Lakeland Ramble

Arrive by local train from Lancaster or Carlisle to the tiny Cumbrian village of St Bees whose roots date back to the 9th century and is the official start point of the Coast to Coast. The walk begins on the shores of the Irish Sea where Alfred Wainwright recommended you dip your feet to mark the start of journey and collect your pebble to carry to Robin Hood’s Bay. Take an evening stroll to St Bees Head which overlooks the small town and is a lovely place to sit and watch the sun go down.

The walk starts with a day of varied scenery as you leave the coast and head into the hills. Follow the well worn path up and over the dramatic red sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head, a nature reserve for seabirds, keeping an eye out for kittiwakes and guillemots on the wing.

The route turns inland through farmland and the next time you’ll see the sea is at Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast of England. The trail passes through the pebble dashed houses in Sandwith, Moor Row and Cleator, especially built for coal miners and typical of Northern England’s urbanised areas. The Lake District National Park beckons beyond and after crossing Cleator Moor through the woods of Blackhow, you climb Dent Hill (353m) to descend steeply to the village of Ennerdale Bridge and your gateway to the Lake District National Park.

6-7 hours – total ascent 780m / descent 665m
Meals: B

A long scenic day takes you along the quiet shores of Ennerdale Water, a forgotten corner of Lakeland that receives far fewer visitors than the central lake district. After leaving Ennerdale ensure you keep to the left hand side of the waters to enjoy a relatively flat walk to the remote YHA at Black Sail. The youth hostel is an excellent place to break your journey before the steep ascent at Loft Beck and the wild expanses of Honister Pass. As you begin your descent into the beautiful Borrowdale Valley make sure you listen for cuckoo birdsong and keep an eye out for the rare red squirrel. Take note, today’s route passes through the highest rainfall area in England, a country noted for its rain.

You will meet our Mountain Guide today and he will walk with you through this first hill section of the Coast to Coast, explaining the geography , history and flora, fauna as you go. They will also cover safety on the fells with you and ensure you are comfortable with your navigation and emergency procedures.

The Honister Slate Mine Visitor Centre holds guided tours that provide many interesting insights into the history of the mine. You’ll then pass through the village of Seatoller before walking into the wide expanse of Borrowdale Valley to Rosthwaite with its lovely pub and hotel. Down the road is the enchanting little hamlet of Stonethwaite, worth a look for your evening pint at the charming country inn and to admire the storybook lane and cottages.

7 hours – total ascent 765m / descent 785m
Meals: B

Today you head out of the lovely valley of Borrowdale through fields of Hardwick and Swaledale sheep. Follow the low dry-stone wall that runs along Stonethwaite Beck before veering left and away from the stream to begin your steep climb towards Eagle’s Crag. There are fabulous views back over the valley and from here the path to Greenup Edge leads you into the high country and the heart of the Lake District National Park.

Coming to the head of the Easedale Valley you have a choice of paths, one descends down into the valley and follows the line of Easdale Gill (better for inclement weather), the other skirts long the top of the crags and provides wonderful views and walking in good weather. On this path you’ll pass by the iconic Lion and the Lamb rock outcrop by Helm Crag and have fine views of the lake at Grasmere and tomorrow’s walk before you drop down to Grasmere in the valley below.

6 hours – total ascent 750m / descent 760 via Helm Crag
Meals: B

The day starts with a climb out of Grasmere to the pass at Grisedale Tarn, there are beautiful photo opportunities along the way and a lovely picnic spot at the waterfall just below your last climb before the lake.

When you arrive at the head of the Grisedale Tarn (539m) you have a choice of 3 possible routes; one leads over St Sunday Crag (841m), which is a ridge walk along a Monolithic block of stone with tremendous views. The central path follows the valley down to Patterdale and is the best option for poor weather. The most challenging route leads to the left up to the summit of Helvellyn (950m) and from there down onto the infamous spine of the Striding Edge – so called because of the precipitous drop off either side of the narrow path. It’s frequently used in photographs of the Coast to Coast and is probably England’s best known stretch of mountain. It is not for the feint of heart and is not a Raw Travel recommended route.

