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The Coast to Coast walk is probably the most popular long distance walk in England. There are many reasons for its popularity but the most compelling is that it is simply the best. There has been some promotion through Alfred Wainwright and Julia Bradbury amongst others. However word of mouth is more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the most aesthetically satisfying long distance walk as it crosses from one coastline to another. Most long distance walks simply do a section of the countryside. However the Coast to Coast has a satisfying start and a particularly pleasing finish which ever direction it is walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Coast to Coast covers a large variety of terrain. The walk starts off at the sea but soon enters the high fells of the Lake District. The route sticks in the main to the valleys but there are some climbs and options to take in some mountains. From the M6 the route enters limestone country on a large upland plateau. The pretty Yorkshire Dales follow whilst the section from the A1 is mainly through farmland. Finally the wild remote North York Moors lead finally to the North Sea and the completion of the crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many opportunities to vary the route which definitely adds to the pleasure. Wainwright, when devising the route, insisted that there was no fixed route. It is not ‘officially’ recognized meaning that the normal signage is limited and sporadic. In places there is a temptation to do much but the days are long on the Coast to Coast. It may well be best to return another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distances make this challenging but the popularity of the route means that the villages and towns enroute are set up for long distance walkers. Many split the walk in 2 and stop at Kirkby Stephen (there is a train station) taking a week each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 2 itineraries that prove most popular and these are detailed below. However they are only suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Itinerary A (Normal Crossing). 13 days<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1 St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge 14 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: St Bees, Sea View, Nannycatch in the low fells, Lakes views.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 2 Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite 14 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Ennerdale Water, Haystacks (optional), Honister Pass, views of Buttermere.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 3 Rosthwaite to Grasmere 10 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Borrowdale, Langstrath valley, Grasmere.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 4 Grasmere to Patterdale 8 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Grisedale Tarn, Rydal Water, Ullswater, Helvellyn (optional).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 5 Patterdale to Shap 20 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Angle Tarns, Kidsty Pike, Haweswater, End of the Lakes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 6 Shap to Kirkby Stephen 20 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Limestone scenery, Smardale, Crosby Garrett, Settle Carlisle railway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 7 Kirkby Stephen to Keld 13 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Nine Standards Rigg, vast moorland scenery, Eden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 8 Keld to Reeth 12 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Mining remains on higher route, riverside on lower route, Reeth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 9 Reeth to Richmond 10 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: River Swale, Marske, Richmond Castle<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 10 Richmond to Ingleby Cross 23 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Easby Abbey (remains), Catterick, Vale of York, Danby Wiske.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 11 Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top 12 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Mount Grace Priory, remote moors, Wainstones.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 12 Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale 19 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Walking the old railway, the Lion Inn, Farndale.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 13 Glaisdale to Robin Hood’s Bay 19 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Steam trains, Littlebeck, Robin Hood’s Bay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 1 <\/strong>St Bees to Rosthwaite 24 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 2 <\/strong>Rosthwaite to Patterdale 18 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 3 <\/strong>Patterdale to Shap 20 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 4 <\/strong>Shap to Kirkby Stephen 20 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 5 <\/strong>Kirkby Stephen to Muker 15 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 6 <\/strong>Muker to Richmond 19 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 7 <\/strong>Richmond to Ingleby Cross 23 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 8 <\/strong>Ingleby Cross to Lion Inn, Blakey 26 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 9 <\/strong>Lion Inn, Blakey to Robin Hood’s Bay 25 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maps Required (east to west) . O\/S 1.25,000. OL27, OL26, 302, OL30, OL19, OL5, OL6. Alternatively use the 2 Harvey strip maps which cover the full route. