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5
challenging

Traveller Rating

 

Activities
  • guided walk
Accommodation
  • 16 nights in hotels, B&B's and guesthouses
Meals
  • 16 Breakfasts

17 Days£2480GBP

Overview

Trip Code: EB7

Guided Coast to Coast Walk Trip highlights


  • Cross England on Wainwright’s famous Coast to Coast walk
  • One of the World’s Great Walks
  • English Lake District, Pennines & North York Moors
  • Start your day with a full English breakfast, guilt-free!
  • Get a better understanding of the Coast to Coast path from your experienced guide
  • Chance to see an ancient steam train pull out from Grosmont railway station
  • Camaraderie when walking with a small group of like-minded travellers
  • Staying at cozy small hotels, guesthouses & traditional, English pubs

Choose this popular 17-day guided walk along Wainwright’s Coast to Coast with more time towards the end to become immersed in your surrounds.

Due to popular demand, besides a 15-day itinerary you can choose a 17 day guided walk across the Coast to Coast. This is English hill walking and a long distance trail experience at its best: a challenging approximately 315km/195 miles trek traversing three national parks. On the way, discover lots of interesting landscapes, varying terrain and tiny, old towns.

Our small group starts at the tiny Cumbrian seaside resort of St Bees on the Irish Sea when we climb steeply heading east into the Lake District National Park. This soon into the trip we already encounter some of the UK’s most famous lakes and passes. Then it is on into the Yorkshire Dales National Park 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 section to link up with the North York Moors National Park where we spend more time compared to the 15-day itinerary when breaking up the long days between Richmond and Blakey. From here we roller coaster up and down around to the North Sea Coast to make a triumphant entrance into Robins Hood’s Bay. Here, a celebratory pint, bottle of champagne or ice cream whilst standing in the sea is in order!

We will stay at cozy small hotels, guesthouses and pubs on this guided walking tour and these, as well as the rich variety of the people that you meet enroute, reflect something of the great diversity of England.

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! It is amazing to think that this most famous of routes got classified as a National Trail only in 2022, almost 50 years after its inception.

Scroll down to find an overview of all Coast to Coast walking options to choose from.

Countries:

England

Starting Point:

St Bees

Finishing Point:

Robin Hood's Bay


Make your own way to the starting point of the Coast to Coast walk in St Bees. It's located on the edge of the Irish Sea with views across to the Isle of Man (where we offer a walk as well). 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 walk 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. This evening you will meet your fellow walkers and guide for a trip briefing.

Meals:  Nil

Today is our first day walking the Coast to Coast! We start with a climb from the beach taking a footpath along red sandstone coastal cliffs of St Bees Head. It has England’s only breeding colony of Black Guillimots. We then move 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 following days! Although short, there follows possibly the steepest descent of the whole tour, which is down to Nannycatch Gate and Beck. It is a delightful stroll which brings us to the final descent to leafy Ennerdale Bridge. The day’s total ascent 780m / descent 665m.

Meals:  B

Walk on a quiet and scenic footpath along the shore of Ennerdale Water, with a bit of an 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 Lakeland fells, perhaps with views down to Buttermere. Finally you reach the ‘drum house’, which marks the descent path to the Honister Slate Mine workings & cafe and Borrowdale. This is perhaps the most delightful valley in the Lakes with its crags and broadleaved trees. Borrowdale 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 for the evening. You might be interested to know that ‘thwaite’ is old Norse for paddock. The day’s total ascent 765m / descent 785m.

Meals:  B

Enjoy classic Lakeland scenery over Greenup Edge to Easedale and Grasmere. Grasmere is one of Lakeland’s most celebrated villages and hopefully there is time either this afternoon or tomorrow morning to visit the poet Wordsworth's home at Dove Cottage and drop into the famous Ginger bread shop! The day’s total ascent 750m / descent 760m.

Meals:  B

A great walk over Grisedale Pass (609m/2000ft) and around the small mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn to Patterdale. In good weather and if our group is reasonably strong, we recommend that we take the detour route up St Sunday Crag. It will give some exceptional views down across Ullswater on the descend to Patterdale, possibly the most breathtaking of the trip. The day’s total ascent: 900m / descent 805m (via the optional route over St Sunday Crag, less if we avoid this). *Add 1½ hours for the detour of St Sunday Crag.

