Highlights of the Coast to Coast Walk

Make your own way to the starting point of your Highlights of the Coast to Coast Walk. The resort of St Bees is on the edge of the Irish Sea where you'll have views across to the Isle of Man (but that's another trip). In St Bees you should have time to visit the Abbey church, which has features on the local history and a display on a mummified knight that was discovered in a lead coffin from the graveyard. If you have booked with us 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. Whitehaven 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. Accommodation: A family-run bed and breakfast in a large modernised Georgian farmhouse in the centre of St Bees.

Take the first steps on the Highlights of the Coast to Coast Walk when you ascend from the beach at St Bees. Take a footpath along red sandstone coastal cliffs off St Bees Head with England’s only breeding colony of Black Guillimots (until July). Then head inland over hilly ground to the edge of the Lake District National Park. Dent Hill is the first real fell that you 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 trip down to Nannycatch Gate and Beck. A delightful stroll brings you to the final descent to leafy Ennerdale Bridge. // The day’s total ascent 780m / descent 665m. Accommodation: Overnight at a friendly pub.. Opt to 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. If we are unable to book you into Ennerdale then we will secure accommodation for you at Cleator with a return taxi transfer that we will put in place for you (own expense).

Follow 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 England's Lake District with its crags and broadleaved trees. Borrowdale is a delightful ensemble of hamlets: Seatoller, Longthwaite, Rosthwaite 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. Accommodation: Your hotel tonight is located at the southern end of the Borrowdale (Seatoller) Valley. It has striking views over the local fells.

Enjoy classic Lakeland scenery over Greenup Edge to Easedale and Grasmere. Its a stiff 500m climb up to the edge via Lining Crag where you may get great views back down into Borrowdale. The once boggy trail over the pass has been improved with the laying down of hundreds of Flagstones. After the pass the trail becomes rough and descends steeply into the flower meadows on the ouskirts of Grasmere. In good weather the longer variant optional path to Helm Crag is well worth it. Grasmere is one of Lakeland’s most celebrated villages and you might have time either this afternoon or tomorrow morning to visit poet Wordsworth's home at Dove Cottage and perhaps drop into the famous Ginger bread shop! // The day’s total ascent 750m / descent 760m. Accommodation: We use a number of different accommodation in the busy village of Grasmere.

A great walk over Grisedale Pass (609m/2000ft) and around the small mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn to Patterdale. In good weather and if you are a reasonably strong walker, we recommend that you take the detour route up St Sunday Crag (add 1½ hours). It will give some exceptional views down across Ullswater on the descend to Glenridding, possibly the most breathtaking of the Coast to Coast Path. Another detour option is via the summit of Helvellyn, for this add 2 miles and 2 hours. // The day’s total ascent: 900m / descent 805m (via the optional route over St Sunday Crag, less if you avoid this). Afternoon taxi transfer (approx 5pm, included) to Kirkby Stephen. Accommodation: Tonight’s accommodation is a family-run guesthouse.

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 you cross squelchy moors down to Keld in Swaledale. The trail from the Nine Standards, once the most notorious of the Coast to Coast, has been much improved once again with the placement of hundreds of flagstones. Passing 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. /// The day’s total ascent 780m / descent 575m. | Accommodation: Keld - A medium-sized guesthouse with traditional Yorkshire fayre served in an attractively decorated dining room, and there are tea & coffee making facilities in all rooms.

There are two options today. 1) The first is the higher alternative over wild moorland with long-abandoned lead mines, a magnet for the industrial archaeologist. 2) The second option is the pretty bucolic route via Swaledale, which is a lovely option if you have unfavourable weather or you just prefer a lower level walk. This takes you through numerous pastures with tiny gates through the dry stone walls. Whichever option you choose, your day finishes in Reeth, an attractive green village which flourished at the height of the mining age and today has a collection of pubs and tea shops. The day’s total ascent 838m / descent 911m (via the higher route). Accommodation: Your accommodation tonight is the oldest surviving Inn in Reeth, dating from 1680.