Trek Notes - England

Coast to Coast - Wainwright's Walk

Introduction
Rollup for Wainwright's masterpiece! This is the quintessential English hill walking and long distance trail experience: 190 odd miles traversing three national parks and alot of interesting landscapes, old towns and of course public houses in between! It is amazing to think that this most famous of routes, totally eclipsing the Pennine Way in terms of popularity and variety, is still not classified as a National Trail! Starting at the tiny Cumbrian sea side resort of St. Bees on the Irish Sea we head East, with the wind, into the Lake district to pass by some of its most famous lakes and cross some important passes, with options to extend days (with ascents of peaks such as Helvellyn). Then it is on into the Yorkshire Dales and over the mystical Nine Standards Rig, before following the beautiful River Swale for a couple of days into the old market town of Richmond. There follows a marathon section to link up with the North York Moors National Park from where we roller coaster around to the North Sea Coast to make a triumphant entrance into Robins Hoods Bay where a celebratory pint, bottle of Champagne or ice cream whilst standing in the Sea is in order. Along the way you will be amazed at the variety of the dry stone walls, the charming little villages and just how much that you get to eat for a full English cooked breakfast! There are cosy small hotels, guest houses and Pubs to stay at on this tour and these, as well as the rich variety of the people that you meet enroute, reflect something of the great diversity of England.

The Coast to Coast has been named among the world's best walks ahead of world-famous hikes to the Inca Trail, Everest and Mont Blanc. It came second in a search to find the 50 best walks in the world, it was only behind the Milford Track, in New Zealand, according to Country Walking magazine. Richard Baker, deputy editor of Country Walking magazine, said a list of up to 60 walks was sent out to guide book writers and other experts who came up with their top 50. He told BBC News that he was not surprised at the popularity of the Coast-to-Coast: "It has mountains, valleys, moors and lakes. There is a great camaraderie on the walk. It also appeals to all people. It is not an easy walk and you have to be fairly fit." Bill Scott, from Vancouver, Canada, has completed the walk twice with his wife, and plans to do it next year. He said: "I am surprised it is not first out of the 50. What I know of walks throughout the world, the Coast-to-Coast is second to none. "It has many different facets and is a cultural experience as well as a physical and mental challenge. "The cultural experience is typically British and specifically English. The humour, the personalities and characters of the people you meet - they have a style about them and an environment they generate themselves which cannot be emulated anywhere in the world. But it is not a walk in the park."

General Information
Duration of tour: 15 days (14 nights)
Season: 4 April to mid October.
Starting point: St Bees - End of tour: Robin Hood's Bay

Getting to the Start
Outward journey from London: Train from London Euston to Carlisle.
Then local train from Carlisle to St Bees (1 hour 15 mins). Then short walk from station to hotel.

Inward journey to London at end of tour: Bus/taxi from Robin Hood's Bay to Scarborough. Then train from Scarborough to London.

Accommodation
Note that the sheer popularity of this tour may mean that we cannot get you into the accommodations described below for the dates of your tour. We will endeavor to get you into a similar standard of accommodation nearby, but please appreciate that there is limited accommodations. Also, although we aim to get you into accommodations with ensuite rooms this is not always possible at a couple of places on your tour you may be sharing bathrooms, especially if you book a single room.

Night 1: St Bees. A 17th century sandstone barn situated on the main street in the coastal village of St. Bees! The barn was initially converted in the 1980's into a large guesthouse and self-contained flats. All rooms have a colour television and tea & coffee facilities.

Night 2: Ennerdale. Overnight at a friendly, family owned hotel, of three crown standard. Enjoy a home cooked meal of local produce including fish and game in season. A traditional feel is retained by the hotel, with its open fire, and the fully licensed bar serves a range of beverages including locally produced ale. There is limited accommodation here so we also use the nearby village of Rwohr who offer a pick/drop off service which is free of charge.

Night 3: Borrowdale. Tonight we stay in a small and long established guesthouse. It is set in a beautiful small hamlet town. A popular peaceful retreat for former clients. Ensuite facilities are not available here as it is a listed building that changes cannot be made to.

Night 4: Grasmere. Our small family run guesthouse is conveniently placed in the center of this delightful village. Grasmere is one of Lakeland's most celebrated villages, and there is time either this afternoon or tomorrow morning to look around and visit the poet Wordsworth's home at Dove Cottage.

