Craig Henderson Europe '23 Part 3 - Coast to Coast

1 July 2023 - St Bees; day prior to start of England’s ‘Coast to Coast’ walk

Having rendezvoused with Cathy and our friend, Tim Lunn, a couple of days earlier, we’re now in St Bees ready to start the Coast to Coast tomorrow.

St Bees is on the Irish Sea, so we are doing the C2C in the conventional west to east direction. The main reason most people do the walk in that direction is that the prevailing wind is a westerly and, naturally, most people prefer to walk with the wind at their backs.

The C2C route that we’ll take (and most people take) is broadly that described by legendary fell-walker, Alfred Wainwright, in his 1973 guidebook. Whilst it’s England’s most popular long distance walk, until recently it’s had limited official recognition. That’s changing as Natural England has announced that it is to become a National Trail. This will result in track upgrades, improved maintenance and better signage.

Wainwright’s route knits together three of England’s best national parks - the Lake District NP, the Yorkshire Dales NP and the North York Moors NP. It avoids towns (though not villages) and minimises road walking.

St Bees makes an immediate impression on us. No sooner than we arrive, a local takes us under his wing and escorts us to the historic St Bees Priory Church. An elderly man is hoovering ahead of the following morning’s church service, but he’s also the organist and offers to provide us with a taste of the organ’s sound. He plays a current favourite piece which shows off the organ’s full range.

It’s also the day of the local school’s fete and everyone’s out enjoying the live music. Our B&B host, a jovial gregarious personality, is an organiser of the school fete. We suspect that she also had responsibility for the fete punch bowl.

The official starting point of the C2C at St Bees Beach overlooks the Irish Sea and is situated on the Cumbrian Coast

2 July 2023 - Day 1 of Coast to Coast Path: St Bees to Ennerdale Water (22.5 km; 6.5h)

Our host bravely surfaces at our requested 7.00am breakfast time. Breakfast duties performed, she’s heading back to bed as we head out the door.

Complying with tradition, we collect our pebbles from the shore of the Irish Sea and begin the climb up to St Bees Head. It’s windy along the cliff top and we marvel at the birds that nest in nooks in the cliff face. They enjoy our attention and put on a stunning aerial show for us.

Before long we’re bearing east away from the Irish Sea and towards the North Sea. Farmland and small villages follow until we start the climb of the day up Dent Hill. The views open up as get higher. From the top, there are vistas in all directions. We can make out the route back to St Bees and much of the coast line either side of it; a satisfying view. But eastwards the view is thrilling; the Lakeland fells are visible and within reach. Of course, we feel they’re beckoning!

We’ve already passed and been passed a few times by a guided group of 12. We shall become very familiar with this group as they walk at a similar pace to us and they’re undertaking the walk over a similar period. Their guide, Dave, is very friendly and doesn’t mind imparting information and tips to us. Tim takes to referring to them as Jesus and the apostles.

Today’s stage finishes at Ennerdale Bridge which is a very attractive village. It has a few places to stay but they’re all quite small and we haven’t managed to get into any of them. Thus, our lot is a 10 minute taxi ride to Cleator Moor and fairly non-descript pub accommodation there.

First glimpse of Ennerdale Water, Lake District

3 July 2023 - Day 2 of Coast to Coast Path: Ennerdale Water to Seatoller (22.0 km; 6.5h)

The taxi drops us back at Ennerdale Bridge in the morning and we’re on the trail by 9.00am. We bump into friends, Richard and Jennifer, who we knew were starting the walk at the same time as us. Their usual walking pace is faster than ours but they amble along with us for a while as we trace the edge of the southern side of picturesque Ennerdale Water.

The ambling becomes too tortuous for Richard and Jennifer and they power off ahead of us. To be fair, they’re taking the alternative ‘high’ route today (up Red Pike, High Stile and Hay Stacks) so they already have a longish day. We, on the other hand, being valley walkers today, discover that the well-located YHA Ennerdale has an honesty ‘cafe’ and stop for a brew.

Some of the youth hostels around here have amazing locations - lunch is at one of those: YHA Black Sail. This is England’s most remote YHA hostel. The old ‘bothy’ enjoys magnificent views up and down the valley and, like Ennerdale, has an honesty ‘cafe’. After the hostel, the route climbs to Grey Knotts from where the views back over the territory we’ve traversed over the last day and a half are breathtaking.

On the afternoon descent to Honister Slate Mine Visitor Centre, we make a rookie error. Jesus and the apostles are ahead of us and take a route that looks like it’s unnecessarily long. The direct route appears far shorter and we can see no issues with it. We opt for the shorter route only to find that it plunges down a very rocky and tricky track. The well-informed group waltz down a nicely graded road and draw away into the distance. We note that it’s folly to stray from the path of Jesus.