Keeping to the right hand shore of Grisedale Tarn the route leads you into the lovely village of Patterdale with its serene location at the head of Ullswater Lake and is well worth a stroll in the evening before calling into one of the local pubs or hotel for dinner. The village store and post office is well worth a browse as it was the first shop to sell Wainwright’s original Coast to Coast guides and is a mine of information and supplies for walkers.

5 hours – total ascent: 900m / descent 805m via the recommended route over St Sunday Crag – add 3km and 2 hours if including the detour via Helvellyn and Striding Edge
Meals: B

A long day ahead as you leave the central lakes and head outside the Lake District National Park to Shap. The path climbs out of the Patterdale valley with splendid views of Ullswater and the Lakeland mountains you walked yesterday. The trail winds between crags passing Angle Tarn and continues to climb to the Knott (739m) and Kidsty Pike (780m), after which you begin your descent to the shores of Haweswater Lake in the valley below. The craggy cliffs below Kirsty Pike was once home to England’s last golden eagle, Eddy, who sadly died in 2015, but keep a look out for for shy red squirrels along the way.

Haweswater is the most remote of the lakes and has a markedly different feel to the central lakes, for many people it’s their favourite lake with the walk taking you close to the waters edge along its full length to the tiny settlement of Burnbanks before passing Thornthwaite Hall and the heading into farmland.

Before you reach the village of Shap you’ll pass one of the highlights of the Coast to Coast, the evocative ruins of Shap Abbey dating back to the 12th century. You’ll also pass the remains of an ancient stone circle which in turn was plundered for its stone when the monks built the abbey in 1199.

7-9 hours – total ascent: 1174m / descent 1009m
Meals: B

Today’s scenery is quite different from other stages of the trail with limestone escarpments, moorland, pastures and scattered farmhouses. The limestone plateau east of Shap have yielded many archaeological finds from over 200 sites dating back some 2,000 to 9,000 years ago, including axe heads, arrows and seed deposits from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, near Oddendale the remains of two concentric stone circles date back almost 6,000 years. The pretty village of Orton has many attractions including Kennedy’s Fine Chocolates chocolate, which a must visit if you have a sweet tooth and they even sell a Coast to Coast chocolate bar.

4 hours – total ascent 535m / descent 655m
Meals: B

Your walk today takes you into one of the least populated areas of England, up over wild moorlands to take in the dramatic remains of Victorian rail engineering. This is a longer day but with easy gradients and glimpses of a prehistoric past, these now lonely places were once busy with human life. You’ll pass by Sunbiggin Tarn with its resident birdlife before dropping into the Lune Valley and Smardale Bridge where you should look out for the ‘pillow mounds’ – prehistoric sites whose purpose remains unclear. After walking up Smardale Fell you descend into the welcome sight of the lovely market town of Kirkby Stephen.

5.5 hours – total ascent 535m / descent
Meals: B

You are free to check out anytime today before 10am. If you have time don’t miss the parish church of St Hedda which has several interesting features including a Norman coffin, the tusk of the last wild boar in England and a stone depicting Loki the Viking god of mischief dating back to the eighth century. If you’re lucky enough to be in Kirkby Stephen on a Monday make sure you visit the famous markets which were first chartered in 1352.

Meals: B

• Hassle-free walking with exclusive use of RAW Travel’s specifically designed Coast to Coast navigation hiking app.
• 8 nights’ accommodation in character-filled warm country inns and B&Bs – hand-selected by our team
• Fresh fruits, yoghurts, cereals or a traditional hearty English breakfast to support you each day on the trail
• Pack-free walking with daily luggage transfers to your accommodation (20kg per person)
• Local 24/7 UK support from RAW Travel staff
• Comprehensive information pack with full Coast to Coast guidebook and map booklet
• One full day walking with your own private Lake District mountain guide

Our Coast to Coast team know and love this path, which is why a pre-trip consultation is added assurance to help you on your way.

• Single supplement $450
• Travel insurance
• Flights
• Lunch and dinners