304 kms from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, September 2019

This hike was invented by Alfred Wainwright, who made plans to connect existing footpaths, bridleways and minor roads to enable a walk across a wide portion of England. It starts at St Bees Head, passes through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to end at Robin Hood’s Bay. I planned to do it in 15 hiking days and two rest days, with my friend Francis joining me for five days in the middle.

The sections in italics are from emails I wrote during the trip, like this one:

“On the train to St Bees. This time tomorrow should be over hallway to Ennerdale Bridge and be getting my first view of the Lakes. Will know by tomorrow night if this is a good idea. Its a longish walk, especially doing most of it solo.
First day is about 12 miles with 1500 ft of ascent, a fairly typical day for the trip. Weather is meant to be cloudy cool and dry, so reasonable conditions. Hike by myself for 2.5 days and then should meet Francis and Beth west of Grasmere.”

Day 1, 17th September 2019: St Bees Head to Ennerdale Bridge. 23.5 km. 2,300 ft of ascent. Stay at Sheperds Arms, a quaint village pub.

Arrived on the 16th by train from Newcastle and settled in to a comfortable room at the roadside Manor pub. Checked out the start of the route and had a quick dip in the Irish Sea. Picked up two pebbles to carry across the country. Next morning I had the first of many “Full English” cooked breakfasts and headed out.

“Great hiking weather for the first day! Sunny with clear views of Scotland and Isle of Man. 
Warm enough to hike in a T-shirt and may wear shorts tomorrow!
Took 7 hrs to get here with a few small unscheduled unofficial alternative sections.  Posted some pics on Instagram.
It is a serious hiker’s hike. The navigation was quite complicated. I brought 2 guide books, a map, and loaded 4 GPS aps on my tablet and still had a few issues! But the weather was great and I had time so no problem. 
The pub is cozy and had a fire even tho it is warm enough to sit outdoors! Local lamb for dinner.
No internet at the next location so will be out of touch until Thu evening.“

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Day 2, 18th September 2019: Ennerdale Bridge to Black Sail. 14.5km, 2,500 ft of ascent. Stayed at small, remote Black Sail Youth Hostel

“Day 2 could have been easy. Stroll around Ennerdale Water, walk up the Valley and be at Black Sail by lunchtime. Set off with a couple of Aussies, a mother and daughter who were hiking a bit further to Seatoller.”

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Day 3, 19th September 2019: Black Sail to Grasmere. 24 km. 2,000 ft of ascent. Stayed at the up-market Inn at Grasmere

“Set off by myself at 8:20 knowing it would be along day. Headed up a river valley to a plateau where the guide was confusing and the maps unhelpful. Beautiful crisp clear day and the route turned out to be easy to find, so it was delightful. Passed Honister slate quarry and descended into Borrowdale. Stopped at Youth Hostel for tea and muffin. Clear sunny weather. By noon I was heading up the valley to Greenup, another confusing plateau. This one was boggy and I sunk up to my knees in peat. Took me a while to be sure of the right way down. Finally came to a spot where I was meant to meet Francis, at the intersection of the crest and valley routes to Grasmere. He was meant to arrive between 3:30 and 4 by the high route so we would go down the easier, faster low route together. I was ahead of schedule, waited almost an hour, trying to dry my boots and socks. He arrived at 4:05 by the low route just as I was giving up. We decided to take the high route back, a hike Deb and I did part of last time I was here. Great views. 
Got to Inn, which is quite posh at 6:30 after 9 hrs hiking. It was 24 miles and 5500 feet of ascent since my last shower so jumped straight into a bath!”