Meals:  B

After completing today's walk, some would say this was the most difficult stage on the Coast to Coast walk. The day starts with a steep climb up past pretty Angle Tarn. We'll then hike up and onwards to a critical cairn where we turn off the route to High Street. It will take us up and over Kidsty Pike (780m / 2560ft), the highest point on the Coast to Coast, and then descend steeply to walk along Haweswater. This is a huge body of water that was conceived in 1929 to supply Manchester with drinking water, drowning a couple of villages in the process. We 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 (1199) and the last to be destroyed (1540). It nevertheless is a pretty place to take a break with some new interpretation signs. After this, we continue into Shap, the old granite mining town with several pubs and shops. The village offers an interesting insight to the history of the area. The day’s total ascent 1174m / descent 1009m.

Meals:  B

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. From here, a diversion of about a mile can be made to this quaint picturesque village that is home to Kennedy’s Chocolate Factory shop 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 - 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 Stephen's attractive market town. Its St. Hedda’s Church contains the 8th Century Loki stone relating to Norse Mythology. The day’s total ascent 808m / descent 950m.

Meals:  B

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 we might relish a scone and tea made on the farm at Ravenseat, where they breed prime rams. The moors then become increasingly gentler as we walk into Keld with its many waterfalls and old stone barns. The day’s total ascent 780m / descent 575m.

Meals:  B

There are two options today. >> The first is the slightly longer & higher alternative over wild moorland with long-abandoned lead mines, a magnet for the industrial archaeologist. >> The second option is the pretty route via Swaledale, which is a lovely option if we have unfavourable weather or we just prefer a lower level walk. There is a really nice pub in Gunnerside on this second route. Our day finishes 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).

Meals:  B

Our morning walk through pretty Swaledale is lined with limestone crags on either side and allows time in Richmond for shopping (note most shops closed Sunday) and sightseeing. The extremely picturesque North Yorkshire town of Richmond, with its cobbled market square and Norman castle, is an ever-popular destination for visitors. We may also follow the swale to Town Falls, which are quite impressive when the river is in spate. The day's total ascent 395m / descent 510m.

Meals:  B

A gentle rural day, walking out from Richmond beside the River Swale and across the fields to Catterick Race Course. We'll then be threading our way to Brompton on Swale, an ideal lunch stop in the churchyard. We then trundle along beside tiny streams and quiet country roads reaching the village of Danby Wiske with its village green and single pub.

Meals:  B

Today is primarily a road walk although there are cross country sections. The two hills are 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 to Osmotherley. On the way we may visit Mount Grace Priory (1398), this is a ruin that has had some restoration work. Osmotherley is a quaint hill village with three pubs to choose from plus Britain’s oldest functioning Methodist Church (1754) - John Wesley came to preach here.

Meals:  B

This is a roller coaster walk. A steep stretch from Osmotherley introduces our group to the North York Moors and its sandy, heather-clad hills with areas of forest. After coming off Scarth Wood Moor, our guide leads you to a long ascent up Live Moor and Carlton Bank (408m) before we descend to Lord Stones Café. It's almost hidden in an off-road embankment and comes at the right time for coffee. There then follows the succession of Cringle Moor, Broughton Bank and White Hill - all at or over 400m. We loose and then re-ascend 100-200m between each one. White Hill has an area of sandstone boulders called The Wainstones that we thread through on the way up. Great views in clear weather, incl. Roseberry Topping, Vale of Mowbray and back to the Pennines. We come off the ridge at Clay Bank Top and you will get a transfer to your accommodation (included) from the car park at Clay Bank Top to Great Broughton.

Meals:  B

Our group will be transferred back to the car park (included). Today, the walk follows a moorland ridge up over Round Hill (454m) and the track maintains its height as it follows the line of the old dismantled Rosedale Railway line. The moor can be bleak in bad weather and is 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 our arrival at the ancient Lion Inn at Blakey can be a great relief.

Meals:  B

After a bit of a road perambulation past a white cross called Fat Betty, we follow an easy undulating descent down to beautiful wooded Eskdale. We 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. 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, Nicholas Postgate. A really pretty setting, the river is famous for fly fishing and has some interesting stepping stones, which enables you to hop between the two pubs faster than using the road. The day’s total ascent 265m / descent 616m.

