Price comparison - multiply by 1.96 for 2023 equivalent
Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk is a 190 mile route following existing rights of way from St Bees Head, through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors National Parks, to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Yorkshire Coast, thus encompassing a wide variety of beautiful scenery. It is not an official long distance path, but has almost become one by its popularity.
There are a number of places where there are optional routes to cater for the weather and/or the relative fitness of the walker. There are many alternatives for overnight accommodation and daily mileage, but most people do the walk in about 13 or 14 days. The popularity of the walk has made it possible for services to be provided to ferry luggage from one night's stop to the next and many walkers, particularly the older ones, take advantage of this facility.
Most of the route follows good paths, tracks and roads, with few of the peat bogs which are so prevalent on some sections of the Pennine Way. In most parts the walking is relatively easy, especially for those who omit the high route alternatives. In some parts the route is well signposted with "Coast to Coast" signs, but in others there is no mention of this and the only indicators are normal footpath or bridleway signposts.
Most of the route follows good paths, tracks and roads, and in most parts the walking is relatively easy, especially for those who omit the high route alternatives. In many parts the route is well signposted with Coast to Coast signs, but in others, particularly in the Lake District, there is no mention of this and the only indicators are normal footpath or bridleway signposts.
The original pictorial guidebook was produced in 1973 by Wainwright himself and published by the Westmorland Gazette in Kendal. It was entitled A Coast to Coast Walk (St Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay) A Pictorial Guide. Since the first edition there have been a few revisions to take account of problems of disputed access and other factors which have resulted in modifications to the route. There are also strip-line maps of the route available by Harvey, and Footprint Maps. Since Wainwright's death in 1991, a number of other guides have been published; some of them with other route variants, so the route followed by different people can vary somewhat in places. There are a large number of websites with information about the Coast to Coast walk and all the services, guides and maps, so I will not attempt to include them here and will just concentrate on my own personal experiences of the walk.
Preparation and Planning
Having decided to repeat some of my favourite walks now, in the absence of any others that appeal to me, this year's choice was Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk, which I last did in 1992. The basic route is approximately 190 miles, but with a few detours for accommodation and high-level alternatives, it is a bit over 200 miles.
When I did the walk last time I, and several other people that I met, thought that it would be better to walk east to west rather than the west to east route preferred by Wainwright. Conventional wisdom has it that the prevailing winds are westerly; so it is best to walk with the wind, and sometimes rain, from behind. However, in early summer, this is not true, as the prevailing winds are easterly. I found this in practice last time when I faced strong, cold, easterly winds approaching the Yorkshire coast. Wainwright's other argument is that it is far more natural to follow a map from left to right, like reading a book. This may be true, but it is not a very significant factor compared to many others involved in a long distance walk.
My main reason for preferring to walk in the opposite direction is because of the terrain and scenery. When walking the conventional way, the most spectacular, mountainous scenery is encountered in the first few days of walking through the Lake District. After that the remainder seems a bit of an anticlimax. Beautiful as much of the scenery may be in other areas, it is of a more gentle nature and, in my opinion, can be appreciated better if it is encountered earlier in the walk, before the grandeur of the Lakeland Mountains has been encountered. Also, from the fitness aspect, the first few days of a walk are spent building up to the rigours of carrying a heavy pack for long distances day after day. It is, therefore, better to tackle the easier walking in the east first, leaving the more strenuous mountain walking until later, when a higher level of fitness has been reached, especially if high-level alternative routes are to be undertaken.
Now that the walk was decided upon, it was then just a matter of fixing a start date and booking all my accommodation. The schedule I followed last time was, in general, quite satisfactory, so I decided not to make too many changes. As my accommodation guide was many years out-of-date, I obtained a new one from Mrs Whitehead in Keld. In theory, the Coast to Coast is served very well by youth hostels, so I renewed my membership of the YHA for £15, thinking that this would save me money instead of the other option that is now available of paying an extra £3 per night as a non-member. I reckoned on staying at 8 youth hostels and the rest of the time in B&Bs, but when I came to book, about two months before the start of the walk, it was a different story. Many of the hostels were already fully booked, probably by school parties, which abound at my preferred time of early June, or they were closed on the nights I wanted. These days, the YHA never publish closing days of hostels as they used to do. I assume that this is to allow flexibility if large groups want to make bookings and might be deterred if they think that a hostel is closed. It is only by contacting individual hostels that it is possible to find out if they are open on any particular day. Out of my 8 hostels, I was only able to get into 3 of them. In the case of one other hostel, Patterdale, I was able to book an alternative hostel, Helvellyn, which was not too far off my route. As I do not use hostels at any time other than on my annual long distance walks, I would have been £3 better off by booking as a non-member.
As for the rest of my accommodation in B&Bs, this didn't present too many problems, though there were a couple of places that presented some difficulty. One of these was over the North Yorkshire Moors, where accommodation is scarce and often involves considerable detours off the route. Here, The Lion Inn at Blakey is ideally situated directly on the route, but is a little more expensive than most B&Bs, especially for single occupancy. There is some other accommodation just across the road, but that was fully booked, so I opted to pay the higher price. My other problem was at Keld, where the youth hostel was full, as were the two B&Bs in the village, so I had to make a detour to Muker. This, however, was not such a bad thing, as the detour was down a beautiful part of Upper Swaledale, which would be an added bonus on the walk. The other advantage of Muker is that it has the only pub in the area, where I would be able to get a meal and drink. Although youth hostels and some B&Bs now provide alcoholic drinks, they do not have quite the same atmosphere, nor the choice of drinks, that a pub can offer. The walking distances either side of Keld were quite moderate, so the extra few miles would not cause any problems as far as that was concerned.
The Helvellyn Youth Hostel option meant taking a slightly different route up Helvellyn, which presented no problem and would actually give me a head start on my way up the mountain. The other difference from my previous schedule was that I decided, instead of staying at Longthwaite Youth Hostel in Borrowdale, I would continue further to Black Sail Hut in Ennerdale, as this is a hostel that I love because of its beautiful position in the heart of the mountains. This would then give me the option of making the next day into even more of a mountain walk than Wainwright's High Stile alternative by taking in Great Gable as well, weather permitting. My next night's accommodation could be at Ennerdale Youth Hostel, where I stayed last time, but this didn't seem right, as it was only 4 miles from Black Sail Hut along the valley, notwithstanding that it would be a lot further than this by my planned route. I, therefore, decided to stay 5 miles further on at a B&B in Ennerdale Bridge. This turned out to be the only decision that I regretted in the whole walk, as the mountain walking was very slow and it left me running behind schedule and rushing to reach Ennerdale Bridge in reasonable time.
For route finding, I already had a copy of Wainwright's guidebook from my previous walk, though I had often found this difficult to follow, as the route did not stand out clearly from the rest of the detail in black and white. This was considerably improved by the use of a highlighter, but still left the problem that there were no OS grid lines shown and very little detail of the area surrounding the route so, if I should stray off somewhere, not only would I have nothing to which I could relate a grid reference from my GPS, but I could easily stray beyond the area shown in the guide and have no means of knowing where I was. This was remedied by printing off sections of 1:50,000 OS maps from the Internet and producing a strip map for the whole route with the exception of the Lake District, for which I already had 1:25,000 maps, two of which covered the route and would benefit me with any mountain detours off the route. I also had a map of one half of the North Yorkshire Moors, though I decided not to carry this, as the route was quite straightforward and sufficiently covered by the guidebook and my strip-line maps.
In my copy of Wainwright's guide, he had to hurriedly draw up an alternative route on roads around Orton because of rights-of-way issues over his original route past the Beacon Hill Monument. I devised a route using footpaths to cut out a lot of the road walking, but then discovered from looking at the latest OS maps that this area is now access land, so it should be possible to follow the original route over limestone pavements without access problems. I would keep an open mind on this until I could see the lie of the land and then decide which route to take.
Last year I raised money for our local hospice by obtaining sponsorship, so I decided to do the same thing again with this walk, though the statistics of the Coast to Coast look rather tame compared to those of the Cambrian Way, even when the high level options through the Lake District are included. The Cambrian Way's total ascent is about 63,000 ft, whereas the Coast to Coast has only about 22,500 ft via the standard route, and 32,000 ft when taking all the high level routes plus a few extra bits of my own.
My start date was set for Monday 5th June and I would drive over to Robin Hood's Bay on 4th June along with my daughter and her partner, who would take the car back home after spending a night in the area. To save my daughter the trouble of picking me up from St Bees, I thought that I might get the train back, so I made an online timetable enquiry for trains on Sunday 18th June. The first train was at 07.57 on Monday 19th June, so that soon put an end to that idea - so much for public transport.
