WAINWRIGHT'S COAST TO COAST - THE EASTERN Tour Code: 77919 Grade 6 SECTION Holiday Duration: 10 days HOLIDAY DATES The Eastern section of the route - across 13th May 2018 - 22nd May 2018, 9th Sept 2018 - 18th Sept 2018 moors and through dales to Robin Hood's Bay A hike from Kirkby Stephen on Cumbria's eastern border to Robin Hood's Bay, through the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorks Moors National Parks. HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS A challenging 110 mile walk across the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorks Moors to Robin Hood's Bay Great panoramic views throughout Your bags transported for you! WAINWRIGHT'S COAST TO COAST - THE EASTERN SECTION The 194 mile Coast to Coast walk from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea shore attracts hikers looking for a long distance challenge with the added attraction of three National Parks and some of the country's most inspiring scenery. This holiday provides the chance to tackle the 110 mile eastern section from Kirkby Stephen to Robin Hood's Bay and takes in two national parks. We'll be walking, on average, just over 14 miles a day throughout the walk with our longest day - a spectacular last one - being 16 miles. We'll walk from inn-to-inn staying in B&Bs, guesthouses and small hotels with your baggage being transported for you each day leaving you to carry only what you need on the trail each day. We start from Kirkby Stephen with the Lake District behind us and cross the Pennines, the backbone of England, into the glorious countryside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Continuing east we enter the heather moorland of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. This is a cracking walk right to our journey's end at Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea coast. Dip your toes in the sea, have a pint in the pub, and... have a snooze. Intended route: Day 1 Overnight Kirkby Stephen Day 2 Kirkby Stephen - Keld (12 miles) Day 3 Keld - Reeth (11.5 miles) Day 4 Reeth - Richmond (11 miles) Day 5 Richmond - Danby Wiske (14½ miles) Day 6 Danby Wiske - Huthwaite Green (15 miles) Day 7 Huthwaite Green - Blakey Ridge (15 miles) Day 8 Blakey Ridge - Grosmont (14 miles) Day 9 Grosmont - Robin Hood's Bay (16 miles) Day 10 Depart after breakfast WHATS INCLUDED Breakfasts and dinners each day. Accommodation in hotels and B&Bs throughout. Any necessary transport between overnight accommodation and daily walks. Baggage transport between your accommodations each day. HOLIDAY GRADE This is a Grade 6 moderate holiday which includes full day walks with appreciable amounts of ascent and descent with walks in some remote areas. Paths are mostly good, but there may be some steep and rough ground. Walks will last up to 6 hours and could involve as much as 750m of ascent and descent and are likely to be at the upper level of ascent, descent, walking time and distance. See the Walks & Excursions section for more information. Pioneer Holidays Pioneer holidays are more adventurous itineraries, typically well off the beaten track. Whilst exploring lesser- known destinations, local conditions, facilities and transport may be basic, events may require modifications to itineraries at short notice and there may be more travelling , possibly on poor roads - but the experience and stories to tell will be worth it all. This is a Continuous Walk covering a long distance trail in manageable daily sections. Proposed Itinerary Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the outlined itinerary and advertised programme, local conditions can change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. This may mean that routes and timings need to be amended or the order of days may change, sometimes at short notice. Key to Meals: B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner. In flight meals, if appropriate, will be advised in your final travel documents Day: 1 - Kirkby Stephen (D) Independent travel to The Black Bull Hotel in Kirkby Stephen. Check in is from 2pm. Meet your tour leader at approximately 6.30pm in the hotel for a briefing before dinner. Day: 2 - Kirkby Stephen (B,D) Kirkby Stephen to Keld. Today’s section starts in the county of Cumbria and continues into Yorkshire. We begin by crossing the Eden river at Franks Bridge and climbing up to the Nine Standards Rigg. This is a major watershed as, from now on, all rivers will be draining eastwards into the North Sea. This area is extremely boggy - if you have gaiters this would be an ideal occasion to wear them. There are three routes to