Northbrook House Oxford Science Park Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 4GA www.activeenglandtours.com [email protected] +44 (0)1865 513007 Walk Coast to Coast – 14 to 18 Day Self-Guided Lake District, North York Moors, The Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, The North Sea Duration 14-18 days / 14-18 nights Start St Bees Railway Station (arriving by train) or Kirkby Stephen (arriving by car) Finish Newcastle or Tynemouth Return to Nature and the English Countryside on a 14-18 day, tour tracing the full length of the England’s original and most famous Coast to Coast Route, as devised by Alfred Wainwright. 190 miles of magical walking from the western edges of the Lake District, through to the Yorkshire Dales and finally over the North Yorkshire Moors to the finish at Robin Hood’s Bay, leading you from one breath-taking view to the next, immersing you in the England’s iconic history and heritage and championing England in all its glory. We will help you draw up the itinerary that is right for you. The Coast to Coast is a special walk and the enjoyment of it can be further enhanced by careful planning to fit your own unique requirements, aims, fitness, experience, and any time constraints. Although some people have done it in less than 12 days this is only advisable for the super-fit and if you are prepared to compromise on not being able to fully explore and ponder. After all, the views and photo opportunities are timeless! 14 days is the most common trip duration. If you wish to keep daily mileages shorter or include a rest day or two – with Grasmere, Kirkby Stephen and Richmond the main places – then you may wish to consider taking between 15-17 days. There are also those you like to comfortably ease along, have a couple of rest days and explore places you pass through, and so take up to 19 days. Northbrook House Oxford Science Park Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 4GA www.activeenglandtours.com [email protected] +44 (0)1865 513007 Itinerary Arrival and stay at St. Bees or Kirkby Stephen. If travelling in by air or train then it is better to go direct to St Bees. If driving, then best to use the complementary secure car-parking in Kirkby Stephen, stay the night, and then take our transferred to St Bees at 8am on Day 1 ready to walk to Ennerdale Bridge. Day 1: St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge. Following the tradition of the C2C, collect a stone from the beach in St. Bees, which you take with you throughout your entire journey and carry over to Robin Hood Bay to drop in the North Sea. The trip starts with a walk along the sea front, then turns towards the village of Sandwith. Waving goodbye to the Irish Sea you’ll head inland passing the villages of Moor Row and Cleator. Your first day’s walk is a nice gentle start to your trip, with a few ups and downs before your first hill Dent Fell on the fringe of the Lake District, offering uninterrupted stunning views of the Cumbrian coast, before you arrive into the small village of Ennerdale Bridge and your accommodation for the night. OPTIONS: 23 km Elevation 705m Day 2: Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite. You're now inside the Lake District National Park! The day starts by walking along Ennerdale Water with cracking views of the approaching fells. This is one of the two sections where you have a couple of options – go high up to Red Pike and over High Stile onto the iconic Haystacks and past Innominate Tarn - this was Wainwright’s favourite summit and where his ashes were scattered, or the gentler walk up to Black Sail Youth Hostel and then up Loft Beck. Both options come together before Honister Slate mine, the last working slate mine in England, and descend into the pretty village of Rosthwaite, ringed with mountains, and where you finish your day’s walk. OPTIONS: 23 km Elevation 530m Day 3: Rosthwaite to Grasmere. Today’s walk is a little shorter, but with a great ascent sure to challenge your legs up to the day's only peak, Greenup Edge, for some iconic views over the Lake District and down along Eagle Crag. Grasmere, where today’s walk ends, is one of the larger towns you’ll visit on the Coast to Coast. Home to William Wordsworth and with a bustling high street, great dinner options in town a Wordsworth Museum and the chance to look around his Dove Cottage. Northbrook House Oxford Science Park Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 4GA www.activeenglandtours.com [email protected] +44 (0)1865 513007 With plenty to explore and a vibrant village life, Grasmere is a good place for an extra night’s stay, for those wishing to break up there