UK Coast to Coast Trek

Grasmere c

IMG_0144 c

Richmond

Grasmere c

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Coast to Coast Trek

Hike through 3 beautiful national Parks
Discover picturesque woodland, rugged mountains, pretty villages and stunning views
One of the best long-distance hikes in the world

Why Choose Cloud 9 Adventure

Outstanding fully-qualified expert guides
Stay in charming traditional hotels, inns and B&Bs
Eat in authentic local pubs and restaurants

UK Coast to Coast Trek: Overview

The Coast to Coast Trek is one of the the best long-distance walks in the world. The original 190-mile route, running from west to east, was devised by the famous British fell-walker and author Alfred Wainwright and detailed in his 1973 guidebook. The route runs from St Bees Head in Cumbria, to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire, passing through three beautiful national parks; the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park. On our trek we will discover charming English villages, and enjoy beautiful views of rolling hillsides, lakes and rugged moors.

What to expect

The terrain is varied, taking in wide paths, narrow trails and more remote sections with no trail at all. We pass through woodland, fields, country lanes, villages, open hillside, steep rocky paths and steps, and we climb several mountains en-route. We will cover between 13km and 34km each day so a good level of fitness is needed.

We stay in a mixture of hotels, guest houses and traditional B&Bs. We favour staying in family-owned places, and while some of the accommodation might be quirky, it is all charming. We book twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms wherever possible. We have luggage support throughout so we will have our main bags each night.

Different Coast to Coast options

We offer different options for the Coast to Coast trek:

14-Day Trek

Our standard version is 14 days of trekking, and is our recommended itinerary for a number of reasons: it splits the very long 20 mile day from Richmond to Ingleby over 2 days, allowing us to stay overnight in Danby Wiske, and giving us more time to explore the town of Richmond and its castle. It also means we can walk the whole route, with no need for transfers. If maximising time off work is important, the 14-day itinerary means you can arrive in St Bees on a Saturday, and depart Robin Hoods Bay on a Sunday.

13-Day Trek

If the group would prefer to travel Saturday to Saturday, then we simply carry on walking past Richmond to Bolton-on-Swale, take a transfer back to Richmond to stay the night, and take a transfer back to Bolton-on-Swale the next morning to rejoin the Coast to Coast where you left off. Ths would be a 14-night/13-day trek.

Extended Trek

If you would like a more relaxed version of the trip, allowing for shorter trekking days or more free time, we can organise the trek over 15, 16, 17 or 18 days. Just ask us for details.

Split Trek

If you would like to split the trip into two halves, we can organise two trips. In week 1 we would trek from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen, and in week 2 we would trek from Kirkby Stephen to Robin Hood's Bay.

More Comfortable Version

We can happily organise a more luxurious version of the trip. We would arrange transport between the start/finish points and our accommodation each day, and select the most comfortable and stunning accommodation along the route.

AT A GLANCE

15 nights

14 days' trekking

Luggage delivery

Group size 4-10

Join: St Bees Head

End: Robin Hood's Bay

ACCOMMODATION

Hotels and B&Bs

DIFFICULTY GRADING

7

Challenging

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TRIP NOTES

UK Coast to Coast Trek: Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in St Bees Head

The group will meet at our accommodation in St Bees Head. We will have a trip briefing, then head for dinner at a local village pub.

Accommodation: B&B

Luggage access

Day 2 - Trek from St Bees Head to Ennerdale Bridge

Following true Coast to Coast tradition, we start with a quick trip to the beach to take photos of the Coast to Coast sign and, more importantly, to dip our boots in the Irish sea. We follow the shoreline of the sea, and climb along the impressive sandstone cliff tops. We then head inland, towards the Lake District, and climb Dent, our first fell top of the trip! It can feel like quite a long day today, but it's a beautiful start for our Coast to Coast walk.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 22.5km

Day 3 - Trek from Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale

We walk along the banks of Ennerdale Water, then head up past Black Sail Youth Hostel. A steep 300m climb takes us to our high point, from where we descend to Honnister pass, and then down further into the beautiful Borrowdale valley. Tonight we stay in the hamlet of Stonethwaite.

