If you’re looking for a world class walk that doesn’t pull any punches and will continue to delight and inspire you throughout, then the Coast to Coast is for you. Created by Alfred Wainwright, this long distance walk of over 300km takes you through picturesque villages, rolling hills, immaculate farmland and mountains in the Pennines, the English Lake District and the North Yorkshire Moors.
You’ll enjoy the incredible camaraderie and support of other women, as you walk along the trail and then again of an evening, while relaxing in the charming B&B’s. This dramatic and rewarding trail, along with new formed friendships will stay forever in your memory.
Location
Please note map locations and route are approximate only Highlights
● Walking across England on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, one of the most inspiring long distance walks in the world.
● Dramatic upland scenery in the English Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales
● Leisure days to relax & explore one of England’s finest villages Grasmere, and the bustling market town of Richmond.
● Friendships & camaraderie between fellow “Adventurous Women Coast to Coastersâ€
● Finishing the walk feeling exhilarated & rewarded, with a real sense of pride.
● Celebration Dinner at Robin Hood’s Bay as we reflect on our magnificent journey together.
Itinerary
Today is our arrival day into the attractive coastal village of St Bees in Cumbria, the starting point of the Coast to Coast walk. After settling into the accommodation, you’ll meet with other Adventurous Women ™ and your Tour Escort for introductions and a briefing. Afterwards it’s off to a local pub for dinner & drinks (guests own cost).
Meals: None included
Today marks the beginning of our Coast to Coast walk, however before we head off, we follow in Wainwright’s footsteps, carrying out the tradition of dipping our toes in the sea and pocketing a pebble from the beach to carry with us on our journey. Today’s walking is delightful consisting of high cliffs, quiet country lanes and distant views of lakeland scenery.
Meals: Breakfast
A beautiful day’s walk takes us along the shores of Ennerdale Water, the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park, through forest and on to the remote Black Sail YHA, something of a Lakes District treasure. After enjoying a break here and weather permitting, we head up ‘Haystacks’, the peak directly behind the hostel standing at 1959 feet above sea level and a favourite of Alfred Wainwright’s, so much so that his ashes are scattered in the tarn on top. We enjoy soaking in the views of the surrounding peaks before we begin our descent into the beautiful Borrowdale Valley.
Meals: Breakfast
This stage of our walk is a Lakeland classic, taking you on a straightforward climb up past Lining Crag to Greenup Edge, then either following a track down the valley or taking the high option over the ridge of Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag and onwards to our final destination for the day, Grasmere, ‘Disneyland of the Lakes District’.
Meals: Breakfast
Today it’s your time to rest, giving you plenty of time to explore this delightful Lakeland village. There are many shops, pubs and cafes - great place for cream tea, shopping for adventure gear, or perhaps you’ll treat yourself to a massage. You can also visit Wordsworth's grave in the churchyard and buy the legendary Grasmere Gingerbread.
Meals: Breakfast
This is another classic day in the Lakes District, with an initial walk up to Grisedale Pass, reaching it by ascending up a bridleway from Grasmere and arriving at the pretty mountain lake, Grisedale Tarn. Continuing on through the valley and on to Patterdale, we may see a red squirrel or two as this is a haven for wildlife.
Meals: Breakfast
Today we’ll be leaving the Lake District behind, however plenty of stunning landscapes full of pikes, crags and fells await us. A long climb up to Kidsty Pike is followed by a descent down to Haweswater and an undulating section taking us above the lake’s shore. We pass by the atmospheric ruins of Shap Abbey before arriving in Shap itself, a long narrow village with a 17th-century market hall.
Meals: Breakfast
The walk from Shap to Orton makes for a nice ‘recovery day' after the long distance covered yesterday. Once again we’re spoilt by the stunning scenery including limestone cliffs, moorland and pastures, also passing by a handful of prehistoric sites. Orton is one of the lost villages of the Coast to Coast walk, which is part of its appeal. This pretty village is off the beaten track and has recently been incorporated into the Yorkshire Dales. A visit to Kennedy’s Chocolate Factory well may be on the cards if we need a little boost!
Meals: Breakfast
In the thick of rolling farmland and without the steep ascents and descents, we continue our walk through walled fields to Tarn Moor and Sunbiggen Tarn, a bird sanctuary. At the crest of Smardale Fell the Pennines rise in front of us, before we make our way into the quant market town of Kirkby Stephen.
Meals: Breakfast
Today’s route takes us over the Pennines, the great watershed of England, roughly marking the halfway point of our walk. Be prepared for getting dirty, time to release our inner child and embrace the bog…. as there’s plenty of it today! Leaving Kirkby Stephen we’ll cross the Eden River and continue to Hartley Village, followed by a long ascent to Hartley Fell. It’s here that we’ll check the notice boards for any seasonal diversions currently in place due to mud, erosion and weather, which will then be the deciding factor as to which route we take to Keld from this point. All being well, we’ll be able to continue over the summit of the mysterious Nine Standards Rigg.
Meals: Breakfast
A favourite walking day for many Coast to Coasters as we head out along the beautiful Swaledale Valley, passing through quaint and traditional villages, such as Muker (slightly off the route) and Gunnersdale. Cross moor and farmland , then drop down into Healaugh, before arriving in Reeth, another traditional Yorkshire village with a green flanked by a pub and a tearoom. If we arrive early enough we may like to take a visit to the Swaledale Museum, which houses some interesting exhibits, have cream tea, or simply kick back and enjoy a pint at the pub!
Meals: Breakfast
Today’s walk is fairly straightforward as far as the route and signposting, leaving the Pennines behind and following the river Swale….. plenty of time for quiet contemplation. We walk through pretty woodland, charming villages and local farms before great views of Richmond come into sight. Arriving in the large market town of Richmond, which has been built up over the years around it’s impressive Norman Castle, we spend the next two nights here to rest and explore.