This year, not having so many other things to do, I had managed to get out on more local walks around Snowdonia in the build up to my walk, so I hoped that I wouldn't suffer some of the problems that lack of training can bring about, such as aching muscles and general fatigue. My boots were well broken in and coming towards the end of their life, so I hoped that I might avoid too many blisters. As for the problem of aching feet, I had remedied this to a fair extent in recent walks by making some arch supports to spread the load over a larger area of my feet. My original ones made from fibreglass filler had now started to disintegrate, so I made more out of pieces of an old nylon chopping board. These were roughly cut to size with a saw and then trimmed into the right shape using a wire brush on an electric drill. This worked remarkably well and the resulting supports were of a far more durable material that would not crack into pieces by flexing. They slotted between my insoles and the footbed of my boot and didn't need anything to hold them in place, as they were self-positioning by virtue of the fact that their profile matched that of my instep.
Day 0 - Sunday 4th June 2006 - Home to Boggle Hole Youth Hostel, Robin Hood's Bay
Accommodation: YHA Boggle Hole B&B £10.
After a lot of very wet weather in May, the wettest May on record for many years, I was pleased to see that it had turned warm and sunny for the few days leading up to the start of my walk, with a good outlook for the following week. The journey by car from St Asaph in North Wales to Robin Hood's Bay was pleasant and we passed by a number of places such as Kirkby Stephen through which I would be passing later in the walk. There were also many other places we passed through or were signposted nearby that I had visited on other walks such as the Westmorland Heritage Walk as well as the Cleveland Way and Pennine Way, and these all brought back happy memories as we drove by. For quite a number of miles from Kirkby Stephen onwards, we saw large numbers of gypsies, their horses and ponies grazing by the wayside as they made their way towards the big event of the year, the Appleby Horse Fair, which attracts horse folk from far and wide.
The weather was a little overcast across the moors and there were a few spots of rain, though visibility was still good. We stopped at a pub in Ravenstonedale for lunch, another place at which I had stayed on the Westmorland Heritage Walk and which I would pass within a few miles of on this walk. The journey took somewhat longer than I had anticipated, partly because the roads were not so good towards the East Coast and there was a lot of Sunday afternoon traffic, but mainly because it was further than I had thought. I had it in mind to drive to some point further down the coast from Robin Hood's Bay and then walk back up to my first night's accommodation at Boggle Hole Youth Hostel, just south of Robin Hood's Bay. By the time we reached Whitby, however, most of the afternoon had gone, so it made more sense to just drive around some of the local sights such as the Whalebone Arch and the Abbey in Whitby, then Robin Hood's Bay before I dropped off at Boggle Hole and my daughter and her partner went off to do their own thing.
Robin Hood's Bay towards Ness Point
After dropping my things off in the dormitory and ordering my evening meal, I walked up onto the cliffs above Robin Hood's Bay and sat for a while overlooking the bay with the cloud gradually clearing and brightening up the scene with sunshine. The peace was shattered for a while by a woman on the beach below having an argument with someone at the full strength of her voice, so that everyone within about a mile could hear. According to her he was the most selfish and despicable person that ever walked the earth. Eventually, when she had vented all the wrath that she could muster, she walked off and peace reigned again over the lovely tranquil scene.
From where I was, I had a signal on my mobile phone so reported back home before returning to the hostel for dinner. The menu choices had looked rather uninspiring when I ordered, so I had opted for soup, smoked mackerel salad, and bread and butter pudding, but when the meals appeared, they were very well presented and looked far more interesting and substantial than had been suggested by the menu, not that I particularly wanted a big meal, as I had not yet started walking. The cost was £5.80 for a main course or £7.90 for three courses.
There were a reasonable number of people having dinner, including a chap called Tom who was sharing my dormitory, having just completed the Coast to Coast. I sat with him and heard his tales of all the rain, wind and even sleet that he had battled through in the earlier part of his walk through the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. The last few days had been very sunny, but one day was also very humid, making it bad for walking. His schedule had been one of 11 days, with one or two days being quite long - as much as 25 miles. There was a 14 year old girl walking alone and following a similar schedule, and he kept meeting her along the way.
After dinner I had intended to have a stroll into Robin Hood's Bay for a pint, but back in the dormitory I lay down on my bed for a while and fell asleep. For some reason, I was feeling rather weary, possibly because I had a bit of a cold coming on and had just developed a sore throat, so by the time I woke up again I didn't feel like going out and just settled for an early night.
Day 1 - Monday 5th June 2006 - Robin Hood's Bay to Grosmont
Distance: 15.5 miles - 1,800 ft ascent
Accommodation: B&B Grosmont
I woke up to a reasonable day – a little overcast but still fairly bright. Breakfast was only Continental and served from 8.00 to 9.00, but with quite a good selection of things to choose from. I sat with Tom, who was going to catch the bus from Robin Hood’s Bay to Scarborough and then to home in Birmingham.
It was 8.45 when I started out up the steep cliff by the hostel on the coast path to Robin Hood’s Bay. It was a quick awakening to the walk as I climbed up about 200 ft within a very short distance, carrying my pack for the first time. For some reason, my pack didn’t feel as heavy as it normally does at the start of a long distance walk, so it made me wonder if I had forgotten to pack something, but apart from the battery charger for my camera and GPS batteries that I had forgotten, everything else was there.
I dropped down into Robin Hood’s Bay at 9.00 to dip my boots into the sea in traditional fashion, and to pick up a pebble to carry to the opposite coast. By all accounts of the number of Coast to Coast walkers coming from St Bees, there should have been a small mountain of pebbles to choose from, but I had to hunt around for a while before I could find one. It did make me wonder if it were one that someone had brought all the way from St Bees and that I was now going to undo all their efforts in bringing it here!
The Start (or Finish) of the Coast to Coast Walk at Robin Hood's Bay
Maw Wyke Hole, where the path turns inland from the sea
After walking up the steep hill to the top end of Robin Hood’s Bay, I called in a shop for some sandwiches and a few other things for lunch before embarking on the cliff walk, following the route of the Cleveland Way. The views were rather obscured at first, but improved further along, round Ness Point and then towards Maw Wyke Hole. The cliffs generally average about 200 ft, but rise to about 300 ft at one point and, as is the case along much of the east coast, there were signs of erosion with path diversions around parts that had become dangerous. At Maw Wyke Hole, I made a slight mistake with the route. In my highlighting of the route in the Wainwright guide, I had accidentally highlighted a short bit of the path to Whitby at the top of the page instead of the path inland towards Hawsker. This made me continue along the coastal path for a short way before I realised I was wrong and quickly returned to the correct path, up through the caravan park, and then onto the road into the picturesque village of Hawsker.
The weather was still overcast with an occasional ray of sunshine and a chilly NE wind, which helped to keep me cool in the otherwise rather warm and humid conditions. Once I reached the road, my views were rather limited, with occasional sightings of Whitby, the town and Abbey clearly visible in the distance. For the rest of the time, I kept myself amused by looking at the wild flowers on the verges, trying to identify some of them, which is not my strongest skill. There were buttercups and red campions, as well as other flowers that I resorted to photographing for later identification (Field Mouse-ear and Herb Robert, I think), and the hawthorn trees and hedges were still in full flower.
Progress was quite good and easy, but it was about time to take a break. The roadside was not the best place for stopping, so I waited until I had turned off up a lane and onto open moorland before I took my rest. I had walked about 6 miles from Robin Hood’s Bay, so had already made a good inroad into the first day’s walk of about 15.5 miles. From where I sat, I had another good view across to the coast at Whitby and was able to pick out a lot of things, and many more including the whalebone arch, when I looked through my small binoculars. Meanwhile, the weather was gradually improving with more blue sky and patches of sunshine lighting up the countryside around.
Whitby and North Sea from start of moorland Whitby Abbey is to right and West Cliff to left
At 11.45 I set off again, now over heather moorland, which can often look very bleak, but there was now sunshine to brighten it up and there were still views across to verdant countryside and to Whitby and the coast. Seven miles into the walk I reached a point where the guidebook showed that it was just two miles to Robin Hood’s Bay by road. The route had done three quarters of a circle by following the coast for three miles, which didn’t bother me, as I would rather take a longer route with better scenery than a short one without. For the beeliners, who are only interested in getting from A to B, this can be rather galling. There was an easy, gradually ascending path up the moor and eventually the view of Whitby was lost and, a mile or two later, the view of the sea and coast too.