Accommodation : Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 24km

Day 4 - Trek from Borrowdale to Grasmere

Today we will head up to Greenup Edge. It feels a bit more remote, and there is not always a path higher up. If the weather is good we'll take a high level route via Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag. In bad weather we can take the standard route down the valley to Grasmere. Either way we should have a little time to explore the pretty village that was once home to Wordsworth.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 14.5km

Day 5 - Trek from Grasmere to Patterdale

Today could be the shortest day of the trip, or, if we're feeling ambitious, there's an alternative route that we can try, depending on the group and the weather. If everyone is feeling fit and strong, and the weather is good, then we can take the route via the St Sunday crags - said by some to be the best view on the Coast to Coast. If the weather is bad, then we would head down the valley to Patterdale.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 13.5km

Day 6 - Trek from Patterdale to Shap

Today is a long but fantastic day, and our last day in the Lake District, so it's fitting that we climb to the highest point on the Coast to Coast; Kidsty Pike. We still have a way to go, as we traverse the length of Haweswater, eventually reaching Shap Abbey. We then have a few more fields (and kms!) to go before reaching the village of Shap.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 25km

Day 7 - Trek from Shap to Kirkby Stephen

It's a long day today, but the walking is much less strenuous, as we leave the Lake District behind to cross the limestone plateau and enter heather-clad moorland. We can make a detour to Robin Hood's grave, and pass the Giants' Graves before we reach the market town of Kirkby Stephen.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 33km

Day 8 - Trek from Kirkby Stephen to Keld

We're now entering the Yorkshire Dales, and we have a good climb to the famous Nine Standards Rigg. There are various different routes here and, due to erosion and boggy ground, we have to choose the route permitted according to the season. We'll descend via Ravenseat Farm, keeping our fingers crossed that they will be open for cream teas and scones! We then reach the beautiful river Swale, and the pretty village of Keld.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 21km

Day 9 - Trek from Keld to Reeth

We have two route choices today. The first would allow us to witness a piece of Britain's history, and see the remains of the lead mining industry. It isn't the most aesthetically pleasing of walks, but definitely a fascinating glimpse at what life must have been like for people who lived here 100 years ago. Alternatively we can choose to follow the river Swale through Swaledale - one of the most beautiful sections of the Coast to Coast.

Accommodation: B&B

Luggage access

Distance: 18km

Day 10 - Trek from Reeth to Richmond

First we pass the Benedictine ruins of Marrick Priory, followed by undulating farmland to reach the historical town of Richmond. We aim to arrive for a late lunch, which should give you some free time in the afternoon to explore the castle and the town.

Accommodation: Guest House

Luggage access

Distance: 17km

Day 11 - Trek from Richmond to Danby Wiske

We're now leaving the Yorkshire Dales behind and entering the Vale of Mowbray - a flat expanse of land that we must cross before we reach the North York moors. It is possible to traverse the Vale of Mowbray in one long 23 mile day, but we have chosen to break it up to avoid pounding our feet. We will also diverge from Wainwright's route and take variants along footpaths and bridleways - traditionally this section is almost entirely on road, so if you've read about the Coast to Coast then you may have noticed that people often don't enjoy this bit - so our version of the route stays almost entirely in the countryside on paths and tracks, and spends minimal time on the road.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 22km

Day 12 - Trek from Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross

Today we continue our journey through the Vale of Mowbray. Again, we will stick to footpaths and bridleways, with just 1 or 2 sections of road. We finish our journey to stay in the woods above Ingleby Cross, and a bonus to having a shorter day today is that we should have time to visit the nearby Mount Grace priory.

Accommodation: B&B

Luggage access

Distance: 18km

Day 13 - Trek from Ingleby Cross to Blakey Ridge

Today is quite a long day, but it's achievable with an early start. We pass through some fantastic and varied scenery, as we enter the North York Moors. Today we're in the Cleveland Hills, so we'll be up on the moors with great views all round. For the last 13km we follow a disused railway line all the way to the remote Lion Inn.

Accommodation: Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 34km

Day 14 - Trek from Blakey Ridge to Egton Bridge

We pass the famous Fat Betty post and in true Coast to Coast tradition can exchange some of our snacks! We then continue across the moors down to the village of Glaisdale for some lunch, before following the river through a beautiful wooded section of path to reach Egton Bridge.

Accommodation: B&B/Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 23km

Day 15 - Trek from Egton Bridge to Robin Hood's Bay

We begin on the old toll road to the village of Grosmont, famous for its steam railway. Then a very steep climb takes us to our final moorland, and hopefully some coastal views! Eventually we reach the cliff tops, which we follow for several miles before we make our way to Robin Hood's Bay, to dip our boots in the sea once again - this time it's the North sea. We can then have a celebratory pint to congratulate ourselves on the success of our epic journey!

Accommodation: B&B/Hotel

Luggage access

Distance: 28km