follow, depending on the conditions, but all lead into Swaledale, which we will follow for the next two days. Dinner in the hotel. Distance Depending on route: Red 19km/12 miles. Green 23km/14.5 miles Ascent 459m / Descent 314m, Max. Altitude 575m. Walking time 6-7hrs. Day: 3 - Keld (B,D) Keld to Reeth. The wildlife is in abundance along today’s section, so we may encounter rabbits, pheasants, grouse and deer. We begin by crossing the Pennine Way and ascending to Crackpot Hall where we can either descend to follow the River Swale to Reeth, or climb up to traverse the moors and examine the mining history that has scarred the landscape. The high level route is the preferred option and we will climb above the narrow gorge of Swinner Gill, and as we continue further uphill we see the remains of Swinner Gill smelting mill with waterfalls alongside and look at the ‘hushes’ on the far valley. We continue across attractive countryside and pass Moss Dam and tackle a steep path up onto Melbecks Moors. From Cringley Bottom we are rewarded with fine views as the track rolls down to Reeth. Dinner in the hotel. Distance 18.5km/11.5 miles. Ascent 202m, Descent 313m, Max altitude 377m. Walking time 6hrs. Day: 4 - Reeth (B,D) Reeth to Richmond. Our day starts with a pleasant walk alongside the River Swale to Marrick Abbey, founded in the 12th Century. We then climb up above the river, to arrive in the village of Marske, where we will learn about the Hutton family and see their boxed pews in the church. We will then walk beneath a limestone scar and pass through wooded areas including Whitecliffe Wood. After emerging from here we are treated with fine views of Richmond our destination for the night. Dinner in the hotel. Distance 17km/11 miles. Ascent 287m, Descent 361m Max Altitude 314m. Walking time 6hrs. Day: 5 - Richmond (B,D) Richmond to Danby Wiske. On leaving Richmond we start to cross the Vale of Mowbray, a fertile agricultural plain which is only just above sea level. We will follow the River Swale for much of the morning, past the old Roman settlement at Catterick Bridge, but when the river swings away south, we will head off due east towards the Cleveland Hills which we will see in the distance. This is a pleasant day of field walking as we head to Danby Wiske, the lowest point on the walk apart from the start and finish! Dinner in the hotel. Distance 23km/14.5 miles. Ascent 65m, Descent 162m Max. Altitude 137m. Walking time 7hrs. Day: 6 - Danby Wiske (B,D) Danby Wiske to Huthwaite Green. The day starts with us following an assortment of paths across fields as we get ever nearer to the Cleveland Hills. We finally reach the A19, which we have to sprint across as there is no bridge, and so on to Ingleby Cross at the foot of the Hills. We then enter the North York Moors National Park as we climb steadily up through Arncliffe Wood to join the Cleveland Way on the top of Beacon Hill. We will then enjoy wonderful views as we cross open moorland before descending gently though woods, on a short section of the Lyke Wake Walk path to arrive at Huthwaite Green. Dinner in the hotel. Distance 23.75km/14.75 miles. Ascent 600m, Descent 450m Max. Altitude 299m. Walking time 7-8hrs. Day: 7 - Huthwaite Green (B,D) Huthwaite Green to Blakey Ridge. Our morning walk follows the Cleveland Way along the northern edge of the Cleveland Hills, whilst it is a bit of a switchback walk as we traverse Carlton Moor, Cringle Moor and the Wain Stones, the views north are spectacular and offer a first glimpse of the North Sea. Having crossed a B road at Claybank Top, our afternoon will see us climb steadily up onto Urra Moor. Once there, the going becomes much easier as we will follow a dismantled railway all the way to Blakley Ridge. Dinner in the hotel. Distance 24.5km/15.2 miles. Ascent 1114m / Descent 825m Max. Altitude 447m. Walking time 8hrs. Day: 8 - Blakey Bridge (B,D) Blakey Ridge to Grosmont. We begin by following the road towards Young Ralph Cross and Fat Betty, one of the many boundary stones in this area. We continue eastwards and walk along the Southern side of the wonderfully named Great Fryup Dale until the end of Glaisdale Moor where we should catch another glimpse of the North Sea. We continue along a rough stony track following the spur of Glaisdale Riggbefore descending to Glaisdale. A short walk through the delightful East Arncliffe Wood brings us to Egton Bridge, where there are some stepping stones over the River Esk. We then follow a private drive and old Toll road by the river into Grosmont. Here we can enjoy the steam trains at the station as we eat our cream tea.