In one or two places, I wasn’t quite sure which moorland path to take and started to use my GPS, but was soon reassured by a Coast to Coast marker post, and was kept on track by several others as I went along. After joining the Guisborough road for a short way at Greystone Hills, the path headed over Sneaton Low Moor to New May Beck Farm. Here I met a couple of Coast to Coast walkers coming the other way. They had started out at the same time as Tom, but when questioned about the terrible weather for the first half of the walk, they dismissed it as nothing, saying that they didn’t consider that the weather had been bad. It had rained for about five hours in total, some of it being very heavy, but on one occasion when they had got soaked, the sun came out and that, along with the wind, dried them out in half an hour. It all comes down to individual perception, some people taking things in their stride, whilst others dwell on all the negative things.
Shortly afterwards, I met two more couples doing the Coast to Coast. This was about the halfway point to Grosmont, so I had expected to meet a few people around this time. By now the weather was beautifully sunny with a refreshing breeze to stop it from getting too hot. After following the road down to May Beck car park, the route followed the beck northwards along the wooded valley with the sun streaming down through the trees. It was 1pm. and about time for a lunch break, so I found an open space in the sun just off the path, where I settled down to eat and then did a spot of sunbathing. My feet were doing very well after about ten miles, but I removed my boots and socks to give my feet a good airing, as I always find this to be a good way of helping them to relax on a long walk, weather permitting.
At around 2pm a group of about ten people came by. I suspect that they were the Australians that Tom had mentioned, but I didn’t speak to them, as I was a little way from the path, and I saw them again a little later as they doubled back from the car park up the road above me. By about 2.30, it was time to make a move, so I set off again along the delightful May Beck, with the sun still streaming through and sparkling on the water. I am not always very keen on walks through woodland because of the limited view of the surrounding countryside, but in these conditions it was a very enjoyable walk. Further along was Falling Foss, partly obscured by trees, but still an attractive waterfall. It is possible to climb down to the bottom to get a better view of the waterfall, and last time I did so, but there is a rather steep and slippery climb to get down there, so I gave it a miss this time.
Wooded valley of May Beck, part of a nature reserve
The Hermitage, a refuge carved out of solid rock in 1790
The village of Little Beck on the stream of the same name
Climbing obliquely further up the steep sided valley, I reached the Hermitage, a shelter carved out of a huge boulder and dated 1790, thence down to Little Beck, a picturesque hamlet at the end of the nature reserve, sitting in the steep sided valley. The route from here entailed a fairly steep climb up a minor road and then a lane to cross the A169 road on the way to Sleights Moor. Here I met a couple who were taking 18 days to complete the walk, allowing them time to do other things, such as take a ride on the steam railway. They also said that the weather had not been too bad.
I thought I had seen the last of the coast but, lo and behold, there was Whitby again, a little farther away now, but still plain to see. I had the feeling that the moorland path I had picked up from the road crossing was not leading me in the right direction and, sure enough, when I checked with my GPS, this was confirmed. There were no real landmarks to head for, so I set a waymark of where I should cross the minor road at the top of the moor and headed across the open moorland in that direction, passing the trig point on top of the moor, and then finding a path to take me to the road. The guide shows a detour from the road to visit High Bride Stones and Low Bride Stones, but I could see no footpath that way and suspect that most people take to the road as the easier option, either that or maybe later guides omit the stones. I headed across some way along, always preferring to walk off road if it is practicable, and I think I managed to stumble across Low Bride Stones, even if I wasn’t quite sure about the other ones.
As I Rejoined the road for the final walk down into Grosmont, I noticed that there was also a view of Whitby and the coast from here. Wainwright makes a big thing about being able to get the first sight of the North Sea from the top of the moors at Flat Howe, whereas it can be clearly seen a mile or two before that – perhaps the visibility wasn’t as good when he was writing the book.
As I reached Grosmont, a steam train was just arriving at the station, the last one of the day, so I walked along onto the platform where the locomotive was decoupling from the carriages before going off to the engine sheds through the tunnel. My B&B was just down the road, so I checked in there and had a bath and change of clothes before making for the Railway Tavern for something to eat, calling at the phone box on the way to report back home, there being no reception on my mobile phone. For the minimum charge of 30p I was on the phone for 20 minutes and my money had still not run out. The same call would have cost a few pounds on my pay as you go mobile, and would certainly have cost far more when I last did this walk 14 years ago.
I enjoyed a pint of Jennings’s Cumberland bitter on the veranda of the Railway Tavern, whilst waiting for meals to start at 7pm. A chap who was walking the Coast to Coast and staying there came to join me. This was his first long distance walk and he was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. We had a couple more pints together as well as a meal when they started serving, mine being a very good steak and ale pie with lots of meat. He was keen on visiting the engine sheds in the morning, before finishing off the rest of the walk, which he reckoned would take him about five hours. This surprised me a little, but it seems that he didn’t stop for any rests and just carried on walking. That would not do for me, as my feet tend to object every couple of hours and need a good rest to face up to the next stretch. In any case, I use my rests to write up my diary, otherwise I would have forgotten half of the things by the end of the day, and so I conveniently kill two birds with one stone.
I was pleased to find that my cold had not developed too badly and that I was managing to fight off the worst of it. My sore throat had gone and I was just left with some fairly mild symptoms, though I had the feeling that it was making me feel more tired than I might have been as I made my way back to my B&B for an early night.
Day 2 - Tuesday 6th June 2006 - Grosmont to Blakey
Distance: 13.3 miles - 1,650 ft ascent
Accommodation: The Lion Inn
I awoke to another fine day with a good weather forecast for the next few days. Breakfast was at 8.30 down in the basement, which opened up into the main part of their business, the Tea Rooms. These extended from the basement through covered areas into some very attractive gardens with additional outdoor seating for fine weather. I had a full English breakfast and chatted to the proprietor for quite a while, as I was not in a rush to set off. He elaborated his rather jaundiced views on the great British public and the joys of running your own business for an average of about £2.50 an hour.
Deciding I may as well pay a quick visit to the engine sheds, I saw the first steam train of the day setting off from the station as I made my way to the tunnel, claimed to be the first known passenger railway tunnel in the world, which was now a pedestrian walkway to the engine sheds. Entrance to the sheds is free, but donations are invited. The famous locomotive the Sir Nigel Gresley was being refurbished there. This was named after its designer and built to the same design as the Mallard, taking the post war record for steam of 112 m.p.h. in 1959.
First steam train of the day leaving Grosmont
River Esk at Egton Bridge
It was 10.00 before I finally started out on my way, following the Esk Valley. I had a little bit of confusion about the route just out of Grosmont and took the wrong road for a short way before I realised that it must be wrong because it started to go up a steep hill. The detail in Wainwright’s guide is sometimes a little confusing and, of course, I would not have made the same mistake from the other direction. However, with the help of my OS map sections I soon got back on the right road and then followed a private road (the old toll road) to Eamont Bridge with the river on one side and the railway on the other. It was a beautiful, sunny day making for a very enjoyable walk amidst the rolling hills and woods of the Esk valley, with the air full of birdsong and the verges full of wild flowers. Passing the fine building and grounds of Egton Manor, I emerged onto the road at Egton Bridge, meeting a few other Coast to Coast walkers along the way.
After following the road for about a mile, the route headed through East Arnecliff Woods, along a ridge that climbed quite high above the river. There was a strong fragrance of wild garlic and even more birdsong than before, with the River Esk visible from time to time, though it could be heard more than seen most of the way. The ridge dropped down then rose again before emerging onto the road by Beggar's Bridge. Again, I had some confusion with the route, but I soon got back onto the right road, which led past Glaisdale Station, then up the hill to Glaisdale village, high up the hillside. It was hot work climbing upwards in the sunshine, but higher up a cool breeze helped to make things more pleasant.
It was about time for a rest, so I stopped above the village, overlooking the Esk Valley, just by the start of the open moors. There was a steady procession of Coast to Coast walkers coming past, which I suspect will be the case every day of the walk. The route over Glaisdale Rigg followed the ridge on a good moorland track, with a very gentle ascent, gaining about 200 ft every mile. Although walking was fast and easy, the scenery changed very little, making it rather tedious, though there were distant views of the moors to either side. I stopped at about 1pm for a lunch break at about the halfway point of the day, with a bit over six miles to walk to the Lion Inn.
