Coast to Coast HOME
In 1992 myself and a friend decided to have a go at Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk. Below is a brief description of the walk and some pics. The walk took 14 days including one days rest at Kirkby Stephen.
The walk begins at St Bees on the coast of Cumbria where it is traditional to dip a toe in the Irish Sea but it was freezing cold and training so we kept our boots and coats on.
Setting off from St Bees takes you up the cliffs to the North of the village which is odd as the finish is due East !
After climbing over what Wainwright calls "A modest hill" called Dent (It isn't modest when you are carrying over 40 lbs) we reached Ennerdale Bridge where we made the first nights camp.
Next day begins what seemed like a long haul up Ennerdale. Much of this valley is Conifers planted by the Forestry Comission or whatever they are called thses days so it is rather boring until you reach Black Sail YHA where the ascent into Lakeland proper begins
After the ascent up Loft Beck from Ennerdale a wonderful view of Buttermere and Crummock Water can be seen and though the weather was still crap it was nice to be up there and have the first really good view to admire
Crossing the Honister Pass we descended into the beautiful Borrowdale but after the slogging on in the rain it was time to keel over on the grass - An it was my birthday too !
After a nights rest at Stonethwaite Campsite and some birthday beers in the Scafell Hotel we got back up on the hillside. This is at the top of Anglers Crag looking back into Borrowdale
Reaching Grasmere quite earlly and still raining there wasn't much else to do other than stare at the dank scene on the campsite until the boozer opened.
We missed out Helvellyn bucause of the rain and went straight across into Glenridding, stayed another wet night at Side Farm then climbed back up to Kidsty Pike at the head of the Haweswater valley. I'm sure theer were only two of us at the start ! Still raining though but ....
... half an hour later by the banks of Hawswater the sun came out and that was the last we saw of the crap weather. From now on it just got hotter and hotter.
Finally leaving the Lake District we moved into a quite and forgotten but rather nice area. Trying to find somewhere to pitch a tent in Shap was a problem until the landlady of one of the pubs came out and told us to pitch in the beer garden .... how civilised is that !
We stopped in the pub garden at Shap and met the Colchester Joggers and decided to walk on with them. A pub stop at Orton joined up with the RAF team from Lincoln making it more of a walking gang now !
The Colchester Joggers decided to stay at a farm in the middle of nowhere but a few of us pressed on to Kirkby Stephen where we were so shattered that we took a day off. The next day we walked up to 9 Standards rigg and on into the Yorkshire Dales
We took a diversion from the route here as Swaledale seemed more attractive than the barren moors above. We were right. It was one of the most pleasnat walks of the trip leading us down to Richmond and onto the flat and quite boring day across the plain of York.
After a superb night at the Blue Bell Inn at Ingleby cross it was back upward and into the North Yorkshie Moors. Crigle Moor gave superb views across the plain to the North.
Whilst sitting haveing a snack at Clay Bank Top (Left Pic) myself and Roy Band decided to scout out for campsites as we were all tired and hot. We found a farm down the hill where the farmere plied us with beer then arranged a minibus for everyone to the pub 5 miles away and allowed us to camp on his field (Right Pic). What a guy !
The party drifed apart after this as everyone was going at their own pace. But on arriving at Robin Hood's Bay we bumped into Chris who was on his own and wanting to inish the walk with some others. And so we reached the North Sea
And so we reached the North Sea and dipped our boots at last in the North Sea. 196 Miles hundreds of pints of beer and 2 stone lighter than at St Bees. Wow, what a walk
And of course the celebrations in the Bay Hotel
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