Night 5: Patterdale. Tonight's accommodation is popular with visitors and local people alike since the early 1800's. Many a tale could be told of events that have taken place in all its lifetime, including the time when Wordsworth was in our very bar as news arrived that Nelson had died at Trafalgar. This is a listed building so the rooms are small, to change this would spoil the character of this wonderful coaching inn.

Night 6: Shap. The proprietors will welcome you to their guesthouse in the village of Shap. The village offers an interesting insight to the history of the area, and the old Shap Abbey is nearby.

Night 7: Kirby Stephen. This accommodation has many unusual features, and is of an exceptionally high standard. It is a Grade II listed Georgian town house full of character, with a friendly relaxed atmosphere.

Night 8: Keld. Accommodation in Keld is at a medium sized guesthouse, offering a gateway to the Pennines "The Backbone of England". Traditional Yorkshire fayre is served in an attractively decorated dining room, and there are tea and coffee making facilities in all rooms.

Night 9: Reeth. Formed from a terrace of traditional Cl6th miners' cottages, a peaceful and comfortable hotel with courtyard and garden, renowned for its cuisine.

Night 10: Richmond. The extremely picturesque North Yorkshire town of Richmond, with its cobbled market square and Norman castle, is an ever-popular destination for visitors. Our accommodation is in a, very comfortable, guest house within easy reach of all the sights in Richmond

Night 11: Osmotherley. Tonight's accommodation is set in an extremely picturesque village on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. All rooms are ensuite and have tea and coffee making facilities.

Night 12: Blakey. We stay at the Lion Hotel in this bleak moorland location. This pub hotel has been a refuge from the elements for 400 years or so, and very cosy it is to! Normally there are a large number of species of Real Ale and great dining in either the bar or the restaurant.

Night 13: Egton Bridge or Grosmont. Another listed building will be the accommodation for tonight. Situated alongside the River Esk, the inn is actually mentioned in the Norman Doomsday Book of the 11th Century, and the oldest part of the building dates back almost as far. Some rooms are en suite, and there is a TV and tea and coffee making facilities in all rooms.

Night 14: Robin Hoods Bay. Our final night is spent in an elegantly refurbished victorian guesthouse with many original features.

Included
Bed  & Breakfast throughout. Ensuite facilities where available. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn. Full route notes and map package (for self-guided clients).

Extending Your Tour
It is possible to shorten a long walking day by adding in an extra night enroute. If this is something you are interested in doing then please correspond with a member of staff and they will be happy to advise you.

Escorted Departures
2012: 13 May; 10 June; 8 July; 5 Aug; 16 Sep 

Itinerary
Day 1 St Bees: Travel to starting point on the edge of the Irish Sea with views across to the Isle of Man. You should have time to visit the Abbey church, which has features on the local history and has a display on a mummified knight that was discovered in a lead coffin from the graveyard. If you have an extra night here, you can follow the coastal path or quiet inland roads to the attractive town of Whitehaven, with its marina and great museum. It is famous in the annals of the US navy as the site of an elaborate raid on the British mainland by one John Paul Jones during the American War of Independence.

Day 2 St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge: Climb from the beach taking a footpath along red sandstone coastal cliffs of St Bees Head with England's only breeding colony of Black Guillimots, then inland over hilly ground to the edge of the Lake District National Park. Dent Hill is the first real fell that we cross and will give you some indication as to whether you are fit enough for the pursuivant days! Although short, there follows possibly the steepest descent of the whole tour down to Nanny catch Gate and beck a delightful stroll along which brings us to the final descent to leafy Ennerdale Bridge. (14.5 miles / 23.5km, 6 hours). The day's total ascent 780 metres / descent 665m).

Day 3 Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale: A quiet and scenic footpath along the shore of Ennerdale Water, with a bit of a easy scramble under Angler's Crag at Robin Hood's Seat. A long walk on a forest track then continues to Black Sail Hut, which is the smallest Youth hostel and originally a shepherd's hut. A steep climb follows up the Lowther Beck before traversing some of the Lake land fells, perhaps with views down to Buttermere. Finally we reach the ‘drum house' which marks the descent path to the Honister slate mine workings with its useful cafe to Borrowdale; perhaps the most delightful valley in the Lakes with its crags and broadleaved trees. This is a delightful ensemble of hamlets, Seatoller (the wettest place in England), Longthwaite, Rossthwaite and Stonethwaite. Delightful riverside paths connect the places and their pubs, together if you have sufficient energy left of an evening. You might be interested to know that ‘thwaite' is old Norse for paddock. (16 5 miles / 26.5 km, 7 hours). The day's total ascent 765m / descent 785m).