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Navigation
The Coast to Coast is NOT an official footpath. It was designed by Alfred Wainwright as a route which uses existing paths, tracks and minor roads to cross the country. In some places there are good official signposts, in some places there are informal signs put up by farmers or locals to help (and to prevent you from trespassing off the trail). In many places, there are no signposts at all. In some places the route is on a paved road, other places it is just a row of footprints across a field, or a place where the grass has been bent over by previous walkers.
The first day I began with a paperback guidebook ("Coast to Coast Path" by Henry Stedman). This is a great book, with lots of useful information and sketch maps. Around Cleator Moor I was spending more time looking at the guidebook than admiring the scenery, and I still got a bit lost. If you lose count of how many stiles you have been through or go on the left side of the cricket pitch instead of the right, you can get lost and have to retrace your footsteps. I also carried the 1:50,000 strip maps, which were very useful to get an idea of what each day's hike would be like, but not always detailed enough.
I had a compass that I used once when lost and turned around on a cloudy day on Greenup Fell. I also made a  habit of noting where the sun was. If you are heading due east, the sun should be in front of you at 6 a.m., over your right shoulder at noon, and directly behind you at 6 p.m. This is useful if you know which direction you are meant to be heading in, and if the sun is shining.
But after the first day, I decided I needed to use the GPS on my phone, and started downloading various apps. In the end, I settled on "Back Country Navigator", and downloaded it on to both my phone and a tablet, and downloaded the maps of the area around the path. GPS tells you where you are without using data but it is of no use if your phone does not already have a map of the area, so it can put a pin on a specific place. The app proved useful almost immediately. on the second day. After leaving Ennerdale Watter there is an option of turning off the main trail and heading  up Red Pike. The path is quite inconspicuous and not signposted, but my GPS was able to tell me that I was in exactly the right position where the low trail and the Red Pike trail intercept each other, so I knew to take the trail up. GPS is not a magic bullet. It is good at positioning you on a map but less good at telling you which way you are heading. Also, especially at the end of the route, there were many intercepting trails (The Cleveland Way, The Lyke Wake Walk) and you had to be careful to follow the correct trail. I found that, in a rainstorm, the drops of rain landing on the touch screen of my phone would make the phone change the image, which was very annoying. 
I also downloaded the Google Maps for the trail. You go into the settings you can choose "Offline Maps" and select areas to download. I then searched out all the places I was staying and marked them on the map. Even without a data connection, Google maps can use GPS to mark where you are on maps you have downloaded, and will give you driving (but NOT walking) directions to any other place. This was useful at the end of some long days, as it meant I could head directly to my accommodation by the shortest route. For example, in Shap, the Greyhound inn is at the farthest south part of the town, so there is no point wandering around the centre of town looking for it. 

Day 4, 20th September 2019: Rest day at Grasmere

“Met Francis and Beth and walked to Rydal Mount by Coffin Path and back by lake route. 22 C and bright sun. Stopped in a pub for a half pint and a sandwich for lunch. Tomorrow should be a good ridge hike on St Sunday Crag to Patterdale. Day after, to Shap, will be long and hard.”

Route Planning Part 1: East to West or Vice Versa
The Coast to Coast is usually walked from West to East. This is unfortunate, as the highest hills and the most beautiful scenery are in the Lake District, which would make a better end to the hike (although Robin Hood's Bay is much nicer than St Bees). The logic is that the prevailing wind is from west to east, and you want the wind and rain on your back as much as possible. As far as the terrain underfoot goes, it is equally easy in either direction. If you are using a printed guidebook, they are all written assuming travelling eastward, and would be difficult to follow in reverse. If using GPS, there is no problem. The luggage transfer companies are also geared for the west to east approach. They will take bags in reverse, but the delivery is a day late, so you need one bag for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and another bag for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Things you need every day (like the guidebook, toiletries and medication) you either have to carry yourself or have two sets.
The final argument, which made up my mind, is that if you travel in the conventional direction you will keep bumping into the same groups of people along the way, which is great for a solo hiker who likes a bit of company. If you are with a group or feel reclusive, then by all means go the "wrong way"!

Day 5, 121st September 2019: Grasmere to Patterdale. 12 km. 3,000 ft of ascent. Stayed at Old Water View, a guest house used by Wainwright.

This was one perhaps the best day of the trip. The hike up to Grisedale Tarn was not too long or hard. From there you have three choices. Helvellyn is a long detour, but a fantastic hike if you have never done Striding Edge before. The easy option is the valley route. I had often looked at the long ridge of St Sunday Crag and thought it would make an amazing hike. We went that way, and I was not wrong!

“Had an amazing day’s hike up from Grasmere to Grisedale Tarn then a long ridge walk on St Sunday Crag. Sunny but very windy in tops. Great views of Ullswater. Descended into Patterdale and White Lion pub. Quick pint, then Francis set off for his accommodation at Helvellyn YH and I checked in to my BnB. 
When I booked they told me the only place available was the Shepherd’s Hut.  It’s a wagon in their parking lot with sheep-themed decor.
Francis refused to believe me when I said there was a 100% chance of rain tomorrow. He made me check two websites for both Patterdale and Shap. He claims he has never heard of a 100% guarantee of rain before. From St Sunday Crag we could see Hellvelyn on one side and across to tomorrow’s route up Kidsty Pike on the other side. It’s not as bad as I thought, but we are going to get wet…”

Route Planning Part 2: Start and End of hike
It is best to use public transport to get to the start and from the finish of the hike. If coming from overseas I recommend flying into Manchester Airport. The airport has its own train station. It takes less than four hours to get to St Bees, changing trains once in Barrow in Furness.
Coming back, there is a bus from Robin Hood's Bay to Scarborough. You have to change trains in Leeds to get back to the airport. The trip takes about 5 1/2 hours.

Day 6: 22nd September 2019: Patterdale to Shap. 26 km. 2,000 ft of ascent. Stayed at the Greyhound pub, which has been expanded and modernized in rather odd ways.