Meals: Breakfast
The largest town on the Coast to Coast, Richmond is a bustling place and there’s lots of history here dating back to the 11th century, so take the opportunity to explore if you’re up for it. Today is also a great day to catch up on laundry, rest and recover or perhaps enjoy a massage, before we push on for a very long day tomorrow.
Meals: Breakfast
Today our walk is lengthy, however it’s along the flattest section of the Coast to Coast, traversing the no man’s land between the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. A fairly uneventful stage, however pleasant nonetheless, ending in the tiny village of Danby Wiske.
Meals: Breakfast
Our day’s walk will consist of weaving between farms on tracks or minor roads and can get quite muddy if there has been rain, however still very pleasant walking, allowing the mind to wander. As we approach Ingleby Cross the views of the Cleveland Hills begin to come into sight, so rewarding!
Meals: Breakfast
This stage of the Coast to Coast takes us into the beautiful North York Moors, described by Wainwright in his pictorial guide as ‘heather-clad, unenclosed, uninhabited and remote. We tackle many ascents and descents today as we walk over the Cleveland Hills, enjoying stunning views, soaking in the beautiful autumn hues and magnificent views of the rock crags known as the Wainstones. We continue east to Clay Bank Top and steeply drop one more time before arriving into Great Broughton, our next overnight stop.
Meals: Breakfast
A relatively short day awaits us and another beautiful one, however the plan is to have plenty of time at the end of the day to enjoy our time at the Lion Inn on remote Blakey Ridge. The Lion Inn is a 16th Century freehouse located at the highest point of the North York Moors National Park, it stands at an elevation of 1,325 feet offering breathtaking views over the valleys of Rosedale and Farndale. Open fires burn all day and evening in the ancient fireplaces and the original low beamed ceilings add to the friendly atmosphere of the Inn. The bar is well known for its good selection of quality real ales, including Black Sheep, Theakston’s and the award winner Old Peculier, Yorkshire Golden and Thwaites Wainwright Bitter….also boasting an extensive food menu with plenty of options.
Meals: Breakfast
This morning we being our walk on a ‘high’ note from Blakey Ridge, passing by various landmarks such as Young Ralph’s Cross, before heading off across the moors once again where we’re rewarded with great views of Danby High Moor, Seavey Hill and Glaisdale Moor. It’s a steady descent off the moors down to the picturesque village of Glaisdale, where we’ll break for lunch. On leaving Glaisdale we follow the River Esk through lush Arncliffe woods followed by a gentle walk down the road and into Egton Bridge, one of the prettiest villages on the whole Coast to Coast. We recommend exploring this delightful place with it’s grand houses, bridge and St Hedda’s Church named after a 7th century saint who is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Meals: Breakfast
Today it’s likely that you’ll have mixed feelings on waking, as our Coast to Coast journey is coming to an end. The final day’s walk is a bit of an encore, it’s varied and is a mixture of all the previous day’s of walking all rolled into one. We visit the picture-postcard settlement of Grosmont in the hope of seeing one of the local steam engines in action (featured Harry Potter movies). Here we take a break, regroup and gain our strength for the final, but very rewarding section into Robin Hood’s Bay where we walk down to the shore together and throw in the pebbles we had collected at St Bees. This is sure to be an emotional time for all of us as we’ve just completed the challenging but rewarding Coast to Coast Walk. As a final celebration of our achievement we’ll pop into Wainwright’s Bar enjoy a drink (a tradition worthy of this walk), then share dinner together (included) at the local bistro
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Our trip finishes after breakfast.
Meals: Breakfast
Includes
Fully Escorted by Adventurous Women
® Group Host
19 nights accommodation in B&B and small hotels on a twin share basis
Celebration Dinner at Robin Hood’s Bay
Luggage transfer each day from inn to inn (1 x 20kg bag per person)
Detailed Information pack, guidebook & map
Adventurous Women
® Peak Cap
19 Breakfasts
1 Dinners
Excludes
Travel to St Bees
Travel from Robin Hood's Bay
Lunches, all dinners except one, snacks and drinks
Taxi transfers or public transport should you wish to skip a stage
Travel Insurance
Personal Equipment
Accommodation
Carefully chosen hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s / Twin Share. There are limited single rooms available and a single supplement is payable if you request this option.
What To Bring/Wear
- Pre-departure trip notes will be provided well in advance of your departure to assist in your training & preparation
More Information
Walk Grading:
Moderate through to challenging on any given day depending on the mileage, weather conditions and other factors which may come into play during a long distance walk (aching muscles, tired, sore feet, bog, erosion on tracks etc) The walk is suitable for those walkers with previous long distance experience or those who are prepared to train to get themselves conditioned to walking long distances day in, day out. - The route is a mixture of paths, tracks and minor roads. Some of the paths can become very muddy and boggy where progress can often be slow.
How fit do you need to be:
If you currently don’t enjoy an active lifestyle, we suggest regular walking in hilly terrain supplemented by cardiovascular exercise for at least six months before your walk. A good gym or personal trainer will be able to draw up a personalised training program.
Meals:
A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner (except the celebration dinner) are not included, however most of our accommodation providers will be more than happy to provide us with a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at our accommodation or nearby pubs & restaurants.
Baggage Transfer:
Our bags will be transferred from our accommodation as per our itinerary and moved onto our next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
Important to Note:
All other details including assistance with arranging flights, pre/post accommodation, pre-departure information, training etc will be made available when we reach our minimum numbers for this tour, which is 6 and have also confirmed all our accommodation along the track.
