Wainwright’s legacy, wild landscapes, and a journey across England
The Coast to Coast Path is a long-distance walking route crossing northern England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, running between St Bees on the Cumbrian coast and Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. Designed for self-guided travel, the trail links some of England’s most varied routes, landscapes, and places, connecting the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors National Parks through a continuous cross-country journey. Created by Alfred Wainwright in 1973 and now designated as a National Trail, it remains one of Britain’s most recognisable long-distance routes.
Walking the Coast to Coast is defined by contrast and transition. The route moves from steep mountain passes and glacial valleys in the Lake District, across limestone dales and broad river valleys in Yorkshire, before rising again onto open moorland and long ridges in the North York Moors. Rather than following a single landscape type, the trail is shaped by continual change, with each section demanding a different rhythm, pace, and way of moving through the land.
The western stages are the most physically demanding. From the cliffs at St Bees, the route quickly enters the Lake District, crossing remote valleys such as Ennerdale and Borrowdale before climbing high passes around Grasmere, Patterdale, and Shap. Long ascents, rough ground, and exposure define this section.
Further east, the trail softens without becoming easy. In the Yorkshire Dales, wide limestone valleys, high moorland crossings such as Nine Standards Rigg, and long approaches between villages create days defined by distance rather than height. After crossing the Vale of Mowbray, the final stages rise onto the North York Moors, where open heather uplands and long ridge walks lead steadily toward the coast, finishing with a descent into Robin Hood’s Bay.
The appeal of the Coast to Coast Path lies in its completeness. It is a route that crosses England on foot, linking sea to sea through mountains, moors, farmland, and villages, offering a sustained, demanding journey shaped by landscape, weather, and movement rather than any single destination.
Trail Overview
Distance
192 miles / 309 km
Typical time on foot
12–16 days
Start
St Bees, Cumbria (Irish Sea)
Finish
Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire (North Sea)
Terrain
Mountain paths, high passes, valleys, moorland, farmland, villages, coastal paths