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some excellent places to stay enroute, all places I know<\/p>\n\n\n\n Church House Farm B & B<\/a>, Danby 01287 669 303<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shap. New Ing Lodge<\/a>, bunk with breakfast 01931 716719<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kearton Country Hotel<\/a> , Thwaite in Swaledale<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have fancied doing the Coast to Coast for a while; ever since the Southern Upland Way<\/a> I have been hankering after another long distance walk and the Coast to Coast fitted the bill. For a start it was local to me, it was something I could fit in round my home life, it has a high profile at the moment (due principally to our Julia but I was more inspired by some of the web commentaries) and there is something pleasing about walking from sea to sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having made the decision to do it I fitted it in over October half term so that the family could be involved and join me for a couple of days and Alistair (conveniently based in Osmotherley) was able to give me a lift to the start at Robin Hoods. Going east to west was no concern and just seemed \u2018right\u2019 although obviously there was an element of gamble on the weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had already decided that camping was out \u2013 to be honest it is not a very appealing prospect anyway on the Coast to Coast as there are so many other options including good value youth hostels and bunk barns. The extra weight of carrying a tent\/stove and food had nearly finished me on the Southern Upland Way; to be fair I enjoy back packing in Scotland and sleeping in a remote, wild spot but only for a couple of days then the comforts of a bed do beckon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What type of bed I just do not care \u2013 I tend to eat \u2018out\u2019 in a pub and then find a breakfast before heading out but where I actually sleep is very much, and always has been, price governed. So the pack I took included a bivvy bag and sleeping bag for emergencies, a change of clothes, waterproofs, maps and the Wainwright book, a torch, camera and that was about it! Travel light and fast was my aim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the decision to go east to west had been made I bought the updated 2nd<\/sup> Edition of the Wainwright book (well updated by Chris Jesty) , rolled my maps out on the floor and simply drew the route I expected to take. I then put the book in the pack and like his superb Lakeland guides used it as a read at night. The exception to this was the Ingleby Cross to Richmond section where I was too tight to buy the maps I needed as I was pretty sure I would not be walking there again (I was right).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the book backwards took some getting used to but I only once got lost \u2013 the problem with the book (and any guidebook ) is that they tend to focus on an already chosen route and give no alternatives, the linear nature of the drawings stop any original thought or opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be fair to Wainwright he always encouraged varying the route so maps were absolutely essential. I varied the route quite a bit \u2013 I already anticipated missing out the 2 bays at each end (somehow I just never saw the point) and taking the low route through Swaledale \u2013 this for personal reasons as I had already spent much of the summer on the higher Wainwright route. Helvellyn was planned but Grasmere discounted but any other, relatively minor changes, I would make \u2018on the hoof\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday night, after Mist\u2019s puppy training , I hopped in the car and drove to Osmotherley where I stayed and Alistair kindly gave me a lift to the start. The day or 2 before a long walk does tend to play on the mind a bit and can be unsettling but this was my 2nd<\/sup> long distance walk, I was meeting plenty of people on route and most of the walk was in familiar terrain. The weather forecast looked ok for the first few days as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two things jump out when you are sat at home watching the rain tipping out the grey skies. The first feeling is an immense feeling of satisfaction; an achievement that was hard work but largely enjoyable. The second feeling is a desire to do another long distance walk \u2013 to regain that feeling that comes after a few days continual walking of this is what I do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As every day passes after completing the walk the rose tinted spectacles become increasingly fixed; the pain retreats and the good bits become established and the norm. The storm and the winds of Lakeland and the dreich across the Vale of Mowbray are forgotten (or looked back on in fondness \u2013 no gain without pain and all that nonsense) whilst the cramps, blisters and simply battered feet have become long distant memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst I was walking I remember splitting each day of the walk quite clearly in to 3 sections; the first 2 to 3 hours were thoroughly enjoyable, the next 2 to 3 I spent tiring and considering which bit of my body was going to hurt the most and the last 2 hours or so were purgatory as the miles and yards were counted off before I could sit or lie down. My days lasted anywhere between 6 and 9 hours and I stopped little; aside from sitting in the open to munch a pork pie or a mars bar I stopped for a cup of tea at Grosmont station, another at the (very good) pub at Danby Wiske and at Reeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reality is there are few places to stop without heading off route and I always walk with the end of the day in mind. Most of my pain comes in the feet. My back, which caused so much jip on the Southern Upland Way was fine as I was not carrying a tent or cooking kit and even in the wet weather I was able to keep dry. My legs ached with tiredness at the end of the day and I had cramps on day 2 in my right calf but my feet were a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choice of footwear is so important on long distant walks; I had walked all summer in some Berghaus comfy \u2019trainers\u2019 with vibrum soles (always sounds good) and my Scarpa leather boots had never been on. The \u2018trainers\u2019 were comfy but sadly coming to the end of their life but I went with them anyway. My feet were ok for 2 days but then crossing the Vale of Mowbray they were wet at half 9 in the morning and I