Coast to Coast Path

The Coast to Coast is one of the world's great long-distance trails. Devised by Alfred Wainwright and published in 1973, it was not an official route for most of its existence — Wainwright himself resisted officialdom — but it became one of the most-walked long-distance routes in the world on the strength of its quality alone. It was finally designated as a National Trail in 2022.

The route crosses three national parks from coast to coast in a broadly eastward line. The Lake District section is the most dramatic, taking in Ennerdale, Grasmere and the high fells. The Yorkshire Dales section crosses limestone country via Keld and Reeth. The North York Moors section is heather moorland all the way to the cliff above Robin Hood's Bay.

For trail runners the route is a classic multi-day challenge, typically covered in four to eight days. The terrain is varied: high fell paths in the Lakes, riverside tracks and field paths in the Dales, moorland tracks in the Moors. Waymarking is now consistent as a National Trail, though Wainwright's original directions remain the most characterful guide.

The tradition is to paddle in the Irish Sea at the start (St Bees beach) and the North Sea at the finish (Robin Hood's Bay cove). Many runners collect a pebble at the start to throw in the sea at the finish.

St Bees to Shap (~100 km): Over St Bees Head (good clifftop running), then inland across the Lake District. Ennerdale, Borrowdale, Grasmere, Patterdale — the heart of the Lakes. High optional routes via Haystacks, Helvellyn and High Street add drama.

Shap to Keld (~80 km): Over the limestone plateau of the Yorkshire Dales. Kirkby Stephen is the main town. Nine Standards Rigg gives big views before the descent into Swaledale. The route along Swaledale to Keld is through some of the most beautiful Dales country.

Keld to Ingleby Cross (~70 km): Down Swaledale via Reeth to Richmond — a handsome market town. Then across the Vale of Mowbray. Flat and fast but not the route's most exciting section.

Ingleby Cross to Robin Hood's Bay (~67 km): Over the North York Moors — Urra Moor, Bloworth Crossing, Glaisdale. The Cleveland Hills give good high running. Grosmont and Egton Bridge before the final descent to the coast at Robin Hood's Bay.

Start: St Bees, Cumbria. Train station on the Cumbrian Coast Line from Carlisle and Barrow. Car parking in the village.

Finish: Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire. Bus to Whitby (8 km), which has bus connections to Scarborough and Middlesbrough. The nearest train station is Whitby (North Yorkshire Moors Railway heritage line, or Middlesbrough via Grosmont).

Accommodation is well set up for through-hikers: guesthouses, hostels and B&Bs at Grasmere, Patterdale, Shap, Kirkby Stephen, Keld, Reeth, Richmond, Osmotherley and Grosmont. Book well ahead for July and August.

Best time: May to October. The North York Moors can be bleak and boggy in winter. The Lakes section is best from late April onwards.