Overview
The new Coast to Coast Path (C2C) National Trail was originally conceived by Alfred Wainwright. It is not clear if he would have been too happy about that, as he was not a fan of turning his original coast-to-coast route into a National Trail. Nevertheless, this is one of the most popular UK trails, with an estimated 10-15,000 completors each year, which exceeds some of the ‘lesser’ trails by some margin. It is popular with international visitors too, so don’t get confused when you hear an Antipodean or US accent.
I have written two books covering 20 of the 21 National Trails: Tales from the Big Trails and The Coast is Our Compass, the latter focusing on the King Charles III England Coast Path, inaugurated on 21st March 2026. This means I do not have a publication that follows the Coast to Coast, so I have written a long-form blog to compensate.
The map below (zoomable), shows an overview of the route which can be walked in either direction, although almost everyone will start in St Bees and walk east. I chose to walk in the opposite direction.
Time of year
Most people would walk this in the shoulder months to avoid the winter gales, but you can walk it any time of year, depending on your experience and the conditions. I met a group in Robin Hood’s Bay who had crossed from St Bees through Storm Agnes. They looked exhausted. Winter requires specialist skills and real knowledge of the conditions at hand, for the fells and moors can be a dangerous place in a blizzard. I would also recommend that you avoid the high temperatures we have experienced recently, as climbing in 25 °C or higher is very difficult, and you can easily suffer from heat exhaustion.
After heavy rain, paths can become boggy and turn into rivers, so you will be lucky not to encounter wet conditions on your crossing.
Length of walk
The route is 190 miles, probably a mile shorter because the cliff path at St Bees is closed. It should be rerouted by 2028. There is over 8,000 metres of ascent, which is to be expected when crossing the backbone of England and the Lakes. It is not as much as I expected, as the South West Coast Path has over 32,000 metres of ascent in 630 miles, so it is notionally tougher. However, the C2C climbs to 780m at Kidsty Pike and is true mountain territory.
Navigation
The C2C is now a National Trail and is signposted, with many new fingerposts pointing the way. Having said that, there are many unsigned junctions and turnings (notably on Fleetwith turning), that could mean you get lost, especially on high ground where you need it most. Navigation is essential to master, as any amount of walking effort without proper direction will frustrate progress. As a minimum, take a map and compass (and a whistle), the staple safety equipment for those in the mountains, and learn how to use them. I carried the waterproof Harvey Maps and had both OS Maps and Organic Maps on my smartphone. The latter has become my favourite; loaded with the official C2C GPX route, it is simple to use, and quickly confirms if you are on the path. I used OS Maps to memorise the day’s route and watch for any major waypoints and climbs, so I had some expectation of what lay ahead. Do not rely on Google Maps, other than to find accommodation and refreshments. It has no sense of topology or the conditions underfoot.
GPX routes can differ and may not show low-level routes, and they often deviate from the recent route changes that follow the fingerposts. I would always take the signed route and use the low route from Reeth to Keld, which is very pleasant. I got lost ascending Dent Fell from the west, up a stupidly steep, zigzag forest track. Also, be very careful at Y junctions, for what is an obvious route walking east is not so obvious heading west. Any encounter with these junctions automatically called for a map check. The moors have a lot of these junctions, and if you take the wrong turn, you will find yourself in the wrong dale. It is an easy mistake to make.
More often than not, the approaching east-to-west walkers confirmed the route and gave me path-condition information, too. I was asked constantly to confirm routes and describe path conditions when I met walkers each day. On the easy sections, I cover ground at approximately 3mph, but in the fells that dropped to 2mph, meaning 10-hour days, which is tough going unless you are used to walking long distances.
Accommodation and Transport
This trail is popular with package walking organisations, which can handle bookings for all budgets. I walked in July and September and didn’t book more than a day ahead, using hostels and campsites where possible, mainly to meet people and keep costs down. Both the YHA and Independent Hostel networks have plenty of options, and there are lots of campsites. Look for pubs with campsites too. I quite fancied a packaged, self-guided, baggage-transfer, B&B booking, which seemed to be £100-plus per day without food. Campsites were £10-£15, and hostels £15-£20, and walking the route in 9 nights meant £150 vs £1,400 for a two-week schedule.