walked in damp shoes for the remainder of the day. My feet churned up with great lumps of skin hanging off them but I persevered for another day before they were binned at Muker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Scarpa leather boots went on, partly because I had nothing else but also due to the terrain which was only going to be wetter and more rugged the further west I went (starting with the bog which is Nine Standards). It was the end of October as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The boots did give some blisters to my heel but nothing plasters and replacement skin could not sort out but what they did do was bruise my feet. I felt like the lads in the army must feel after an enforced march in slightly ill-fitting boots \u2013 my feet just ached and throbbed however many socks\/footbeds I had on. I think Scarpa are probably too narrow for my dropped arch feet but they felt like lumps of iron towards the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally I abandoned them with Helen on the final day at Ennerdale Green and finished in \u2018gym shoes\u2019 which I use for indoor 5 a side. I would say that getting footwear correct is as important as anything on a long distance walk \u2013 boots\/shoes may be ok for a day walk but a few days in to a longer walk any niggles become a major problem \u2013 I certainly know people who have failed to complete walks due to their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had not done the Coast to Coast and however much I read up the reality is always different. Listen to others as well. My brother knows more about the Yorkshire Moors than me and suggested I made it to Blakey on day 1 thereby making Day 2 achievable, particularly the very trying ups and downs of the 10 miles from Hasty Bank to Ingleby Cross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was going to stop at Glaisdale but no I carried on up to the Lion Inn and welcome it was too. The next morning I ambled along the tops with no time pressure and it was one of the best bits of the walk. Later on I was unsure how to play it from Patterdale to St Bees. In the end the weather dictated for me and I stopped at Rosthwaite and finished with a long walk out over Honister and Scarth Gap as the wind tore in from the south west. There is only so much planning that can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I walked the Coast to Coast on my own, most people have companions. Walking on my own has always been a preference but company in the evening is great! I did tend to meet people during the day and often stopped for a chat. Over the Moors most seemed to be doing the Coast to Coast (the Lion Inn was riddled with them) but day trippers were more common in Swaledale and the Lakes where as I met no-one walking in the Vale of Mowbray or from Nine Standards to the summit of Kidsty Pike aside from the psychopath on the limestone plateau above Orton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is always something uplifting about meeting people on the hills \u2013 a sense of shared goals and love for the outdoors \u2013 and this is accentuated on a long walk. Those who I met doing the Coast to Coast were to a man and lady friendly and interesting (aside from the psychopath) although I do worry about my Spanish mate from Rosthwaite who was somewhat shocked by his first few days in \u2018English\u2019 conditions. The other thing that comes out from meeting people on the actual walk was how difficult it was to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many were doing only sections, some were giving up at some point and would complete maybe another time and others were weary but determined. I did wonder how many have actually completed the walk \u2013 certainly the Julia Bradbury programme makes it seem considerably more interesting and easy than it is\u2026. Tv can only ever be a snapshot in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The End at St Bees<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I did the Coast to Coast in 9 days in October, the other way. It was thoroughly enjoyable, although the walking was hard towards the end of the day. I enjoyed the variety of landscape and the way it changed, almost daily. The weather I had was ok, actually fairly good for October and when it was bad I look back with some fondness as though it was part of the challenge. I definitely back my decision to go east to west (yes there was more prevailing wind and in many ways I am sure it felt more against the grain). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ending in the Lakes was absolutely right and I would recommend this to anyone (aside from the irritation of next to no signage except when you have just completed a section!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Completing within 9 days and during October was what made the walk hard work. It meant I did not explore as much as I would have liked. Missing out the bays at either end was no problem to me (they do not really fit with the walk in my opinion) but I would have liked to take the walk a little slower. Particularly at the beginning and the end. 11 days seem right for me but this really is a choice everyone should make depending on their own wants and desires. Finally though my advice, as ever, is to stop thinking of reasons not to walk the Coast to Coast and just do it. You will have a feast of memories and experiences which will enrich your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 26 miles. 8 hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alistair gave me a lift to the tablet of stone at Robin Hood\u2019s Bay which marks the \u2018End\u2019 of the Coast to Coast. Joining me for the first half mile or so he then headed off to work in Stockton on Tees. He left me with a long walk which I intended to complete in 9 days. I had made two route decisions the night before which were related; I wished to get to the Lion Inn at Blakey that night, not Glaisdale as originally planned, but this would entail missing out on the circuit of the headland that leads north to Whitby (saving myself a good 4 miles. The rest of the day I planned to follow the traditional way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The day really splits in to 3 sectors; the initial up and down to the station at Grosmont, a riverside walk to Glaisdale and then across the moors to Blakey ridge. The section to Grosmont holds little memories; some wet moorland crossing which struck me as pure \u2018road avoiding\u2019 and more up and down than I anticipated. There was a nagging wind on the high ground but I felt good, was able to keep my feet dry and soon left the coast behind (but never out of site as the coast north cuts sharply westwards from Whitby to Teeside).