Looking back towards Eskdale and village of Glaisdale from Glaisdale Moor
I found a nice spot off the route to the north, overlooking Great Fryup Dale, where I wouldn't be disturbed by passing cars or walkers and settled down by some stones. It was very peaceful, with hardly any sound to be heard other then the buzz of the occasional fly and the distant buzz of a mower somewhere in the valley. A few clouds had gathered now, and they took away some of the heat from time to time, and there was a gentle, cooling breeze to make it very pleasant as I relaxed and sunbathed. Contrary to popular belief, heather doesn't make a very comfortable bed. The new growth of heather is not too bad, but all the stubble from the dead and burnt heather is the problem. It is marginally more comfortable than a bed of nails, but only just. However, after a session of removal of some of the dead heather I managed to get moderately comfortable, although more cloud gradually drifted over to block out the sun. By this time, however, it had managed to dry out most of the sweat from my clothes, making them more comfortable to wear for the rest of the way. In hindsight, I would have been better choosing some thicker growth of heather to give a better cushion, rather than some thin, new growth.
Continuing along the moorland road was, again, rather tedious, until the track turned off to go round Great Fryup Head. Although the scenery passes just as slowly, the track meanders around, and there are stones, potholes and puddles to avoid. This requires some mental activity, just for the act of walking, so the miles seem to pass more quickly. There were some good views down Glaisdale to the left and Great Fryup Dale to the right, as I continued my way to Trough House, a shooting box high up on the moors. Here I met a solitary Coast to Coast walker who was heading for Glaisdale for the night. He had done the walk 19 years ago, which beats my own walk of 14 years ago. I stopped there for a drink of water and a short rest, as I was getting rather hot again, even though the sun wasn't shining as much now.
When I met up with the road a short way further on, I could see my destination for the night, The Lion Inn, across the valley on the ridge opposite. The route goes in a loop round the head of the Rosedale valley, partly following the road and partly taking short cuts on paths across the moor, in one part joining company with the Lyke Wake Walk. There were some fine views down Rosedale as I made my way around, with the sun coming out more and more. The last mile was along the fairly busy road, but the verges were reasonably wide, so it was possible to walk along them, although I was rather taken aback when a van came whistling close by as it overtook another vehicle coming from behind me.
Looking across the head of Rosedale from near the Lion Inn, Blakey
The Lion Inn at Blakey, dating from 1553
At last, over the last little rise, the Lion Inn came back into sight - a haven in the middle of nowhere. It is a very popular place, especially on a fine day, and has been extended considerably with a large restaurant. Whilst most rural pubs struggle to survive, this place seems to go from strength to strength, though the trade must be very dependent on the weather. On this part of the Coast to Coast, most other accommodation is a long way off route, so the Lion Inn are ideally placed to cater for a lot of walkers, even though the rooms are more expensive than most B&Bs.
I checked into my room, which was a very nice double room with bath and, after washing off all the sweat and grime of the hot day, and washing out my walking clothes, I had a much needed pint of Theakston’s best bitter sitting in the beer garden in the warm evening sunshine. As might be expected, there were quite a few other Coast to Coast walkers around, some staying in the inn, some camping in the nearby field and some just in for food and drink. There was no signal on my mobile phone, though some networks reputedly work from the beer garden, so I called home on their payphone, then ordered an Old Peculier Casserole and another pint of Theakston’s.
As it was still such a beautiful evening, I decided on a stroll along the old Rosedale railway to the south. It is strange that I didn’t find this tedious like some of the walking earlier, but I put this down to a number of factors.
I was just ambling along with no particular destination in mind and I could turn back whenever I liked.
Rosedale has a lot more things of interest in the valley – farms, patches of woodland, old railway workings etc., so there is more to look at whilst walking along.
There is quite a steep drop down from the railway, so a lot more can be seen closer to hand rather than just having views of distant moorland and this adds to the impression that the scenery is changing more rapidly.
After a mile or more I turned back, as I didn’t want to use up too much energy, with a long walk of over 20 miles ahead of me tomorrow. Coming back off the railway at Farndale Bank, I was just looking at a roadside sign saying 'SLOW - 150 SHEEP KILLED ON ROAD LAST YEAR', when a lamb on the opposite side of the road from its mother was frightened by an oncoming motorcyclist and did what they always do – ran across the road to its mother. This caused a squeal of brakes from the motorcycle and nearly added one more to the casualty statistics. Back at the Lion Inn, I had a pint of Old Peculier to finish off the evening before going back to my room. I wasn’t as tired as I had been for the last couple of evenings, so I watched television in my room for a while before going to sleep.
Day 3 - Wednesday 7th June 2006 - The Lion Inn, Blakey to Osmotherley
Distance: 20.8 miles - 2,700 ft ascent
Accommodation: B&B Bellvue Cottages, Osmotherley
Breakfast was not until 8.30 so I tried to do as much as I could to get ready to enable me to get off soon afterwards, with over 20 miles to walk. It was another lovely sunny day and it looked like everyone who was having breakfast had come down at the start, trying to set off as soon as they could. There were about a dozen people in the restaurant, most of them I suspected to be Coast to Coast walkers. There was a good selection of fruit juices, cereals etc. and their full breakfast consisted of two sausages, egg, bacon, tomato, fried bread and black pudding plus three rounds of toast. I managed everything except one round of toast, but was feeling rather bloated at the end of it, though I would soon walk it off once I got going.
After picking up my packed lunch, I was off by about 9.10, and about ten minutes behind the couple from Hull I met yesterday going the same way as me. I headed off along the long stretch of old railway track at the head of Farndale, with a fresh, cooling wind blowing, which took off the heat of the sun. There was a bit of heat haze about, but there were lovely views down Farndale nonetheless, as I made my way onwards. Although the railway track walking was rather tedious, this was offset by the lovely weather, and was better walked at the start of the day than at the end of a long day's walk, when it can seem interminable.
After about an hour, I caught up with the couple from Hull, just as they were stopping for a break. It turned out that they were not actually walking the Coast to Coast, but just some of it as part of a walk from Scarborough to Keswick, where they were meeting up with some friends on 24th June. They were following the Coast to Coast as far as the Lake District, and then spending the rest of the time there until it was time to meet the friends. As they were camping, they could break up the route as they wanted.
I was amazed as I walked along the cinder track, at the vast number of centipedes crawling over there, presumably looking for a better life at the far side of the track. There was little difference in the vegetation between one side and the other, so there was no real reason for it, other than the natural desire to explore.
Head of Farndale from old Rosedale Railway
Cringle Moor, Cold Moor and Hasty Bank from Urra Moor
I carried on to the end of the railway track section before stopping for a break at 11.00. The scenery was now just that of the heather moors, with no views of the green valleys lower down. Although the route now no longer followed the railway track, it was still not very interesting. It was only after reaching the summit of Round Hill, the highest point on the Cleveland Hills, that the scenery started to open up. The long line of ridges and dales that constituted the rest of the day's walk could now be seen ahead, as well as views across the valley towards Roseberry Topping - a delightful name for a delightful hill. Captain Cook's Monument was just visible with the naked eye, and the line of the old incline for the Rosedale Railway was clear to see. This is where railway wagons were winched up and down between the valley floor and the high moors. The way ahead, though hard going with its roller coaster of ups and downs, is one of the finest walks in the North Yorkshire Moors, especially on such a beautiful day as this. I dropped down from Urra Moor along Carr Ridge, past the Clay Bank car park, then up the steep ascent of Hasty Bank. At the far end of Hasty Bank are the Wainstones, a collection of rocks with a number of distinctive shapes, where I stopped for a lunch break at 1pm.
Wainstones on Hasty Bank
The huge breakfast I had eaten meant that I was not very hungry, but I ate part of my packed lunch to cut down on some of the weight that I was carrying, though it was a drink that I needed more than anything else to refresh me on this very hot day. There were a number of other walkers about, as this is a very popular area, but not many were walking the Coast to Coast, though there was still time for me to see some more before the day was out. I only stopped for half an hour, as I still had over 10 miles to go and much of that would be quite slow going.
Each hill brought a new view of the moors ahead as well as a view of the ones being left behind, and there were views on either side of the valleys. I passed a few more Coast to Coast walkers, but there didn’t seem to be quite so many as in the past couple of days. Whilst there was a wind, or at least a breeze, the heat was not so bad, but at times when the wind dropped it got very hot indeed. I called at the Lord Stones Café between Cringle End and Carlton Moor and downed a can of Tango straight from the cooler in double quick time, and this refreshed me for a while. I was quite surprised that they were selling a range of draught beers including Old Peculier, but a pint of that would have finished me off half way up Carlton Moor. There were a lot of people in the café as well as several people paragliding nearby.