“Left the Lakes today! One National Park down, two to go. Also done 5/15 hiking days. And done the highest point of the trail.Today was tough as it rained for the first four hours and drizzled the last two. 9 hrs of hiking for me and 10 for Francis who stayed further away last night.Put a good GPS program on my phone which was invaluable for wayfinding on the upper plateaus in a mist, so we never got lost.Long and atmospheric hike up to Kidsty Pike with great views but a cold wet wind. Had to loan Francis an extra layer. A steep descent to 6km along the shore of the reservoir. Then an extra 6 or 7 to the hotel in Shap which dragged. Walking through fields and beside streams and woods but it was dark and damp.The hotel seems nice and is supposed to do good food and beer. Ready for it!”

Day 7:  23rd September 2019: Shap to Kirkby Stephen. 33.4km 750 ft of ascent. Stayed at Lockholme BnB.

“The guidebook calls this a Recovery Day as there are no big hills. 20.5 miles or 33km! It took from 8:45 to 17:30. 47,329 steps. It took us 35 kms because we forgot to pick up our lunches at breakfast so we had to detour into Orton to buy lunch and have a quick half of Jennings Bitter.But actually, it was a great hike, far prettier and more interesting than I expected and the promised rain never came. Staying at very friendly and efficient BnB. Off for Indian dinner now.”

Planning Part 3: Routes, Days and Overnights
Wainwright says that if you walk from St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay by any route, you can say you have done the "Coast to Coast". There is a standard route, which has a few minor variations in some places, often offering a high and low version. There is one section of moor where the route goes different ways at different months to reduce erosion. Most people book their accommodation in advance, to be sure something is available. Tough people on a budget carry a tent. Before you start booking, you have to seriously and realistically assess what you are capable of hiking in a day, and how hard you want to make the trip. Consider building in some short days or even some rest days, so you do not always arrive in places after the shops are shut and leave before they open. Many of the small towns en route are very attractive, and you will want an hour or two of daylight to explore them.
Some people are prepared to walk off the route to get to accommodation, others are even prepared to have a taxi pick them up, drive them to a hotel, and drop them back at the same spot the next day. I wanted to stick to the route, and to only travel on foot all the time. Get a list or map of all the possible places you can stay, e.g. from Sherpa Van, and look at sample itineraries on the internet. In some areas, villages are far apart and there are few choices. In other places you can decide between two long days and three shorter days. I hiked for three days, stopped a day in Grasmere, hiked five days to Reeth, took a day off, and then completed the trip with six more days of hiking. Grasmere is touristy and expensive (consider the Quaker Guest House), but very pretty and the walk to Wordsworth's home in Rydal is worth the effort. Reeth is a small village around a green. There is not much there but I have friends who like the place and enjoy exploring the local lead mine ruins. Many people press on to Richmond, which is quite a bustling large town, a marked contrast to all the smaller stops along the route.
I found all the places I stayed were entirely adequate, and the staff friendly and helpful. They were all clean and suitably equipped, although Americans used to "Best Western" style corporate lodgings on the city outskirts will find them all small and quaint. There was never a time when I though "Thank goodness I am only staying here one night!". In some locations, the only choice is a small local pub offering steak pie or fish and chips, so its worthwhile seeking out other options, like the pizza and art gallery in Grosmont or an Indian restaurant in Richmond. Every place served a full cooked English breakfast. Many would also provide a packed lunch on request. Alternatively, newsagents, post offices or small supermarkets (like "Spar") would sell sandwiches in plastic wrap, cold drinks, fruit and chocolate. On some sections there are pubs and other places to buy lunch, or get a hot drink and dry off in a cafe.

1Day 8: 24th September 2019: Kirkby Stephen to Keld. 24 km. 2,000 ft of ascent. Stayed at Keld Lodge.

The day took us past the Nine Standards Rigg, a curious collection of stone monuments. After that, we got to a bog, and everyone tried to find the least muddy path. If one person succeeded without getting their legs wet, the rest would follow.

“Supposed to meet Philip amongst the lead mines between Keld and Reeth tomorrow but he is being vague about his plans. I have a rest day in Reeth and Francis leaves me. But there is quite a group of people wandering across at the same pace. One guy is taking his white labradoodle on a 208-mile walkies! The Australians from Brisbane were in the same BnB as us last night and we met them at breakfast. I had taken a rest day but then did in 2 hard days what they did in 3 so it all evened out.“

“Wainwright likes to give his hikers a taste of different types of landscapes. Today was bog day. Six hours in boggy areas in the rain and mist. For half an hour in one spot five of us were taking turns to find the best way through the mud. The waterproof socks worked great. At the end of the day, my feet were the only dry part of me! Thanks, Meg!

In Keld which is the half way point. 7 hiking days done, 8 to go. Just over 100 miles done. Also crossed from Cumbria into Yorkshire and crossed the Pennines watershed. Rivers now flow east not west. “

PART 2. East Section