walking journey. OPTIONS: 15 km Elevation 600m Day 4: Grasmere to Patterdale. Today’s walk also gives you two choices of route. Climbing up to Grisedale Hause you’ll get some great views backwards towards Grasmere. From there, you can go even higher and up the famous Helvellyn peak, the third-highest point in England, and the steady hike up onto St Sunday Crag. Or head on straight, into the landscape that opens in front of you as far as Ullswater, England’s second largest lake, before descending down Grisedale Pike from both routes and into the cute village of Patterdale where you stay overnight. OPTIONS: 14 km Elevation 500m (lower route) Day 5: Patterdale to Bampton. Today begins with another climb to some very impressive views all round, including across to Fairfield, Helvellyn, Hartsop and Kirkstone Pass. You’ll walk alongside the famous Angle Tarn lake, believed by many to be the most beautiful of the over 100 lakes in the District, with the possibility of seeing red deer and even a peregrine falcon here. Journeying on you’ll cross an old Roman Path and reach Kidsty Pike - the highest point on the Coast to Coast! The views from here down to Haweswater and Riggindale are incredible. Riggingdale is famous as being home to England’s only golden eagle - look out for him dancing through the skies. From here the route descends down to Haweswater reservoir– formed in the 1930’s to provide water to the cities of the North West – and forms an undulating walk into the sweet village of Bampton. OPTIONS: 19 km Elevation 990m Day 6: Bampton to Orton. With less climbing than the previous two days, today you can stretch your legs through the fields to your first stop at Shap Abbey, the ruins of a monastery founded in the late 12th century in the secluded and beautiful valley of the river Lowther. Abandoned by the monks under Henry 8th in 1540, it has since held the memory of a bygone era. After passing through the small town of Shap the route crosses into the Westmorland Fells, part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. These hills follow a limestone ridge that encompasses some of the most beautiful landscape in Cumbria, marking the end of the dramatic granite rocks which transforms into a stunningly open limestone landscape. Your day ends in the village of Orton, where you stay for the evening. Northbrook House Oxford Science Park Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 4GA www.activeenglandtours.com [email protected] +44 (0)1865 513007 OPTIONS: 21 km Elevation 150m Day 7: Orton to Kirkby Stephen. Today's walking leads you through an open landscape with only a few villages, remote houses and farms. Wide open views towards the distant Pennines (tomorrow’s challenge) and the distinctive Howgills. Smardale Bridge stands out as a stunning piece of Victorian architecture, building on a long-gone railway and crossing the dramatic Scandal Beck valley. From here it’s on and into Kirkby Stephen in the heart of the lovely Eden Valley, a lively small town with welcoming pubs, cafes, and restaurants so you can rest your feet and enjoy the atmosphere. It is its welcoming place with a variety of dining and entertainment options, as well as short circular walks which makes Kirby Stephen a great place for an extra night’s stay, for those wishing to break up there walking journey with a rest day. OPTIONS: 20 km Elevation 385m Day 8: Kirkby Stephen to Keld. Today, the landscape returns to its hilly norm, climbing up to the Nine Standards - a very distinctive feature on the fell, over the crossing from Cumbria into Yorkshire and also the watershed between the Irish Sea and the North Sea. You leave Kirkby Stephen via the picture postcard village of Hartley with three route options over the fell to Keld depending on the season. Green (December – April), red (May – July) and blue (August – November). They all pass Ravenseat Farm, where the famous author and Dales personality – Amanda Owens, aka the Shepherdess – lives and runs a unique cafe. Finishing the day in the peaceful former lead-mining village of Keld makes for a great day out walking through varied terrain and landscape. OPTIONS: 19 km Elevation 515m Day 9: Keld to Reeth. Today you have the choice between a route over the mountain or a route along the valley. The former goes across an almost moonscape-like grouse moor, passing ruins from the lead-mining era, and the latter winds through the iconic Swaledale valley of quaint stone barns and dry stone walls. Whichever you choose, you’ll be in for a treat and will arrive at Reeth, another picture postcard village in the Dales with welcoming pubs and a friendly atmosphere to relax in in the evening.