On top of Carlton Moor the wind dropped completely and the intense heat reflected up from the light coloured, dusty path just like it would from a Mediterranean pavement. However, after a while a breeze came up again to make it more tolerable. All the while, however, there was a craving for cool refreshing drinks, which the lukewarm water I was carrying didn’t satisfy: in fact it tasted quite revolting. I stopped for another rest before starting the steep descent from Live Moor, with 5.5 miles left to go and only one more ascent, that of Scarth Wood Moor, to make. This came in two stages, the first whilst I was skirting round Near Moor in the woods, where there is a steep, straight path that looked quite daunting towards the end of a long day. It helped, however, that the trees gave some shade from the sun for much of the way. Eventually, the route emerged from the woods, which were carpeted with bluebells in many places, and then made a fairly gradual ascent the rest of the way up Scarth Wood Moor.
For the first time in the day, some cloud came across obscuring the sun and, with a cool breeze blowing, I at last managed to cool down. Looking back from here, I had a fine view of the moors I had just traversed as well as Roseberry Topping in the distance. The Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk share this section of the walk of about 13 miles from Scarth Wood Moor to Urra Moor, arguably the best part, before each one goes off to follow its own route.
Whorl Hill and Carlton Moor from Scarth Wood Moor, with Roseberry Topping in far distance
Finally, after passing the trig point at the top of Scarth Wood Moor, start of the Lyke Wake Walk, the path descends through the woods towards Osmotherley. By the edge of the woods, the Coast to Coast doubles back on itself to head towards Ingleby Arncliffe, but my B&B was in Osmotherley so I just continued straight on to the village, then out to its western edge. I was welcomed with a pot of tea before having a much needed shower and then returning into the village for some fish and chips plus a couple of pints at the pub next door. The cloud had again disappeared, so it was a warm, sunny evening and there were lots of people sitting by the village green and outside the nearby pubs.
The landlady of the B&B told of a recent incident when a walker who was staying with her had gone into the village for a drink and had gone a bit too far, being picked up for the police and locked up for the night for disorderly behaviour – I suppose that is one way of getting free accommodation for the night!
Today had been yet another really good day with the benefit of some of the best scenery that the North Yorkshire Moors has to offer. Despite the heat, the long distance and the slow going in some of the steep parts, I managed to reach my destination by 6pm, even though I didn’t get as early a start as I would have liked. I was fortunately not having any problems with my feet or legs, the only slight problem being a few aches in my shoulders from carrying my rucksack.
I returned to my B&B for another early night and lay in bed reading part of a book by Hannah Hauxwell, the farming lady who reached celebrity status when she was discovered running a remote farm high up in the Yorkshire Dales, close to the Pennine Way. She ran it single-handed in very primitive conditions, with no electricity or running water, having to get her water from a stream, often having to break through the ice in winter.
Day 4 - Thursday 8th June - Osmotherley to Bolton-on-Swale
Two other chaps were staying at the B&B and they had requested breakfast at 7.30, so I had mine at the same time. It was another sunny day with very little wind, and already the temperature was starting to climb as we set off at 8.30. The other two were Coast to Coast walkers and were heading for Blakey. They were quite young, either in their late teens or early twenties, which was quite unusual as most walkers at this time of year are much older. Despite their youth, however, they were still using a baggage transfer service. I parted company with them in the village as they stopped to take photographs.
I retraced my route of last night back up the road from Osmotherley and along the hillside to meet up with the route at the edge of Arncliffe Wood, about 1.5 miles from my B&B. Some of the sheep were already taking to the shade of the trees as I made my way along, but when I entered the woods there was a pleasant coolness amongst the trees, but it also meant that I was deprived of any view. After about a mile I emerged from the woods, having already met a few Coast to Coast walkers on my way. Passing the fine building of Arncliffe Hall, I joined the road to Ingleby Cross and Ingleby Arncliffe, passing lots of attractive houses and cottages with hosts of flowers blooming in this burst of summer weather. In the process, I had to cross two busy roads, the A172, then the even busier A19 dual carriageway.
Arncliffe Hall
Ingleby Cross
Leaving roads behind, the route follows farm tracks and footpaths for a while. Though the landscape is rather flat, on a beautiful summer’s day without a cloud in the sky, with the birds singing, wild flowers blooming by the hedgerows and hawthorn in full blossom, it was a joy to be alive and out in the countryside. Having few hills to climb meant that I wouldn’t get too hot if I just kept up a steady pace without rushing, even though there was not likely to be much wind to cool me down. I stopped for a rest by the River Wiske after about 4.5 miles of walking. It would have been nice to just lay there in the sunshine, but there was a need to press on, even though I didn’t have quite as far to walk as yesterday.
The next few miles were along a mixture of lanes, farm roads and footpaths, with the route very well waymarked. I noticed that at Harlsey Grove Farm the route was diverted down the road for a way. When I had been looking at the OS maps, I had noticed that they didn’t show a right of way along this short stretch of Wainwright’s route, so this is probably yet another instance where he wasn’t very careful at the planning stage of his walk.
I passed the couple from Hull again as they were taking a rest, and was surprised that they had pressed on this far carrying all their camping gear, but they were hoping to get as far as Richmond today if they could, several miles further than my destination of Bolton-on-Swale. Soon the eight mile stretch of road walking would commence, so I took my lunch break just before I reached the road, also sunbathing for half an hour and relaxing my feet with my boots and socks off. The couple from Hull passed by whilst I was there.
It was time now to face the long road trek that even Wainwright had to admit is very boring. The last few miles had not been very interesting, but the road walking was even less so. By now the sun was at its height and there were bubbles of molten tar oozing out of the road surface in places, with no letup from the sun in a cloudless sky. There was nothing else to do but press on and watch the miles pass very slowly by. When Wainwright was planning the route, he tried to keep off roads as much as possible, but he gave up on this section because most of the footpaths in the area were either obstructed in some way or were overgrown with farm crops, so he decided the only option was to stick to minor roads. However, I met some people later in the walk who had managed to use footpaths to avoid most of the roads. Of course, the situation regarding footpaths has improved greatly since Wainwright devised this walk. Far more paths are signposted and kept clear these days, though this does vary a lot from one part of the country to another. The County Councils have a statutory duty to ensure that footpaths are kept open, but sadly some do not put much effort into this, whereas some are very commendable for their diligence.
I was hoping that the pub in Danby Wiske would be open so that I could get a cool, refreshing drink. As I approached it, the couple from Hull called out to me from outside a house nearby where a lady was serving refreshments. The pub was closed and had a notice saying that it would be closed this evening due to a family bereavement. This tended to imply that they weren’t open at lunchtimes anyhow. Being more interested in having a cold drink rather than an alcoholic one, I went back to the house with the refreshments and downed a pint of iced lemonade, which was just what I needed. As we were sitting there, another Coast to Coast walker came by and called in for lemonade. He was a student from Hull and was hoping to get to Robin Hood’s Bay in two days’ time. He was sleeping in a bivvy bag part of the time, so was quite flexible as to where he could stay for the night, although he did like the facilities of a campsite from time to time. He decided that he could make Ingleby Cross tonight, then some miles beyond the Lion Inn at Blakey tomorrow, calling in there for a meal on the way. For the last day he would possibly take a short cut via the road into Robin Hood’s Bay rather than doing the extra five miles to go round the coast, as he had already walked that part along the Cleveland Way.
The couple from Hull seemed to have settled down comfortably and were rethinking their plans for reaching Richmond tonight. They ordered some more drinks, whilst I got on my way again at 3pm with six miles left to go. After three more long, hot miles, I met three Americans who were headed for Danby Wiske for the night. I told them about the pub being closed and they replied that they were supposed to be staying there for the night. Hopefully, some arrangements had been made for them, otherwise they could have been a bit stuck – maybe it was just the bar that was closing and they would still cater for their B&B guests.
After a while the road went through some woodland and there was some shade from the sun for a little way. At last, the road walking came to an end and the route followed a beck for most of the way into Bolton-on-Swale. The walking wasn’t as easy, but it was such a relief to get off the road and to have something different to look at. Even though my legs were stung by nettles, where the path was overgrown in a few places, it was still preferable to walking on the road. It was 5.30pm when I reached Bolton-on-Swale, where I was staying for the night. The village's main claim to fame comes from one of its former residents, Henry Jenkins who, it is said, lived from 1500 to 1670, dying at the age of 169. I have a strong suspicion that this is more likely to be a case of poor record keeping than actual fact, but it adds a bit of interest to the place. A memorial to him is situated in front of St Mary's Church.