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stopped off at Grosmont for a mug of welcome tea in the station caf\u00e9 and messed around watching the steam trains and, equally fascinating, the train spotters who out-number the passengers here. It is a pretty line and feels like stepping back in history \u2013 Jenny Agutter and the Railway Children never far from your thoughts. There appeared to be a lot of railway maintenance staff though (also having some tea in the cafe)and I could not help feeling that cut backs and profit may effect the service going forward \u2013 I hope not. The next stage to Glaisdale follows the River Esk and is lovely (and flat). The river winds its way through pretty woodland and passed the lovely hamlet of Egton Bridge with its beautiful church and hall. A popular reputation with visitors is well deserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glaisdale kind of emerged on me as I exited Arncliffe Woods and the pub sprang out on this odd sprawling village which creeps around some steep hillside. I bought a pork pie from the butchers and munched happily sat on the bench outside. I still felt good and I was in plenty of time; stopping now for the night would have been somewhat frustrating. Breaking out of Glaisdale the scenery dramatically changes and moorland is properly encountered for the first time. I love this type of walking \u2013 striding out with wide open and empty views with just the wind (sadly) for company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The views are immense, the whole of this section of north Yorkshire\/Teeside laid out around. I have only walked this before on one occasion, when I completed the Lyke Wake Walk<\/a> about 10 years ago and I remember enjoying exactly the same feeling of pleasure and freedom then. The tracks up here are generally excellent, although they would no doubt deteriorate after an extended period of rain, and I was happy to follow them rather than the harder tarmac of the empty roads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crossing the head of Great Fryup was a delight and not only because the Lion Inn appears soon after the loneliest barn in the country called Trough House. Ancient boundary stones are all else that break up this empty landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was tired and relieved to reach the Lion Inn and spent a pleasant relaxing evening in the pub; there is little as satisfying of literally falling out of your room in to the bar! There was a party of coast to coasters in the pub who were clearly doing the walk for charity and had only a day and a half to go \u2013 9 had started off and 5 were remaining and had entered that hyper state that any long distance walker knows as the end approaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from this party I passed 7 obvious coast to coasters with only one couple doing the entire route. What struck me about them was how friendly and happy they seemed to be \u2013 they clearly had been through the pain and just were happy to be there, as I was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23 miles. 7 3\/4 hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I knew there was nothing but moorland between the Lion Inn and Ingleby Cross so I set off armed with a pork pie, bottle of water and 3 mars bars! No tea stop, nothing to break up the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was a bad day as many 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup> days are. I felt rubbish all day (as though I had a hangover but I did not) and ended up with severe cramps in my left foot. Maybe I was dehydrated on the day before and never really re fuelled and one of the obvious recommendations I always have is keep rehydrated. One of the best bits of advice I have ever heard is \u201cif you are thirsty it is already too late\u201d. I carried a 1 and a half litre water bottle but still did not drink enough. Maybe the constant wind took more out of me than I anticipated. I was certainly shattered by the time I was picked up at Ingleby Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that the first 9 miles of walking from the Lion Inn to Clay Bank Top is probably the easiest walking in the country. The wide track, which for much of its length follows the old Rosedale Ironstone Railway, is superb with wide open views and long valleys to study. I met a lovely couple (you can spot people from miles away) who had stopped over at Clay Bank and described a totally mad B & B owner in Great Broughton (no more details) who insisted that breakfast in the morning was a cook yourself option which involved getting the eggs from the hens outside whilst she carried on sleeping upstairs! <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was intrigued by a high mast in the distance to the south west which never seemed to get any closer, I was sure I would pass it but it always seemed on the next hillside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just after the road at Clay Bank I stopped for my pork pie and mars bar \u2013 I had to as I felt wasted. I put the radio on which I carried thinking that I might use it whilst walking and was overcome to hear Wayne Rooney was signing a new contract at Man Utd. As a Newcastle season ticket holder it underwhelmed me as it had been clear all weak that the press were being stitched up and he was always going to sign \u2013 Ferguson tears, I think not. The views ahead were starting to deteriorate with Teesside drawing the eye as I climbed the first of what seemed like an endless series of hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have to say they were not appreciated, I