Day 4 Borrowdale to Grasmere: Classic Lakeland scenery over Greenup Edge to Easedale and Grasmere Hopefully you will have enough time to visit the Wordsworth Museum at Dove Cottage, William Wordsworth's grave at the church and the famous Ginger bread shop! (8.5 miles / 13.5 km, 5 hours. Via Helm Crag - recommended). The day's total ascent 750m / descent 760 via Helm Crag).lassic Lakeland scenery over Greenup Edge to Easedale and Grasmere (10 miles 6 hours. The day's total ascent 750m/descent 760m via Helm Crag).

Day 5 Grasmere to Patterdale: Over Grisedale Pass (2000 ft) and around the small mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn to Patterdale In good weather if you are reasonably strong, the best option is to take the route up St. Sunday Crag, for some exceptional views down across Ullswater as you descend to Patterdale, possibly the most breathtaking of the trip (7.5 miles / 12 km, 5 hours (standard route). Add 2 miles and 2 hours if include detour via Summit of Helvellyn. Add 1 ½ hours for detour of St. Sunday Crag. The day's total ascent: 900m / descent 805m via the recommended route over St. Sunday Crag).

Day 6 Patterdale to Shap: Some would say this was the most difficult stage especially in bad weather when you do need to be ready with map and compass. The day starts with a steep climb up past pretty Angle Tarn, and then up and onwards to a critical cairn where you turn off the route to High Street to go up and over Kidsty Pike (2560 feet, the highest point on the whole route) and then descend steeply to walk along Haweswater, a huge body of water conceived in 1929 to supply Manchester with drinking water, drowning a couple of villages in the process. You then undulate through fields to Shap Abbey, the most easterly point of the Lake District National Park. This was the last Abbey to be founded in England in 1199 and the last to be destroyed in 1540. It nevertheless is a pretty place to pause with some new interpretation signs. After this continue into Shap, the old granite mining town with several pubs and shops. (16miles / 26 km, 7-9 hours. The day's total ascent 1174m / descent 1009m).

Day 7 Shap to Kirkby Stephen: There follows a hilly section across Limestone Moors with limestone pavements in places strewn with ‘erratic' boulders moved there by glaciers. Finally we drop into the gentler climes around Orton, a diversion of about a mile can be made to this quaint picturesque village with Kennedy's Chocolate factory to lead you into temptation. Walking now between Cumbria and The Yorkshire Dales, there is a lot of attractive farmland to cross with a section of moors around Sunbiggin Tarn, which is an important site for birds. A steep descent to the Scandal Beck at Smardale Bridge makes for a nice late lunch stop. Then ascend over Smardale Fell for the pretty descent into Kirkby Stephens and attractive market town, with St. Hedda's Church containing the 8^th Century Loki stone relating to Norse Mythology (20.5 miles / 33 km 8 hours. The day's total ascent 808m / descent 950 m).

Day 8 Kirkby Stephen to Keld or onto Thwaite: Climb out of town to the cairns of Nine Standards Rigg (661m / 2170 feet) with its array of obelisks. This is an ancient possibly boundary feature that no one has any real knowledge of. It marks the Watershed of England. Next we cross squelchy moors down to Keld in Swaledale If it is a wet and cold day you might relish a scone and tea made on the farm at Ravenseat, where they breed prime rams. The moors then become increasingly gentler as you walk into Keld with its many waterfalls and old stone barns. (14.5 miles / 24 km, 6 hours to Keld, Thwaite is an additional 3 miles. The day's total ascent 780m / descent 575m to Keld).

Day 9 Keld to Reeth: Wild moorland with long-abandoned lead mines, a magnet for the industrial archaeologist (12.5 miles / 20 km, 5 hours). There is also a pretty lower alternative route via Swaledale if you have bad weather or even if you don't! There is a really nice pub in Gunnerside on this lower option. (11.5 miles / 18.5km, 5 hours). We end up in Reeth an attractive Green Village which flourished at the height of the mining age and today does well out of tourism, hence a collection of pubs and tea shops. The day's total ascent 838m / descent 911m via the higher route.