For all the wonderful guidebooks and websites, the most useful document I had was Alby Williams Coast to Coast Group Facebook pages, which he keeps up to date and posts online. They are scruffy tables, but they contain the essential information for 8, 10, 12, and 14-day itineraries. Everyone who was camping or using hostels knew about these lists; they are easy to use because the tables include distances. Thank you, Alby; you are a legend (as confirmed by many I met at the campsites).
My experience
Since the C2C doesn’t appear in my books, I have written a much longer blog than usual. Otherwise, what follows is a more practical take on walking east to west.
Robin Hood’s Bay took almost a day to reach from London, using the LNER service to York and the TransPennine Express to Scarborough, where the X93/X94 bus takes you to RHB in 45 minutes. I arrived with enough daylight to walk a few hours to a campsite at Low Rigg Farm, rather than check in to expensive accommodation. I had collected the obligatory pebble and chatted to a few walkers who were just about to complete their journeys as I found the coast path north. It was a couple of hours until I could pitch a tent with a glorious view of Whitby Abbey.
The first section of the walk will take me through the North York Moors, the first of three National Parks on the C2C. The moorland felt immediate as I woke to head east, although a moorland fire had reduced most of the heather to ash. It is also very dry underfoot, with no sign of wet bog, the normal terrain. Brand-new signposts direct me to May Beck, and a very pleasant woodland walk to Littlebeck, whereupon I climb into moorland, nudging 300m in elevation, a height quickly lost with a very steep 33% descent into Grosmont. Many walkers are heading for RHB on their last day, smiling even as they ascend. The views into the dales are wonderful, with each farm laid out as if you are studying a museum model. I can rest and watch the steam trains from a bench outside a good café at the station.
The route follows the River Esk and heads once again into the moorland above Glaisdale, then along a sequence of moorland tracks to The Lion Inn, which sits in the middle of nowhere and is the only accommodation option for miles. Fortunately, it is a gem, catering for C2C walkers with accommodation, a campsite, good food and excellent beer. You can even use the showers. This is the first of many focal points for walkers, where you can share stories and catch up on conditions ahead. I was offered a spot inside a marquee to pitch my tent, and experienced the sound of rain without getting wet for a change.
The moorland path continues, easy going with views into Farndale, until you reach the Cleveland Hills escarpment, with extensive views across the countryside to the north. Take the right path at Bloworth Crossing, then head to Round Hill, descend steeply to the B1257, and climb back to Hasty Bank and the Wain Stones at almost 400m. It is a very hot day, and I am finding these ascents brutal, even with walking poles. I am not a hot-weather walker, so I slow my pace and take it easy to Lordstones café, where I can rehydrate and rest in the shade. I don’t remember the Cleveland Way being so hard to walk, and it is clear I need to pay attention to the heat.
I am happy to reach woodland, and take one more climb to Scarth Nick before double-backing to Ingleby Cross and the wonderful Blue Bell Inn, another pub/campsite setup for C2C walkers, which is perfect. Everyone is complaining about the heat, and we all wake up just before dawn (4 AM) to get going. This is a great plan, and I am on the path across easygoing arable farmland to the next National Park, after crossing the dangerous A19. In mist or fog, I would have taken the 5-mile diversion to a bridge, but the risk/reward calculation will all too easily suggest you take this dual carriageway option.
It is a fair trek to Danby Wiske, where C2C walkers are emerging from their B&Bs. That trek continues through cereal fields, light roads and easy paths to Bolton-on-Swale and a welcome church pop-up honesty café, for a cup of tea and a biscuit. It is another gathering point and a welcome stop before I walk around Catterick to Colburn and camp in a pub garden, which is quite pleasant until the evening crowd departs, clearly in the middle of an argument that needs to be settled. I leave early, in search of breakfast in Richmond, and find Thomas the Baker, a shop that easily meets my needs.