We overnight in the comfortable Glaramara, enjoying its lounge and in-house restaurant. It’s on the outskirts of Seatoller village and its attractive pastoral setting and amenities make it very restorative.

YHA Black Sail, Ennerdale Valley, Lake District

4 July 2023 - Day 3 of Coast to Coast Path: Seatoller to Grasmere (16.5 km; 5.5h)

This morning we pass through the quaint village of Rosthwaite before starting a steady climb up Lining Crag and then further up to the col of Greenup Edge. There’s a bit of drizzle around but not enough to trouble us.

The last couple of hundred metres up to Lining Crag are steep and the path through a jumble of rocks is difficult to follow. Unwittingly, we start veering off the path. Fellow walkers well above us spot our mistake and call out to us. The camaraderie of this trail, like so many others, is a highlight.

Like yesterday, today’s route has a high alternative. This one takes you up Calf Crag, Helm Crag and other more oddly named protrusions. Again, we pass on the extra challenge and take the valley route. We figure we’ve still got many days of walking ahead of us and maybe we’d be tempting fate to increase the workload at this stage.

Mid-afternoon we reach Grasmere. Grasmere is the most touristy of the Lake District villages that the C2C visits. But with good reason. It’s located in a beautiful valley and is surrounded by comely hills. Attractive stone buildings line the narrow streets. Sights include Dove Cottage where poet William Wordsworth lived and the 13th century St Oswald’s church. There’s also Sarah Nelson’s famous gingerbread shop but, tragically, it’s closed by the time we get there.

Langstrath Valley on the outskirts of Rosthwaite, Lake District

5 July 2023 - Day 4 of Coast to Coast Path: Grasmere to Patterdale (18.0 km; 6.0h)

Options aplenty today. Once you’ve climbed to Grisedale Tarn, you can (1) stick to the main route and follow the attractive valley route, (2) take the east route which takes you up and over St Sunday Crag (with spectacular views to Ullswater), or (3) take the west (or Helvellyn) route.

The Helvellyn route includes the wonderfully named Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike, as well as Helvellyn itself (at 950m, England’s third highest mountain). The Helvellyn route also includes a descent via the notorious Striding Edge Ridge, a narrow rocky plunge with sheer drops on both sides.

Cathy opts for route 1. Tim and I initially opt for route 2, but then we spot two middle-aged women with a dog heading up the Helvellyn route. Our male egos get to work and we decide to follow them!

The views from the top are magnificent and well worth the effort. A plateau runs between Dollywaggon and Helvellyn and a cold wind sweeps across it. We stop for lunch and need all three layers of clothing.

Despite the conditions, the summit of Helvellyn is quite busy with about 20 people milling around. Tim and I head down what we assume to be Striding Edge Ridge only to be told, as we get to the bottom, that it was actually Swirrell Ridge. We’re assured the two ridges are quite similar and if that’s the case I wouldn’t recommend either of them to those uncomfortable with heights and rock scrambling.

Dinner is at the Patterdale YH and Tim awards it the best dinner to date. I think the generous serving of apple donuts and ice-cream was the sealer.

Patterdale overlooking Lake Ullswater, Lake District

6 July 2023 - Day 5 of Coast to Coast Path: Patterdale to Shap (26 km; 7.5h)

A longish day that our Trailblazer guide describes as the toughest day of the walk. We climb for a few hours in the morning to reach the highest point on the C2C, Kidsty Pike (780m). It’s not as high as Helvellyn but Helvellyn isn’t actually on the C2C route. Somehow we reach the top at the same time as Richard and Jennifer. They must have slept in this morning.

The views in all directions are spectacular. We resist the efforts of the wind gods to blow us off the top just long enough for pic’s and congrat’s.

There follows a descent to Haweswater Reservoir, a former lake that was flooded to form a reservoir many years ago. The route tracks the western side of the reservoir for close on two hours, so out come the ear-phones and we employ the music distraction strategy.

Post-reservoir we turn due east and head out of the Lake District National Park and into Shap where our accommodation is in the 17th century Hermitage B&B. Proprietoress, Jean, has been running this B&B for 50 years and has it down to a fine art. Goodness knows how many C2C walkers she has hosted, but she still shows an interest in our trip.

7 July 2023 - Day 6 of Coast to Coast Path: Shap to Kirkby Stephen (33 km; 8.5h)

Given accommodation options, completing the C2C in 15 walking days requires one 30km+ day. You can slot that day in at various points. We’d chosen this stretch because there wasn’t much climbing of note.

