Penrith) and head west along the A66 to Cockermouth, then south along the A5086 to Egremont. St Bees is a couple of miles to the west and will be signposted.
Yes, that's the good bit. The scenery throughout is beautiful, but also varied, since you pass through a number of different types of landscapes. The start is a coastal path walk, with cliffs, seabirds, and a lighthouse. Soon after heading inland you pass through the Lake District, which has a great variety of landscapes in itself. The northern part of the Yorkshire Dales is limestone country, then the Vale of Mowbray is lower level terrain. The North York Moors are peaty moorlands, and finally you reach the sea once more at Robin Hood's Bay among the highest cliffs in England.
Your options are Bed & Breakfast (with occasional Youth Hostel options) or camping. Some accommodation guides for the walk have been produced over the years.
An option to lighten the load is a daily baggage transfer service, such as Sherpa Van[2], who will take your luggage to the next day's finish point for around £6 per bag.
Your main risks are being miserable when it rains, and getting blisters. Having the right walking gear is important.
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