This beautiful market town is a well-known stopover for many and connects to a pleasant path into the Yorkshire Dales. This is ‘god’s own country’, as every Yorkshireman will confirm with pride, and it is difficult to argue against. The dales and moorland vista opens up, the undulations overlaid with drystone walls and barns. The heat of the day builds a haze, which I find oppressive. Seeking shade, I decide it is sensible to stop in Reeth, where a great pub/hostel combination lets me rest. I am bitten by horseflies and clegies, which draw blood on my forearms, much to the landlord’s amusement, who suggests I keep the window closed. Fortunately, the swallows and swifts are gorging on them in the impossibly pretty village as I take a luxurious afternoon nap before a meal.
I decide on the low route, given the long, hot day ahead, and leave before 5 AM into the mist lying over Swaledale. It is a serene, peaceful walk alongside the river where curlews and oystercatchers are hiding. The sun rises and casts a golden sheen across a landscape which already stunningly beautiful. I am dreaming in this landscape and follow the moor edge farther than I should, to Bents, where I wake up and realise I am on the wrong path. I descend into Gunnerside and pick up the path again as it follows the River Swale to Keld, a halfway point for the C2C and a crossing point of The Pennine Way. This is no coincidence, as it seems to cross a watershed. Walkers are emerging to head to Reeth for their day’s walk, just as I head west after a lovely brunch at Keld Green Café.
The waterfall wild-swimming spots start to get crowded; ever popular, now with an Instagram tag. I head for Ravenseat for another snack at the delightful pop-up, run by the farmer’s daughter, who explains her long journey to school in term time. It is starting to get remote, and the ascent into the fells is steady, leading to flagstone paths and Nine Standards Rigg, the iconic set of cairns just beyond the 662m trig pillar. The views are exquisite, a moment to stop and snack. I am happy to see Kirkby Stephens below me and descend quite quickly to the town and the hostel. It is a long 26-mile day, avoiding the heat of the dales, with a welcome breeze on the fells, but I am feeling good.
It’s another early start, rewarded with another beautiful morning, with the sun lighting the landscape ahead. A long fell walk, mostly level, with some cattle to entertain, and more sheep than it is possible to count. I met the first walker at Sunbiggin, followed by a procession heading east; I slowed to chat with many, enjoying the good paths under Great Asby Scar. I can hear the M6 roar, which grows louder and peaks at the bridge. Someone toots at me, as if they know of my journey. It is a short walk into Shap, where I have to break the journey. I am keen to keep going, but time does not allow me to (see blog for reasons), so I catch a taxi and train home. Shap has a poor bus service, but plenty of accommodation options.
The last weeks of summer pass, and I can find a week to walk across the last National Park. The Lake District lies ahead, and I am back with the usual kit, but with walking boots instead of trail shoes. That is a good decision, as the bog, wet paths, and stream crossings have emerged from the summer heat. I walk a few miles to the campsite at Rosgill Farm, and leave early to enter the fells, first with a walk on the north shore of Haweswater Reservoir. The path is rocky, and boots pick out safe stepping zones, but it requires concentration. The RAF jets scream down the dale as I reach the headwaters, then I look up at the 500m climb to Kidsty Pike. After a number of ‘false’ summits, I am exhausted, and I realise the next few days will be very different from the early moorland crossings. I am in proper mountain territory now.
As I get older, climbing gets harder, although I can still walk at a good pace on the level and on descents. So it is a very pleasant traverse across a stunning landscape that takes in the High Street and Angle Tarn. It has been a few decades since I last walked these routes, and I am reminded of their incomparable beauty. Scotland is the only place that compares, as the Lakes’ scale is just right to comprehend and digest. The boats lie at the head of Ullswater, where I recall an Outward Bound course I attended in my twenties. That week set a path to future adventures, and I remember distinctly the night we spent on Place Fell nearby.