The walking never reached great heights today, either literally or metaphorically. The tone was set when we crossed the M6 shortly after the start. Perhaps, too, there was some regret as the jewels of the Lake District receded into the distance.

To add to our funk, the cattle chose today to turn against us! Tim was ‘seen off the premises’ by an aggressive bull and then a couple of boisterous young steers caused Cathy and Tim to run the last few metres to the safety of a stile.

The last few hours of the day were through farm land and under a hot sun. With an hour to go we were down to our last sips of water. We were pretty spent when we staggered into our B&B at Kirkby Stephen.

Our lovely host, Chrissy, took one look at us and suggested we go straight to dinner. She rightly judged that if we went up to our rooms, we’d collapse and probably not emerge till the next morning. Chrissy escorted us to a pizza/brewery establishment where the combination of a balmy evening, an outside table on a lush lawn, great food and drink plus the company of a lovely Manchester couple whose table we happened to join, revived us.

Wheat fields en route to Kirkby Stephen, Yorkshire Dales

8 July 2023 - Day 7 of Coast to Coast Path: Kirkby Stephen to Keld (19.5 km; 5.5h)

Rest again performs its miracles and we bounce on to the track next morning, a little later than normal but keen to see more of the Yorkshire Dales.

The day starts with a climb to the curious Nine Standards Rigg. These are cairn-like structures of loose stone carefully built to have more shape and permanency than traditional cairns. It seems that nobody quite knows when these structures were first built, but estimates suggest they have been there for over 500 years. They are strung along a high ridge and are visible from miles away. We wonder, half jokingly, if they were early tourist attractions, akin to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, Australia or the World’s Tallest Flag Pole in Calipatria, California.

The trail then passes through a boggy area of peat moss. This is an area requiring protection from the ravages of thousands of walkers’ boots. It’s getting some protection as signage directs you to a different route depending on the time of year. But duckboards and bridges are probably also required. At the time of our crossing, it’s virtually impossible not to sink into bog up to shin or higher at some point.

In the afternoon we descend from fairly wild moorland to the River Swale valley (neatly known as Swalevale). This is now quintessential Yorkshire Dale countryside. Rolling hills, lush pastures, stone barns and farmhouses. The River Swale at this point is a fast-running brook.

We overnight a little off the track at Frith Lodge. It’s worth the detour as the superbly renovated old farmhouse provides high standard accommodation and meals. On top of that, the hosts are charming and hospitable.

Dinner around a communal table is memorable. We get to know Ian and Christine, a very friendly couple from Middlesbrough who we’ve met at various points along the route, far better. This is virtually their backyard and they tell us about the areas we’re still to tramp through, including (per Ian) every pub on the trail or reachable from the trail. Tim is very tempted to take up Ian’s offer to take him on the Malhamdale Circular walk. It’s an 8 mile walk in the vicinity of York and the tradition is to have a pint at each of the eight pubs that the route passes.

The curious Nine Standards Rigg, Yorkshire Dales

9 July 2023 - Day 8 of Coast to Coast Path: Keld to Reeth (19.0 km; 5.0h)

There is a high route alternative today that takes you up to moorland and past some former slate mines. We’ve been enjoying Swalevale and opt to take the path that sticks closer to the River Swale.

We don’t regret our choice as the river scenery is easy viewing and there are more patches of woodland than we’ve seen since the Lake District.

Numerous farmhouses, barns and well-constructed stone fences point to a vibrant farming heritage in this area.

We reach Reeth which has a large village green. Its appearance is a little tainted by the fact that parking is permitted on the green. There are various pubs and we debate which one to eat at. When we enter The Black Bull and see that Jesus and the apostles are dining there we know we’ve made the right decision. We assume they’re eating fish.

Leaving Gunnerside village, Yorkshire Dales

10 July 2023 - Day 9 of Coast to Coast Path: Reeth to Richmond (17.0 km; 5.0h)

We don’t have a long day of walking ahead of us, so could have started late but the routine built into the the luggage transfer and B&B services discourages that. Luggage has to be ready for the transfer company by 8.30am and B&B’s generally want you to eat breakfast between 7.30 and 9.00am. So, fed and left with your daypacks only, you’re likely to be on the road by 9 - 9.30, at the latest.

We meet a Yorkshireman, Mac, on the track today and walk with him for the rest of the day. A retired teacher, he’s well-informed on issues of the day and we cover most of them during the course of the walk to Richmond. He’s also done lots of walking throughout the UK and tells us of his favourite bits. He’s a keen follower of the English soccer team Portsmouth and seems to understand Tim’s mounting excitement as we approach Richmond.

