Coast to Coast

The Coast to Coast was devised by Alfred Wainright and first described in his guide published in 1973. He describes the route in 12 stages; it took me 13 days. I measured it as about 187 miles long (300 km). It traverses three national parks - the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

The walk is extremely varied passing from the dramatic granite pikes and becks of the Lake District to the fascinating Westmorland limestone pavement. Perhaps the most delightful section is that of the Yorkshire Dales from Kirkby Stephen, over Nine Standards and then along the Swale from Keld to Reeth.

The C2C starts with a coastal walk along the sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head and finishes satisfyingly with a similar stretch of the Cleveland Way along the shale and mudstone cliffs from Hawkster to Robin Hoods Bay. The idea of a route from the Irish to the North Sea is beguiling and Wainwright cleverly used parts of bridleways and ancient tracks to link the three national parks but there is too much road and the route feels contrived.

I'm glad I did it, however, and enjoyed much of it, apart from the tedious stretch from Richmond to Ingleby Arncliffe across the Vale of Mowbray. Looking back, I most enjoyed the Lakes, despite the rain and storms because I know them so well. And I enjoyed the easy day from Keld to Reeth with Scharlie and Bridget, not least because of their obvious pleasure in the landscape and flora