had forgotten what a rolling landscape this end of the Yorkshire Moors actually were. Detouring for a few 100 yards to \u2018tick\u2019 a couple of Marilyns was limited compensation, the fact my mate would have to come back to do them though cheered me up temporarily but before long the afternoon was lost in a fug of pain and disillusionment. It was not a question of giving up, just a question of surviving till Ingleby Cross and a long bath and food at Alistair\u2019s, who conveniently contrives to live in Osmotherley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had made a decision to leave the moors at Swainby which I did therefore avoiding a further hike up Beacon Hill. Staggering through the village of Swainby and the final 2 miles along the main road which leads to Whitby was not pleasant but eventually I reached Ingleby Cross, Alistair was there to pick me up and that was that for Day 2. A nice meal with Alistair and his wife Helen in the Golden Lion recovered the spirits, the weather forecast did not. Still I had walked 50 miles already and was well in to the Coast to Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24 miles. 8 \u00bd hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Football training for Rhys meant (for me) an early start which was damp and showery. The day was not one I was looking forward to, the crossing of the farmlands of the Vale of Mowbray was not even worthy of me buying a map \u2013 I was going all Chinese (or is it Arabic?) and reading the copy of Wainwright\u2019s guide book backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was right, whichever way you dress this up the first (5) hours to Bolton on Swale are the worst of the entire walk; wet and muddy flat farmland with the only interest being the crossing of rail lines and whether the bull in the field was going to attack you. One did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I took a wrong turning on a farm track and was confronted with a field of cows from which emerged your charicature bull complete with a large, shiny ring in his nose. His many lady friends surrounded me and I had to push one, shout and wave to create a gap between them before legging it to the nearest (barbed wire) fence. It was classic James Herriott. Cows and bulls have never bothered me before but I will not be entering that field ever again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blood dripping from my hand I then enjoyed a pleasant half hour in the wrongly maligned White Swan at Danby Wiske. The new owner is good company, the pub had 2 roaring fires and the tea was fine \u2013 it is the only place of any civilisation on the land between Ingleby Cross and Bolton on Swale so stop and enjoy. However half an hour soon passes and I was back in the mud but happily improving weather. Sadly my trainers were sopping and I was dreading revealing my feet after 8 hours in wet shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from the White Swan the highlight of the day was a fox which appeared, completely unafraid soon after Danby Wiske and lolloped alongside me for a good 5 minutes before disappearing over the fields. After years of walking this was the first fox I have ever had the pleasure of observing at close quarters and a beautiful creature it certainly is. A pest it may be to some farmers but the ridiculous hunt that appears to be needed to kill one really does put \u2018Englishness\u2019 in a rather poor light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually Bolton on Swale is reached but a full 6 miles is still needed to gain the town of Richmond and the start of better lands. The A1 is significant but the crossing in Catterick Bridge unpleasant. The whole area is dirty, loud and just needs moving on from as quick as possible. The land improves a little before Richmond but I was tired, I could not get any proper reception on the radio for the Saturday afternoon football and I just wished to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The River Swale is welcomed but is not attractive at this stage and Colburn and Bolton on Swale both promise more than they can deliver \u2013 I guess if they were at the start rather than end of the day I would have appreciated them more but the last 2 hours of most days are really only about getting there which may not please the purists but to me was a reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Helen and the girls were at Richmond to meet me and Charlotte walked a couple of extra miles out of the town so that we could enjoy the next day a little more with less miles which needed to be done. Getting a family room was impossible in Richmond so we squeezed in to one in Reeth \u2013 the pubs though are great and much appreciated, as was a 2-1 win at West Ham!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19 miles. 7 \u00bc hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The weather was great and the day promised to be a good one. I like Swaledale, particularly beyond Reeth and I was looking forward to the riverside route I had chosen to take rather than the upland one through the old mine works. Partly I chose low so I could do some walking with the girls and dogs, partly because I was less familiar with the riverside route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However myself Charlotte and Mist headed out from just beyond Richmond for an enjoyable section through woods and farms and under Whitcliffe Scar to the pretty village of Marske. All enjoyed the walk<\/a> and I have included it within the Top 100 Dales walks as I did the riverside section<\/a> of the River Swale beyond Reeth. Mist joined me for another section later in the day along a track but disgraced herself by chasing a rabbit over a wall into a field of sheep. Thankfully and surprisingly she returned straight away on my call \u2013 there may be hope yet for her!