We reach Richmond before B&B check-in time, so we and Mac join afore-mentioned Ian and Christine for a drink. Ian and Christine tell us about a 78yo eccentric Australian, Lew, who is doing the walk. On cue almost, Lew wanders past and is enticed to join us. In the most remarkable coincidence, it turns out that Mac and Lew are acquaintances and used to live in the same village!

We’re having a rest day tomorrow so we’ll be farewelling those of our track-mates who are not. We dine with Ian and Christine and Brisbane couple Kym and Don. Happily, unlike past times, social media means that transient connections made during travel can be easily maintained.

Richmond is well located and suited to a rest day on the C2C. It has a wide range of shops and a number of attractions, including the photogenic Richmond Castle.

12 July 2023 - Day 10 of Coast to Coast Path: Richmond to Danby Wiske (20.0 km; 6.0h)

This morning we bid farewell to Richard, Jennifer and son Nick who are visiting an agricultural show today then skipping ahead of us. Our random catch ups during the first nine days have been fun. Richard has me wondering about the Heysen Trail in South Australia.

Simple pleasures get magnified on a multi-day walking trip. Leaving Richmond in freshly washed clothes and with all other gear cleaned, repaired etc adds a bounce to one’s step.

Today and tomorrow are traditionally regarded as the more mundane days of the C2C. You’re walking through the gap between the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North York Moors National Park. It’s a food bowl for northern England, so the path passes through and beside farmland of many descriptions.

Wainwright took a dim view of this stretch and suggested they be knocked off in one go. We meet a few people doing just that. We’re not keen on a 38 km day and not offended by agricultural land, so are breaking overnight at Danby Wiske.

Our B&B host in Danby Wiske, Joan, is one of those dream hosts who loves meeting travellers. She’s run her tastefully decorated B&B for years and has it down to an art. You’re greeted with scones and tea/coffee and a chat. Her passion is Italian opera and she regularly travels to Italy to see performances.

13 July 2023 - Day 11 of Coast to Coast Path: Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross (19.0 km; 6.0h)

With a short’ish day today, we have a leisurely breakfast with Joan and a couple from the mid-west of the US. Joan tells us that she decided last night to give up the B&B business. It occurs to us that her decision followed shortly after our arrival and we apologise. Apparently, we weren’t the catalyst, she’s been considering it for a while. It seems like she’s keen to reverse roles and be a traveller herself for a while.

Eventually we get underway. The earphones get employed and we stroll along to our chosen audio entertainment. The uplands of the North York Moors that have seemed very distant till now draw nearer. Our pace quickens, even though we don’t really get amongst them until tomorrow.

Ingleby Cross is very small but its pub, The Blue Bell Inn, is idyllically situated beside a cricket ground. For any lawyers reading this, Lord Denning would have loved it. We’re staying at a B&B 1.5 km further on, but will return to The Blue Bell for dinner.

The combination of our rest day and some walkers doing Richmond to Ingleby Cross in one day means we’re now with a new ‘generation’ of C2C’ers. There’s a group of seven ex-military types who seem content with their own company. More promisingly, we start leap-frogging a friendly couple from Melbourne, Leigh and Tracey (ie, they pass us, then we pass them; repeated over the course of a day). They are trying to avoid use of vehicles on the trip so walk back to the pub for dinner; we take up our B&B host’s offer of a lift.

Afternoon tea at the Blue Bell Inn, Ingleby Cross

14 July 2023 - Day 12 of Coast to Coast Path: Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank (19.0 km; 6.0h)

Our morning starts with a climb of a few hundred metres through Arncliffe Wood and up onto the North York Moors. It’s uplifting to be walking through woodlands again. As we get higher, views down to the farmland we’ve walked through over the previous two days start to open up. The views confer a sense of satisfaction and our mood improves further.

The moors are known for their vast expanses of heather. The heather produces a small purple flower and while the moors are not a sea of purple today, sprinklings of purple do adorn the landscape. At the lower levels, the bluebells provide a regular splash of colour.

The path itself is a roller coaster today. The climbs up to Live Moor, Carlton Moor, Kirby Bank and Hasty Bank are each sharp and, despite the weather conditions being cool, we build up a lather. From a couple of the higher points, we get distant glimpses of the North Sea. Tangible evidence that our coast to coast objective is achievable.

The end of today’s walk is at Clay Bank Top. A pub at nearby Great Broughton collects walkers from there and ferries them to their establishment. Leigh and Tracey have stuck to their ‘no vehicle’ objective and cleverly navigated a direct route to Great Broughton.