Memorial to Henry Jenkins at St Mary's Church, Bolton-on-Swale He was said to have lived to 169
After a quick look at the memorial, I found my B&B just across the road, where I was able to have a refreshing pot of tea and a shower before heading off to Scroton for something to eat and drink. The couple that run the B&B used to have Layland’s Farm, which I had passed on the way, and where I had stayed 14 years ago. They had retired from farming ten years ago, leaving their son to take on the farm, whilst they moved into the tied cottage. They only let one room at the moment and are considering stopping that soon due to advancing age, and the farm have not done B&B since they left, only camping.
After washing out some of my things and hanging them out in the warm evening sunshine, I walked the half-mile to Scroton, where there was a good choice of pubs. The Farmer’s Arms was the one that had been recommended, and I sat outside to enjoy a very good steak and ale pie, with au gratin potatoes and vegetables, along with a few pints of Black Sheep to replenish my depleted body fluids. There were lots of people sitting outside at this and other places, overlooking the village green, taking advantage of the marvellous weather. I returned to bed and settled down reading the version of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast book that is illustrated with photographs by Derry Brabbs.
Day 5 - Friday 9th June 2006 - Bolton-on-Swale to Reeth
Distance: 17.8 miles - 1,750 ft ascent
Accommodation: Walpaedo B&B Reeth
I had breakfast at 8.00 and was on my way by 9.00, not taking a packed lunch, as I would be in Richmond by then. Although the first several miles of today’s walk are fairly flat, it was a big change from yesterday’s walk, as it soon joined the banks of the River Swale. There was even a footpath diversion to avoid a short section of road walking on the B6271, and the route to Catterick Bridge followed the river, which could be seen at times. When the path went a little way from the river so that it wasn’t visible, there was a blaze of colour from the wild flowers on the riverbanks as well as buttercup meadows to the other side. I made the mistake of not checking my guidebook at Catterick Bridge and continued along the north side of the river instead of crossing over the bridge. About half a mile further on I realized my mistake when a notice on the path said "Private – fishing only". Rather than backtrack all the way, I managed to cross the river by scrambling up onto the A1 road bridge, walking between the crash barrier and the parapet, then down a steep, nettle covered bank to the path below.
Overlooking the River Swale near Brompton-on-Swale
The path departs from the riverbank on the way to Colburn, but there is still a good variety of scenery to see, though the way is not very clear in one or two places when walking from east to west. It is waymarked very much with the west to east route in mind, with wooden signposts pointing in that direction only and the occasional little yellow footpath marker with "Coast to Coast" written on in felt tipped pen for the opposite way. There is a short section by the attractive Colburn Beck before more farmland is crossed to get back to the Swale. I stopped for a break and a much-needed drink of water after about five miles, overlooking Swaledale, with the first sign of some gentle hills rising on either side of the valley. I met a Dutch couple heading for Danby Wiske, having passed four other Coast to Coast walkers earlier.
A little further on I made a mistake with the route by not paying enough attention to the guidebook. I should have been on the riverside path, but ended up high above the river with a very steep drop down through the woods to where I needed to be. This meant that I had to backtrack for a while until I found an easier slope that I could climb down. After a while, the route joins the road into Richmond, with the town visible on the hillside ahead, before going round on the opposite hillside, with fine views across to the castle. Finally, it drops down to the river below the castle, then over the bridge and up the steep road into the town centre.
View across River Swale to Richmond The Castle is in the centre and town centre to the right
Market Place in Richmond town centre with Holy Trinity Church
My first port of call was Somerfield's supermarket where I bought a litre of fresh orange from the fridge as well as a few other things for lunch. It was marvellously cool in there, as they had air conditioning. I had gradually been getting accustomed to the heat, so it felt like walking into a refrigerator when I entered, which gave me the chance to cool down a bit, especially when I was able to take a long drink from the chilled fruit juice once I got outside.
I thought I would send off a couple of postcards, so started looking for somewhere that sold them - not normally a problem in a tourist area. It took about two laps round the town before I found a newsagent selling postcards, but when I looked through the selection, there were cards of all sorts of places around the Yorkshire Dales, but not a single one of Richmond. Down a side street I found a Post Office selling a fair selection of postcards with just one of Richmond, so that was it, like it or not. It was almost as if it were a town in denial of itself, acknowledging other places around, but not recognising its own considerable tourist potential.
Finding a convenient seat by the castle walls overlooking the river and the bridge, I sat down to write my cards and have my lunch, finishing off the orange juice while it was still cold. The river down below looked so tempting that I just felt like jumping in to cool down, as the strong sunshine had soon negated the effect of my recent cooling down in Somerfield’s. A while later I set off on my way out of town, calling at a chip shop on the way for a can of cold shandy, which I quickly gulped down to satisfy my craving for cold drinks. The route climbed steadily up a minor road to Whitcliffe Wood, with views back to Richmond Castle and across to the River Swale. Rather than walking on the road at the top of the hill, I walked a parallel path through West Field Park to the left, until I eventually had to rejoin the road when the park came to an end. After a while the road became a track and then entered the woods, where there was at least a bit of coolness in the shade, but at the cost of losing the view.
Emerging from the woods beneath Whitcliffe Scar, a limestone escarpment, I continued along the hillside and, on a couple of occasions, heard the sound of running water. On the second occasion, I could see a pipe coming out of the hillside nearby with water flowing into a drinking trough for the animals, obviously coming straight from a spring, so I took the opportunity to wash the salt and sweat from my face and have a good drink. It tasted wonderfully cool and refreshing and far better than the lukewarm water in my water bottles, which tasted of plastic and was generally unpalatable.
As I passed a large, white cairn, I wondered why it was there, and even stopped to have a look, taking a photograph of it with a view across the valley. It was only a bit later, when it looked like the track was taking me in the wrong direction, that I realised that the cairn was where I should have turned off down a path. Nothing much was lost, as I was able to cut across and join the path further down. My feet were feeling like they needed a rest, so I stopped for a short while to let them recover. From time to time, there had been a bit of a breeze to take away some of the relentless heat, and now there was a little more, which would be very welcome if it were to continue. The path led to the road into Marske, and then up quite a steep road until a path went off over the fields near the top of the hill. The scenery was now changing to the real Dales scenery, which always looks so beautiful, especially in bright sunshine. Some care was needed to keep on the right path over to Marrick Priory, as it crossed countless fields, dropping down to cross a stream, then over a ridge before dropping down on a long paved path through the woods to meet the road near the priory. All the way along was a series of squeeze stiles, generally with a little sprung gate as a further deterrent to animals trying to get through, but sometimes a bit of a deterrent to walkers as well, and not always easy to spot at the far side of a large field.
Across River Swale from Applegarth Scar
River Swale and Marrick Priory from near Fremington on way to Reeth
Reeth looking towards Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel (on hill far left)
Marrick Priory is now a Field Study Centre, so access is restricted, but at least it means the buildings are maintained. A couple of miles of road walking brought me to the lovely village of Reeth where, after a few rather vague and misleading directions from the locals, and a couple of circuits around the green, I found my B&B, having passed close by on first arriving at 6pm. There was no signal on my mobile phone so, after a quick bath, I went out to the phone box to report home, then for a couple of pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord sitting outside the Black Bull, along with a giant Yorkshire pudding with beef and vegetables. There was now quite a breeze blowing and, for the first time in ages, I actually felt cool, so I finished off with a pint of Old Peculier indoors. The Landlord seemed quite expensive at £2.50 a pint, but the Old Peculier was £3, though the meals were not overpriced and were of a good standard. I returned to my B&B and watched some television for a while before falling asleep.
Day 6 - Saturday 10th June 2006 - Reeth to Muker via Keld and Pennine Way
Distance: 12.5 miles - 3,100 ft ascent
Accommodation: Swale Farm B&B
Breakfast was at 8.30 with another couple who were doing the Coast to Coast the normal way, and we had an interesting chat. They had taken a high level route from near Kidsty Pike to avoid the tedious and difficult walk along the side of Haweswater, then dropped down near to the dam at the foot of the lake. I had wondered about doing this in reverse, and this reinforced my feeling that it would make a better alternative.
I set off at 9.30 and was pleased to find that there was a cool breeze blowing on, what was forecast to be, the hottest day so far. It didn’t take me long to go up the road and start climbing up onto the moors in beautiful walking weather, with lovely sunshine and a cooling breeze, which got stronger higher up on the moors. The only drawback was the haze, which limited the long distance visibility. After the first taste of the Dales yesterday, I was now well and truly there, and it was such a joy after all the dull walking across the Vale of Mowbray. On the way along I managed to get some photographs of a peewit whilst it was perching on a wall, and also a young grouse in the long grass, also managing to disturb some of the vast rabbit population round about.