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pretty villages of Swaledale stole the day. Marsk and Marrick are lovely and there is an enterprising farmer between the two at Nun Cote Nook. It serves a good tea and cake to break the journey up if required. I passed Marrick Abbey, now an outdoor centre before lunching at Reeth. Being a sunny Sunday there was plenty of folk out and walking the river at Reeth \u2013 it is a lovely stretch of riverside walking with a good and varied path leading out for 3 miles before the road intervenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swaledale was looking great in the low sun, the colours and the shadows have a remarkable effect on the villages, barns and walls on the valley sides; a photographers dream I would have thought. Taking good photos is relatively easy now in the digital age and I must admit to enjoying it; the standard is not top quality but due to the amount of time I have been out this summer I am more than happy with a lot of the stuff that I have got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swaledale narrows as it moves west and the steep sides leave little room for the large farms that dominate Wensleydale to the south leaving smaller farmsteads and pretty villages. For the last 2 and a half hours I was walking on the south side of the valley mainly on narrow lanes and later on the road itself. My feet were hurting as the day progressed, not particularly through any blistering but more just aching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every night I used to sit or lie there and just feel them throbbing away but I guess this is just the consequence of many days of 20 miles plus walking some of which is on tarmac. However with the terrain changing tomorrow the trainers were being ditched and the leather boots back in. Still I was feeling much better than the previous two days and by the end of the day I felt I had completed half the total mileage which was really satisfying. We stayed in a farm near Muker that night and ate in the Farmer\u2019s Arms in Muker. It was a very cold night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15 miles. 6 \u00bd hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The weather was set fair for the day, I was passing the watershed and the first section of the walk from Muker to Keld is one of my favourite walks in the Yorkshire Dales. Both Charlotte and Lucy joined me and Mist for this section and it was lovely, the colours and the easy walking meant a lazy start to the day but it was a short day so I was not bothered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Girls and dogs left me at Keld (not to be seen again until St Bees). However they drove over to Kirkby Stephen to drop my pack off at the youth hostel where I was staying that night. Fortunate because the crossing of Nine Standards Rigg can be an exhausting tramp and so it proved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaving Keld is a culture shock. Suddenly I was surrounded by all that can be described as bleak Pennine moorland. Ravenseat farm occasionally sells tea and cakes but was not doing this day. I am sure I would have taken advantage. There was nothing else to delay me before striking up the peat hags of Whitsondale. If there is a bleaker place in England I would like to see it, this is simply a long boggy tramp, an endless sea of peat, mud, ups and downs on an intermittent track. I kept to the signs which splits the route in to 3 depending on the time of the year \u2013 I guess in an effort to control the erosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankly the mountain would be a right mess if it was more popular. Desolation rules here. I was pleased to be in proper boots for this section as they did protect me from the deeper plunges in to bog and peat but they felt like walking in concrete for much of the time. I have never found boots comfortable to walk in but these Scarpa boots were borrowed permanently from my mate and are a size larger than I would normally wear. Despite footbeds and thick socks my feet still swilled around a little and over the forthcoming days they became distinctly battered and bruised. I have a verucca on the ball of my left foot as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reaching the outrageous summit of Nine Standards Rigg<\/a> is a cause for celebration; the watershed is reached, the Lake District is in view and it is only downhill to Kirkby Stephen. The weather was holding as well so I leisurely strolled the 5 miles to the largest town since Richmond with shops and choices and \u2018things\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was staying at the Youth Hostel which was shut up when I arrived (best of luck to Paula who runs it. She is attempting to break away from the YHA and go independent because she dislikes the changes that they are bringing in, all rules, regulations, standardisation which is surely not the thing!) so I dived in to a pub for a cup of tea before retiring for a couple of hours rest and contemplate the dire weather warnings for the following day. Later I ventured out and had a curry which was very good and a pint or two in the Kings Arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was some interesting people out and about even though it was a Monday night. I was sat with a local couple in the Indian Restaurant (very good) who were bemoaning the curtailing of the Tourist Information Centre and the damage it would do to the town. Public sector cuts are going to hit such places very badly there is no doubt and information may become difficult to obtain for visitors for the area. Inevitable as it is someone needs to stand in and promote and advise for this town and many others, <\/p>\n\n\n\n I have never felt though that TICs did a particularly good job but they are certainly better than nothing. Later on I was pressed by this trendy young scouser to listen to some music. He was a promoter (apparently) and had a few singers on his books and he asked me for my opinion on some music he needed to review. Flattered I agreed till he followed it up with \u201cyou look like a Radio 2 listener, that is who I am targeting\u201d. Actually it was fine which, I guess, says it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20 miles 7 \u00bc hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I woke up to heavy rain so I lay there avoiding the moment of truth. I wandered off to find some breakfast and then was forced to buy some waterproof trousers as I had sensibly sent them home (accidently) with