The rain sets in soon after our arrival in Great Broughton, so my knowledge of Great Broughton is confined to the inside of the pub.

15 July 2023 - Day 13 of Coast to Coast Path: Clay Bank Top to Blakey Ridge (15.0 km; 4.5h)

We get delivered back to Clay Bank Top by the young waitress from the pub who looks and sounds as if she has never set foot on the moors and never intends to.

We get underway in cool, drizzly weather. It’s straight up on to the moors where we’re greeted by a strong, gusty wind. The path is an old vehicle track here (that previously serviced iron mines that operated in the area). Despite the wide path, the wild wind threatens to blow us off it.

It’s cold too and, while we’re in no hurry today, there’s nowhere to shelter so we just keep walking. The mists of the North York Moors are the stuff of legend. We don’t get them today but we certainly get a sense for the harsh nature of this environment.

Our non-stop route march gets us to our overnight stop, the remote and remarkable Lion Inn, around 1pm. The Lion Inn is like something out of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. It looks regular enough from the outside but once you get inside, it’s a maze of seemingly ancient rooms of all shapes, sizes and heights. Add to that the fact that it’s a Saturday and the place is packed to the rafters and you might start to get the picture. To our great surprise, once we manage to find someone who admits to being involved in running the place, we get access to our rooms.

The Lion Inn is right up on the moors. It claims to be the third highest pub in England. Anyway, storms roll through at regular intervals this afternoon and the inn proves a great place to watch them from.

The character-filled Lion Inn, North York Moors

16 July 2023 - Day 14 of Coast to Coast Path: Blakey Ridge to Egton Bridge (20.0 km; 5.0h)

We follow the road for the first hour or so this morning. For the first 30 minutes we have an escort of about 25 tractors. We have no idea whether this was something special or whether they gather together for a tractor rally every Sunday morning.

Eventually we leave the road and, soon after, views down a lush valley temptingly called Great Fryup Dale open up. Notwithstanding the number of English breakfasts we’ve consumed so far, we were hoping our route would take us to this nirvana of greasy breakfasts. Alas, it’s not to be. C2C, with an eye to our cholesterol levels, veers south and takes us down to the Esk valley.

All is not lost though as we hit an appealing village called Glaisdale. It being a Sunday, not much is open, but we spy a handmade sign for Bev and Bob’s Tea Garden. It’s off the route but Cathy has that ‘I’d kill for a coffee’ look. What a delight! Bev and Bob have created an amazing botanical garden over several acres. Wonderful to wander around and their coffee and cake wasn’t bad either.

To our surprise, we get to our accommodation in Egton Bridge mid-afternoon. Our Trailblazer guide describes this village as a strong contender for the prettiest village on the C2C. Hard to disagree and our pub accommodation is definitely a contender for the prettiest pub on the walk. It has a vast sloping lawn and garden out the front where meals, drinks or snoozing can be enjoyed. Given lovely weather, we did all three.

17 July 2023 - Day 15 of Coast to Coast Path: Egton Bridge to Robin Hood’s Bay (28.0 km; 7.0h)

Well, the exciting, but at the same time, sad day has arrived - our last day on the C2C. All going well, we’ll march triumphantly down to the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay this afternoon.

But today’s no cakewalk with 28 k’s to cover, including a steep climb up to Sleights Moor. We could be relying on adrenaline towards the end.

Early on, the walk feels like it’s coming to an end. We walk along the A169 for a bit, an unpleasantly busy road into Whitby. And then the outskirts and industry of Whitby impinge on the vistas. But the C2C recovers and we descend into the charming Littlebeck and then Little Beck Wood. We also stumble upon Falling Foss Tea Garden, an outdoors cafe, located beside a picturesque waterfall, serving quality morning teas.

Before long the views of the North Sea become constant and then we join the Cleveland Way in its cliff top journey south to Robin Hood’s Bay. Weariness is mounting and Robin Hood’s Bay is playing hard to get. Finally, we round the last headland and our destination reveals itself. The fatigue melts away and we march past our B&B, without bothering to drop our packs.

The finish of the C2C is at the water’s edge beside the historic Bay Hotel. It’s a wonderful feeling to arrive and thoughts of the last 15 days come streaming back. We perform end of walk traditions - dipping boots into the North Sea and tossing our Irish Sea pebbles into the water. There’s much back-slapping of fellow finishers.

Wainwright left a sum of money to the Bay Hotel to cover a celebratory drink for C2C finishers. That sum has long been exhausted but the practice of a drink at Wainwright’s Bar at the Bay Hotel continues and we join other finishers for well-earned, high-spirited celebrations.