Meals:  B

We follow a delightful, private road to Grosmont, where we might get in time to see a steam train pull out for Pickering. We then follow 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 5 km/3 miles are spent on the coastal cliff path to Robin Hood's Bay. It will appear almost by surprise as we 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. We celebrate with a drink at the Bay Hotel and as tradition states, dip our toes into the sea. The day’s total ascent 775m / descent 770m.

Meals:  B

Your Coast to Coast walking holiday concludes in Robin Hood's Bay after breakfast.

Meals:  B


Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.


Inclusions

  • 16 breakfasts
  • 16 nights accommodation in hotels and guesthouses on a twin share basis with ensuite facilities where available
  • One piece of luggage per person transferred from Inn to Inn, not exceeding 18kg
  • Welcome briefing
  • Experienced walking guide
  • Emergency hotline

  • Lunch, Dinner and drinks
  • Entrance fees
  • Travel to the start and from the end point of the trip
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
  • Unscheduled transfers required during the trip
  • A supplement will apply if you are travelling alone or book a single room, as prices are based on twin occupancy.
  • Excess Luggage

Suitability

challenging

5

Please consider your fitness carefully before booking this trip. If the guide considers you to be too slow, you will be asked to take taxis for stages at your expense. An excellent level of fitness is required. An average of 20km is covered each day with six long days of over 25km. As a group you will be walking up to between 6 to 9 hours per day at a steady pace throughout the day covering 4-5 km per hour. This multiday walk has long days with back to back steep climbs and descents as well as some flatter sections. You must be comfortable climbing up over stiles, walking on steep rocky and coastal terrain. Mixed weather can be expected. We do not recommend the route for first time multiday walkers. When walking early or late in the season, you need to be mindful of shorter daylight hours and be prepared for changeable weather conditions which may include snow.


Departure dates


Notes

Note:
15-day version available (code ECT)
Note:
17-day version with rest day in Richmond available (code EB8)
Note:
7th July departure includes two return taxis

Priceper person from

£2480GBP

Options & Supplements*
  • Single room supplementGBP£730
*Prices listed are per person

Frequently Asked Questions

This version of the Coast to Coast Trail has two extra nights to the standard itinerary. Our group spends a night at Danby Whiske and at Great Broughton, splitting a couple of the longer days up on the second half of the route.

If the weather is good and the members of your group very competent, then our guide could consider the group's options. However, if there are weaker members of the team this may not be possible, and the guide's decision is final. There may as well be issues about getting to the place of accommodation in time for dinner, current trail conditions, etc.

Obviously on any of our small group guided trips, extra nights are only available before the beginning or after the end of our walking holiday.

Commensurate with the length of day and speed of the group. You may have to take public transport or a taxi round on the longer, harder days if you are having difficulties with days up to 24 miles. You should be well prepared and trained before you start your Coast to Coast walking holiday.

It depends upon the nature of the injury, most sprains may only last a couple of days, but you may need hospital treatment. So you may have to leave the walk for a day or two and travel around on public transport, or you may need to leave the trip altogether. Make sure that you have insurance for all eventualities. Leaders are First Aid trained but are only able to carry a limited First Aid kit with them.

You don't have to join the group for dinners at all. In some places where there isn't a lot of choice available, a restaurant may have been booked for the group in advance. You don't have to go, just make it very clear to the leader so that they can adjust arrangements. In some instances, the food may have to be prebooked - so if you have preordered, either cancel in good time or honour the reservation.

It makes sense in those places where there is no shop to buy a packed lunch from your accommodation. Otherwise you can choose your own items at a shop or bakery. Some people find the packed lunches more than substantial, but they may contain more items than you require.

This was announced in 2022 and it should mean more funding for trail maintenance and signage of Wainwright's Coast to Coast. It is however unlikely that you will suddenly see a rash of waymarks across the higher levels of the walk, such as in the Lake District for example.


Guided Coast to Coast Walk Trip reviews


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Guided Coast to Coast Walk Videos

Walk England's Coast to Coast with Walkers' Britain

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