Helen the previous day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately I got lucky and the weather was better than I could have hoped. I think I was in a warm sector of a frontal system which meant the rain was not heavy, dreich the Scots call it, and in fact stopped for large parts of the day. Still it was dark and full of foreboding for the full day, threatening to deluge at any time which fortunately it only did as I was walking the main street of Shap at the end of the day. By god it rained then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is nothing between Kirkby Stephen and Shap. Easy walking in the main but no possible excuses to stop for long anywhere. Farmland and large tracks of limestone pavement mix in this land that time forgot. I admit to enjoying the day. Part of this was relief that the weather was ok but the walking really is excellent in all bar a few farmyards near Orton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The climb out of Kirkby Stephen is long but easy sloped with nothing to concern. It is an ancient landscape with many signs of older settlements and it is unspoilt. Many times I felt in the middle of nowhere, the last sole on earth but at other times the freedom to just stride out was really pleasurable. From Orton Scar west there are some spectacular outcrops of limestone pavement and limestone scars; a Roman Road passes through and there is a cairn to mark Robin Hood\u2019s grave. All interesting enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was dithering on a junction near the grave when this figure merges out the murk ahead striding purposefully towards me. Where we were and the size of the pack must mean he was a Coast to Coaster. Despite him veering to avoid me I cut him off and stopped him. Each question I asked was answered with a monosyllabic grunt and a fierce stare. \u201cYou doing the Coast to Coast\u201d \u201c Urgh\u201d. Where did you stay last night? \u201durgh banks of haweswater\u201d \u201cWhere are you aiming for tonight? \u201curgh\u201d as he looked longingly over my shoulder in to the far distance. \u201c Oh well best of luck\u201d Silence greeted this, he stared at me ferociously again, daring me to ask any more trivial questions and then with no farewell he turned and headed off. As he soon disappeared in to the gloom I wondered if I had actually met him at all and then maybe I had got lucky and he was some kind of maniac with an axe out to maim any other walker he came across; the reality though was that he was a single minded individual attempting the crossing in a quick time, carrying all his kit and food, camping out and basically completing the route in surely the most pure form of all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A strange noise had been gradually increasing for half an hour before I realised I was close to the M6. I felt again this was significant as I crossed the foot bridge; Lakeland ahead and then the finish. I have never felt the need to stop in Shap before and the reality is I am unlikely to again but I do wish the young lad who is running the excellent Ings Farm guest house and bunk all the very best. He has a great set up there and if he cannot make a success of it, it will be nothing to do with his efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16 miles. 6 \u00bd hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A strong wind was blowing as I woke in Shap but the rain had gone. The Ings is at the best end of the village for us east to westers and I was at Shap Abbey in no time at all. Shap Abbey did not hold my attention for long so I pressed on and got lost. For the first time I was genuinely confused as to where I was, nothing serious as the area I was lost in was not too large but it was not until I stumbled across an old railway track I was confident of where I was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gradually the terrain improved and there is a lovely stretch of woodland near Burnbanks which surrounds the outflow river of Haweswater. Burnbanks is a funny little place which was built initially for the workers on the dam at Haweswater 50 years ago. Now it is a series of unobtrusive bungalows with retired folk although one of the cottages has taken the initiative to offer tea in the summer months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, having been spotted 2 days prior on Nine Standards Rigg, the Lake District bursts on to the scene. The miles of Haweswater are spread out in front and proper mountains enclosing the lake\/reservoir. Going east to west it is a good moment (actually leaving the Lakes is probably equally significant for those travelling west to east) and I sat for a while soaking in the area I probably love beyond all others. Later in the day I was cursing the eroded path to Patterdale but that is just typical of the extremes of long distant walking. The weather was fine and the summits clear, the autumn colours still clinging to the hillsides as the bracken put on its best coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The <\/a>lakeside track of Haweswater<\/a> sadly does not stick rigidly to the shoreline and for 5 miles undulates alongside the lake becoming increasingly eroded as it goes. Wainwright spends a lot of time in his book bemoaning the loss of the old valley but I would be less critical of the Manchester Corporation. I never saw the valley as it was before and actually find Haweswater, particularly towards its head, a pleasant place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The climb up to Kidsty Pike is steep and the wind was strengthening so I took shelter and started searching for the elusive eagles which nest in the valley below. I had seen a few walkers on the track but it was only when I popped on to the summit of Kidsty Pike that I hit real Lakeland with walkers heading off in a variety of directions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For once though I was not peak bagging (there are many Wainwrights within a mile radius or so of Kidsty Pike, probably the most concentrated set of summits in the Lake District). The long, badly eroded track to Patterdale made me suffer. For whatever reason I was exhausted and grumpy. I had to keep sitting down, my feet hurt and for the first time I popped a couple of Anadin down to see me through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Angle Tarns<\/a> are one of my favourites but I hurried past without a backwards glance and practically fell down in to Patterdale and the Patterdale Hotel where Alistair was picking me up. Odd but I felt worse than I had felt at any time since coming off the Yorkshire Moors. Part of the issue is that it is simply harder work walking in the Lake District. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I reckon in the Lakes I was walking at roughly an average of 2 rather than 3 mph due to the ups and down and the rough and often eroded paths. I think I under estimated what I thought would be a straightforward day and I was fighting a strong wind throughout. We retired to Threlkeld for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Nine](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Nine-Standards-Rigg-summit.jpg\")
Varying the Route<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Steam](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steam-at-Grosmont.jpg\")
Suitable For<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Two Suggested Itineraries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Angle](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Angle-Tarn.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Above-the-Swale-near-Keld.jpg\")
![\"White](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/White-Lion-Blakey.jpg\")
Itinerary B (Speedy Crossing). 9 days.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Maps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Coast](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Coast-to-Coast-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Coast](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Coast-to-Coast.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPlaces to Stay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Personal Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/The-start-for-me-Robin-Hoods-Bay.jpg\")
Planning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why<\/strong>?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What to take<\/strong>?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Wythburn](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Wythburn-Church.jpg\")
Which Route?<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s get going<\/strong>!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Trough](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Trough-House-close-to-the-Lion-Inn.jpg\")
Thoughts on my Return<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Satisfaction<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Long Days<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Keeping](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keeping-guard-on-Kidsty-Pike.jpg\")
Sore Feet<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Boots<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Need to be flexible<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Keeping](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keeping-guard-on-Kidsty-Pike-1.jpg\")
Meeting People on the walk<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Toes-well-and-truly-dipped.jpg\")
Day-by-day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Day 1 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Robin Hood\u2019s Bay to Lion Inn, Blakey<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Farndale\"](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Hawes-from-Gayle.jpg\")
Grosmont<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Long Ridges<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 2 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lion Inn Blakey to Ingleby Cross<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Concluding](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/The-end-of-the-North-York-Moors.jpg\")
Clay Bank<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Finally<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 3 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ingleby Cross to Richmond<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"East](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Crossing-the-east-coast-mainline.jpg\")
Danby Wiske<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
River Swale<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 4 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Richmond to Muker<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Support](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Support-from-Richmond-arrives.jpg\")
Lovely Villages in Swaledale<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Further West<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 5 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Muker to Kirkby Stephen<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Near](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Above-the-Swale-near-Keld-1.jpg\")
Nine Standards Rigg<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Kirby Stephen<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 6 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kirkby Stephen to Shap<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Grim](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Grim-above-Orton-Scar.jpg\")
Lonely and Remote<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 7 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shap to Patterdale<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Shap](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Shap-Abbey.jpg\")
The Lakes at last<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Kidsty Pike<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Day 8 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Patterdale to Rosthwaite<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Alistair](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Alistair-Rhys-on-Helvellyn.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/where2walk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/The-path-ahead...wet_.jpg\")