The route was not all that clear at times, but that didn’t matter, as it was easy to make corrections by walking over the open moor. I stopped for a rest at Surrender Bridge, the start of all the old mining and smelting mill ruins and remains. There were quite a lot of people about, partly because of the annual run from Reeth on a circuit around the moors, and partly because it was Saturday and there were people out for weekend walks. This part of the walk is not enjoyed for the beauty of the landscape - anyone who wants that should take the alternative route through Swaledale. This is a trip through the industrial archaeology of the area, past old smelt mills and lead mines with all the associated spoil heaps and scars on the landscape that have resulted from these activities. I passed a group of people wearing hard hats with miner’s lamps, obviously preparing to explore some of the mines, and further along I joined the full throng of runners taking part in the race. There seemed to be a never ending stream of them heading up to the top of the moors, though most of them were walking rather than running on this uphill track, and not going much faster than I was.
Over the barren wasteland at the top of the moors all vegetation has been killed off by the lead in the spoil that had been left around, and very little had managed to re-grow, even after all these years. There was a piece of old, rusting mining machinery on top of the moor as a reminder of the past industry. Nearby was a checkpoint where the runners were getting their cards stamped before heading down a steep hill, then along the path towards Swaledale. I settled down for my lunch break a little further along, with a view across the valley and also a view of the runners coming past. There must have been hundreds of them because they continued to stream by all the time I was there and, just when I thought the last ones had passed, another lot came along. They were of all ages and physical ability and some of the tail-enders must have joined in more for a walk than a run. Quite a strong wind was now blowing, which kept me reasonably cool on what would otherwise have been an extremely hot day, and this must have been a great boon to the runners in particular.
Preserved ruins of the Old Gang Smelt Mill
Blakethwaite Smelt Mill with some preservation work being undertaken
After a good break, I set off at 1.30pm down the steep hush to Gunnerside Beck, which was a bit of a scramble in places. A hush is where the miners allowed a large gush of dammed up water to flow down the hillside in order to wash away the soil and reveal any mineral deposits beneath. It was a rather crude but effective method and has left a legacy of large scars down many of the hillsides. A little way up the beck lie the ruins of Blakethwaite Smelt Mill, with evidence of preservation work that was currently being undertaken. From there I took a steep path up North Hush past Lownathwaite Mine and over the top of the moor towards Swinner Gill. The wind was still quite strong, although it didn’t feel so because of the high air temperature, but wherever there was shelter from the wind it became unpleasantly hot.
Dropping down towards Swinnergill Mines and Crackpot Old Hall there were some stunning views down the very precipitous Swinner Gill and also into Upper Swaledale. My accommodation was at Muker, some way off the route, so I had various options for getting there. A path leads down from the Swinnergill Mines to the eastern side of the Swale and this would have been the shortest and easiest option, but I had plenty of time to spare, so I decided to go via Keld, then along the Pennine Way route, high up the side of Kisdon Hill, which gives some magnificent views of Upper Swaledale and Swinner Gill. I didn’t need to go right into Keld to take this route, but was tempted into the village by signs along the path offering cold drinks and refreshments. Still consumed with a craving for cold drinks, I succumbed to the temptation and bought a cold can of Sprite, which I downed in a matter of seconds before retracing my steps to join the Pennine Way. This route is not easy, as not only does it climb several hundred feet up the hillside, it also is very stony and uneven for much of the way. The views, however, make up for all the effort involved, especially on a sunny day like today, which shows the scenery at its very best.
Upper Swaledale from near Crackpot Old Hall
East Gill Force near Keld
Swinner Gill across Upper Swaledale from Kisdon Hill on Pennine Way
About half way along I stopped for a rest with a magnificent view across Swaledale to Swinner Gill. Further along, the route drops steeply down towards Muker, with a bird’s eye view of this picturesque village, whilst the Pennine Way branches off towards Thwaite half way down the hill. On entering the village I found my B&B straight away, and settled into my very large double room with en-suite shower, and lovely views out of the windows on two sides. After a refreshing shower and cup of tea, I went out to the phone box opposite the pub to call home, as there was no signal on my mobile phone. As it was such a warm evening with quite a wind still blowing, I decided to do some washing before going back down to the pub for a meal, as I thought it had a good chance of drying.
Muker from Kisdon Hill
Down at the Farmer’s Arms I enjoyed a very good lasagne with freshly cooked vegetables and potatoes, along with some very good Theakston’s Best Bitter, whilst sitting outside taking advantage of the lovely weather. It seemed a pity to waste such a beautiful evening, so I then had a stroll along the road by Straw Beck for a while before seeing a sign showing that it was only half a mile to Thwaite. Whereas the first part had been along the road, there was now a footpath through meadows for the rest of the way. The meadows were a delight, as they were covered in wild flowers – buttercups, daisies, clover, some harebells and a whole host of others. Whether they had grown that way naturally through organic farming, or whether they had been planted with E.U. subsidies I didn’t care – it was just good to see them like that.
There is not a lot to see in Thwaite, so I just walked round the village and set off back again, calling at The Farmer’s Arms again for a nightcap of Old Peculier to round off a perfect day. It is not often that everything goes so well, but when it does you just have to savour it and make the most of it. People are always complaining about all that is bad in the world, saying that everything is getting worse, but they tend to forget all the good things and all the things that improve or at least remain unchanged. I returned to my B&B to find that a strong gust of wind had lifted up my shirt, which had been left to dry over the open window, and deposited it on the flagstones below. I went down to retrieve it and there was no harm done, as it was still clean and nearly dry. It was then time for bed, where I watched some television before nodding off to sleep.
Day 7 - Sunday 11th June 2006 - Muker to Kirkby Stephen
Distance: 15.5 miles - 1,550 ft ascent
Accommodation: King's Arms Hotel, Kirkbey Stephen
The weather forecast was for another hot day, but with thundery showers approaching from the east later on. I had a very good breakfast at 8.00 and was off by 9.00 into the bright sunshine, already feeling very warm without much breeze. This time I took the low level route along the banks of the Swale back to Keld. Again, there were beautiful meadows full of wild flowers and the river, now very low through lack of rain, running nearby. It was getting hotter as I reached a bend in the river where the path started to rise up. Rather than follow it, I decided to see if I could get along by the river to reach the waterfalls at Kisdon Force from this direction. It was alright for a short way, but soon there was no route possible on my side of the river because of the steeply rising, rocky river bank. However, as the river was so low, it was possible to cross over by some stones, though I did immerse my feet in the water after stumbling with the weight of my pack whilst crossing. It was quite easy walking on the other side, past ruins of buildings and large swathes of bluebells, to just below Kisdon Force, where it was necessary to cross back to the other side of the river again. This I accomplished with a quick dip of one boot, which was already wet from the previous encounter. It is the first time my feet had got wet all week, and they would dry out before long in the hot weather.
Both Kisdon Low Force and Kisdon High Force were lit quite well with sunshine coming from downstream making it better for taking photographs, which wouldn’t have been the case later in the day when the sun would be blocked by the steep riverbanks. From here onwards, it was simply a matter of following the footpath back to where it joins the Pennine Way route into Keld, although even that involved an awkward scramble at first. To anyone else wanting to visit the falls, I would not recommend my route, which was only possible because the river was so low - far better to stick to the signposted route.
Kisdon Force, a series of three waterfalls on the River Swale
The River Swale above Keld
I was very hot by the time I had finished scrambling up the fairly steep valley, then up through Keld to the road by the Youth Hostel, which looked deserted, probably because everyone had already left by now. As I started climbing up onto the moor side on the way out of Keld, however, there was more of a breeze to cool me down a little, and then the sun clouded over for a while. At about 11.00, I stopped for a rest by How Edge Scars on Whitsundale Beck, overlooking the beck down the steep drop below. The sun came out again but was accompanied by a breeze, as I set off again to the remote farm of Raven Seat, which was a short distance further on. From here onwards the route climbs steadily up onto the open moors, as a large area of wild and remote countryside is entered with little sign of habitation for miles around, the only man made objects being a few shooting butts and the odd shooting hut or shelter, though a minor road was just visible in the valley below. The whole panorama is of a similar nature with wild, open moorland as far as the eye can see.