Patterdale has a pub, with regulation sausage, mash and peas. Perfect fuel for another crossing that afternoon to Grasmere. I am going to need it, for the gentle ascent to Grisedale Tarn is easy going at first, and then gets more arduous. The views back down the dale are tremendous, framed by the showery weather conditions, a combination of sun and rain clouds. The becks flow nicely as I enter low cloud, before reaching a gap that marks the start of a long descent to Grasmere. RAF Tornado jets fly several hundred metres below me, and I pick my way through the path. Boulders have been laid, but my big boots need careful placement, and I am getting tired – never a good combination to prevent a fall. But it is beautiful, and I let the endorphins flow in the last lanes to the hostel. Grasmere YHA is geared for volume, and is a well-run, busy hubbub of walkers with tales to tell and bodies to rest.
I depart with the dawn chorus, as another long day lies ahead. My goal is Ennerdale YHA. Looking at the density of contour lines on the map, it is going to be tough: an estimated 20 miles, maybe an hour’s walking shorter than the previous day. My GPX file says an ascent to Helm Crag is scheduled, but the signs divert into Far Easedale. I am more than happy to take this easier route, and the paths are good and the ascent steady. I set a steady rhythm, and soon reach Greenup Edge, and meet the first of a stream of walkers heading out of Rosthwaite. The descent from Lining Crag is tricky, and I welcome easier paths, as concentration on foot placement is once again demanded. Even along the farm tracks, rocks and boulders are uncompromising, and poles earn their keep. Rosthwaite has a perfect café for a pasty, which is needed for the next ascent to Fleetwith. It is a good path, and an easy-going former crossing, now replaced by the famous Honister Pass.
I take a long breath on reaching the flat fells, taking the all-important left turn at Drum House. Every few moments the clouds part, and the views into Buttermere are stunning. The model Lakeland scene. The rain then starts in earnest, but my jacket has shed worse conditions than this, yet I welcome the descent to Ennerdale. The descent is tricky again, and I slip for the first time; then I follow a path past the isolated Black Sail hostel and continue on forest tracks for ages to Ennerdale YHA.
The welcome conversation, good meal, and pleasant company are perfect before my last day. I have a train to catch and do not want to delay, yet the southern shore of Ennerdale is difficult. The overnight rain has flooded most paths, and there is little drainage to redirect the streams beneath your feet. It is hard going, but I am soon on country roads and have left the fells, except for Dent Fell, a testing little reminder of the topology I have just walked through. I wonder what the west-to-east walkers are thinking as they enter the fells, for this is a much tougher walk than I thought. If you can make it to Shap, the rest is relatively easy in good weather, but don’t underestimate the challenge of the first few days. In hindsight, I would recommend 4-5 days to reach the M6, a distance I covered in 3 days, but I doubled up the sections most people would walk and felt it. I was at my limits.
The remaining miles are a moment to reflect on the Coast to Coast Path National Trail. It is definitely a challenge compared with most National Trails, yet it offers a stunning cross-section of England’s wonderful landscape. The Lakes are unique in many ways, and it is wonderful to contrast that with two coastlines and the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks. No wonder the path is so popular. I throw my pebble into the waves and walk back to St Bees station for another 7 hours of travel home. It will be a challenge not to fall asleep and be woken at Euston by the train staff.
My itinerary
Note that these distances are as walked, per my Garmin watch, so they may include extra bits.
- Day 1 – 6m – Robin Hood’s Bay to Low Rigg Farm – camp
- Day 2 – 23m – The Lion Inn – camp (inside a marquee)
- Day 3 – 21m – Blue Bell Inn – camp
- Day 4 – 21m – Colburn – camp
- Day 5 – 14m – Reeth – hostel
- Day 6 – 26m – Kirkby Stephens – hostel
- Day 7 – 20m – Shap – taxi/train
- Day 8 – 3m – Rosgill Farm – camp
- Day 9 – 22m – Grasmere – YHA
- Day 10 – 19m – Ennerdales – YHA
- Day 11 – 18m – St Bees – train home
If I account for positional days, that is just over 9 days of walking, 193 miles, and a 8,150 metres of ascent (I must have take a wrong turn at least once).
Resources
Coast to Coast Walk UK – an independent site
National Trails UK Coast to Coast Path National Trails – formal website
Independent Hostels – C2C Guide – a very useful guide to the independent hostels on this route