Day 10 Reeth to Richmond: A morning walk through pretty Swaledale lined with limestone crags on either side, allowing time in Richmond for shopping (note most shops closed Sunday) and sightseeing in Richmond whose Norman Keep towers above the Swale on one side and the ancient cobbled market square on the other. You can also follow the swale to Town Falls, which are quite impressive when the river is in spate. (12.5 miles / 20 km, 5 hours. The days total ascent 395m / descent 510m).scent 510m).

Day 11 Richmond to Osmotherley: This is the longest and flattest day of the tour, bridging the gap between the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Parks. A gentle rural day, walking out from Richmond beside the River Swale and across the fields to Catterick Race Course, then threading our way to Brompton on Swale, an ideal first lunch stop in the church yard before trundling along beside tiny streams and quiet country roads reaching the village of Danby Wiske with its Green and sole pub at14 miles / 22.5km, 5hrs. A second lunch break is advised. From Danby it is primarily a road walk although there are cross-country sections. There are two hills towards the end, a short climb to (what was) East Harlsey Castle, and then with the North York Moors pressing ever closer we have to carefully cross the main A19 road to take a lovely woodland footpath up the hill to Osmotherley. On the way one can visit Mount Grace Priory (built 1398) this is a ruin but there has been restoration work and there are remaining duck ponds and drainage features. Osmotherley is a quaint hill village with 3 pubs to choose from, and Britain's oldest functioning Methodist Church 1754. John Wesley came to preach here (24 miles / 39 km 9 hours. The day's total ascent 375m / descent 292m).

Day 12 Osmotherley to Blakey: A strenuous day with repeated ascents and descents in the Cleveland Hills, then across heather moors to Rosedale This is a roller coaster walk. A steep stretch from Osmotherley introduces us to the North York Moors, sandy heather clad hills with areas of forest. After coming off Scarth Wood Moor, there is a long ascent up Live Moor and Carlton Bank (408 m) before descending to Lord Stones Café, almost hidden in an off road embankment, ready for coffee time. There then follows the succession of Cringle Moor, Broughton Bank and White Hill all at or over 400 metres. You loose and then re ascend 100-200m between each one. White Hill has an area of sandstone boulders called The Wainstones that you thread through on the way up. Great views in clear weather, Roseberry Topping, Vale of Mowbray and back to the Pennines. From the road at Claybank Top, we then follow a moorland ridge up over Round Hill (454m) and maintain our height as the path follows the line of the old dismantled Rosedale railway line. The moor is bleak in bad weather punctured in places by standing stones some marked with inscriptions. There are enticing views at times into the fertile upper valleys of Farn and Esk dales, but especially if it is misty, wet and cold, the arrival at the ancient Lion Inn at Blakey is a great relief. (21 miles /34 km 8-9 hours. The day's total ascent 1021m /descent 880).

Day 13 Blakey to Egton Bridge or Grosmont: After a bit of a road perambulation past a white cross called Fat Betty, there follows an easy undulating descent down to beautiful wooded Eskdale. You also get some views opening up to the sea. The latter part of today's walk follows a pretty path through the woodlands on the banks of the River Esk, where we come across the ‘Beggars Bridge' a parabolic stone structure that has a story of love lost and love refound! Egton Bridge features a church with relics of the Catholic Martyr, Oliver Postgate. A really pretty setting, the river is famous for fly fishing and has some interesting stepping stones which enables you to hop (or wobble) between the two pubs faster than using the road. (10 miles / 16km, 4 hours. The day's total ascent 265m / descent 616m).

Day 14 Egton Bridge to Robin Hoods Bay: Following a delightful private road to Grosmont, you might get there in time to see a steam engine pull out for Pickering. There then follows a very steep pull up across heather moors with views down to Whitby and its Abbey. But the sea and journey's end is still tantalizingly far as the route abruptly changes course to visit the May Beck valley with its Falling Foss waterfall. A last area of high moor brings us to the coast, where the last 3 miles are spent on the coastal cliff path to Robin Hood's Bay, which appears almost by surprise as you near it. This is a village of red roofed houses clustered around its harbour on the North Sea coast marking the end of this 190 odd-mile crossing of England. Normally a drink at the Bay Hotel follows a paddle in the sea (both optional activities) (16 miles / 25.7 km, 7 hours. The day's total ascent 775m / descent 770m.)

PLEASE NOTE: It is generally normal practice when staying in hotels that you check-in on or after 2pm and checkout by 10am the following morning. Guesthouses/bed & breakfast establishments are normally check-in on or after 4pm and checkout by 10am.