At about 2000 ft above sea level and about a mile and a half from Nine Standards Rigg, I stopped for a lunch break not far from the path. There was a huge procession of people who came towards me, many of them in quite large groups of a dozen or so. There was not much point in asking people around here what they are doing, as nearly all of them are likely to be doing the Coast to Coast. Those just climbing Nine Standards Rigg generally approach it from the Kirkby Stephen side where there is closer access. In less than an hour, about forty people walked past, and I met others both before and after that. Of course, most people set off at a weekend and are likely to reach here about a week or so later, also some of the people I met were just starting out to do the second half of the walk, having split it into two separate weeks. One of the groups had booked accommodation a year in advance because of the difficulty of finding rooms for a fairly large group.
I sunbathed for about an hour, watching the procession of walkers filing past, and then all became peaceful again with just the birds for company and the last group of walkers disappearing into the distance. Mallerstang had been prominent on my left for quite a way but, as I climbed higher, Wild Boar Fell came into view as well as the Howgill Fells, all of these bringing back memories of my walks of the Westmorland Heritage Walk. It wasn’t long before I reached the summit and the Nine Standards came into sight just beyond. Last time I was here two years ago, one or two of these were in a very bad state of repair and in danger of collapse. Since then the builders had been out in force, four cairns having been completely rebuilt, and repairs made to some of the others. They had made a very good job of them, and the largest one was built with a seating ledge all the way round.
The cairns on Nine Standards Rigg Several had recently been rebuilt or repaired
Looking south from descent of Nine Standards Rigg towards Wild Boar Fell and the Howgill Fells
There was still a haze about, so some of the distant fells could not be seen – I could just see Dufton Pike but Cross Fell was lost in the haze. There was another small group of walkers by the cairns but, for once, they were not Coast to Coast walkers, but just out for the day. By this time it was rather late for anyone expecting to walk as far as Keld.
I was getting fed up with the foul taste of my drinking water when it has warmed up towards the end of a hot day, so will have to buy some squash to mix with it to improve the taste. I tend not to do this because of the extra weight of carrying the squash as well as my food and drink, but in warm weather it is definitely worth the effort. It was now 3pm, the other walkers had departed, and I was left with the whole place to myself. There was hardly a sound other than the breeze and the call of a few distant birds. All that remained now was about five miles of steady descent into Kirkby Stephen. When I did the Westmorland Heritage Walk two years ago, I got myself lost by going too far from the summit in search of the path, but now I just took the most obvious well worn path from near the cairns and that led me straight down without any problems, and there was not even any sticky peat to contend with because of the long spell of dry weather.
As I dropped down, the temperature got higher and higher so that by the time I was nearing Kirkby Stephen I was baking hot. Any cloud that had been around dispersed and the scenery round about and over to the distant fells looked at its best, apart from the slight haze that still persisted. It was 5pm when I reached my destination and my first priority was to buy a cool drink from the nearest shop, downing it in double quick time. Although there was quite good mobile phone reception in town for a change, it was a lot cheaper to call from the nearby call box, especially as it was at an off-peak time. For the minimum charge of 30p I was on the phone for quite a long time with no sign of my credit running out. This is very good for anyone who is making a call, but not so good for the next person who is waiting patiently to use the phone.
I was staying at the King’s Arms Hotel in the centre of town, the youth hostel being closed on a Sunday, and due to be closed for evermore after the end of this year, along with many other rural hostels. After a refreshing shower, I investigated what food was on offer. Food prices were very reasonable with main courses starting at less than £6. I had Cumberland sausage, mash and peas followed by blackberry and apple crumble, washed down with a few pints of Black Sheep, which was all very good.
It was fairly busy in the bar and restaurant, there being quite a few people staying in town because of the Appleby Horse Fair not far away. Amongst them was a group of six people including two young children sitting in the bar. The little girl was running around between bouts of crying and generally being a nuisance, and John the landlord as well as one of the locals at the bar tried to keep her in control, as there was little evidence of that coming from the parents, who just admitted that she was a bit of a handful without making any effort to do anything about it. In an attempt to avert later problems in the restaurant, John offered them a table in another part of the bar, making it known that there was to be no running around in the restaurant. They assured him that there would be no problem once she had some food and that her present misbehaviour was merely because she was hungry.
When everyone went through to the restaurant to eat, all went reasonably well at first, but as soon as they had finished eating the little girl went out of control again, running around everywhere, now joined by the boy who was a year or two older. There was not the slightest attempt on the parents’ behalf to control them in any way and they were becoming a nuisance to all the other diners. After a while, I turned round and glared at the parents, which prompted a hasty departure from the restaurant and left everyone else to enjoy the rest of their meals in peace.
Day 8 - Monday 12th June 2006 - Kirkby Stephen to Shap via Great Asby Scar
Distance: 20 miles - 2,200 ft ascent
Accommodation: Brookfield B&B Shap
Overnight had been a bit of a problem, as my room faced west into the hot evening sun so, even with the window and curtains wide open, it was still very hot and there was a lot of noise from traffic and people outside until very late. I slept on top of the sheets at first to stay a bit cooler, and it was only in the middle of the night that it had cooled down enough to close the window and pull the covers over myself.
I woke up to rain for the first time since the start of the walk. There were heavy thunderstorms forecast for some places, but not necessarily everywhere. After a good breakfast at 8.00, I waited a while to see if the rain would ease off a bit, although I couldn’t afford to wait for too long, as I had a 20-mile walk ahead of me. Visiting the nearby Co-op, I bought some orange squash and a Cornish pasty – I still had a number of other things left to eat from previous packed lunches. By this time, the rain had eased off quite a bit, but I put on my waterproofs as it still looked very unsettled, which was just as well as there were a few spells of heavier rain for a while.
The route to Smardale was not difficult to find, though it was not helped by a signpost along a lane in Kirkby Stephen with its pointer for Smardale Fell pointing in the exact opposite direction. Visibility was reasonable despite the rain and, after about an hour it cleared up enough for me to remove my waterproofs, which was a relief, as I do not like walking in them, particularly in warm weather when they make me feel so hot and sweaty.
There is some very nice countryside around here, with gently rolling hills nearby and the high fells in the distance. I could still just make out the cairns on Nine Standards Rigg, and could see Mallerstang, Wild Boar Fell and the Howgill Fells under a murky sky. Smardale Bridge is very picturesque, and there was a large group of people around there, presumable seeking out some of the ancient settlements, of which there are many in this area. I pressed on, passing a couple that were walking the same way as me on the Coast to Coast. They too were heading for Shap. The route over to Sunbiggin Tarn started to get less and less distinct which, on a walk as popular as this is generally a sign that it is not the right route, so I checked with my GPS and I was exactly where I should have been. It was only when I met a Dutchman coming the other way, as I reached the road by the tarn, that I learned that the route had been diverted for conservation reasons, avoiding the marshland by taking a route through the heather a little higher up.
Scandal Beck and Smardale Bridge
My plan was to try to make way over the limestone pavements of Wainwright's original route, before he met up with rights-of-way problems and had to reprint his guidebook hastily with an alternative route along minor roads. This area is now access land, so there should no longer be a problem. I took a path following the wall up the hillside and more or less followed on the other side after it was crossed by a stile. Someone had scratched onto a footpath marker "C2C", but this path seemed to go off too far to the east, so I soon gave up on that and headed up the hillside back near to the wall again. At the top I stopped for lunch at 1pm. It was quite chilly in the strong wind, so I had to resort to wearing my fleece to keep me warm. I had a good drink of my orange squash, although water wouldn't have tasted too bad today, as it was a lot cooler.
When I set off again, I followed the wall, thinking I would have to cross it at some point, but this was not necessary as it conveniently curved round the way I wanted to go. There was another point where a wall at right angles obstructed my path, so I had to climb it carefully so as to avoid dislodging any stones, but for the rest of the way I found that by following the wall it got me where I wanted to go. In areas of access land, stiles should be provided at reasonable intervals to avoid the need to climb walls, but it will take some time for this to happen, especially in some areas. I passed a field on the left in which there was a trig point, and then I could see the monument on Beacon Hill. Still following the wall, I came to a gate by Great Asby Scar Nature Reserve, and went through that in the direction of the monument. I wouldn't say that it was particularly easy going, but it was a much more interesting route than the lowland one, even on a day with poor visibility.
Limestone pavement on Great Asby Scar on Wainwright's original route near Orton
Jubilee Monument (1887) on Beacon Hill with Great Asby Scar behind
Limestone always looks rather grey and drab in dull weather, so on a sunny day the whole area of limestone pavements would have looked so much more impressive. I reached the road by the monument at 3.15pm and had another rest. Several walkers were now going past, but I noticed that most of them had walked along the road instead of taking the path that runs a little way from it. It is far more pleasant on the path - there is enough road walking already on the Coast to Coast without adding more. The only downside to this was that someone had decided that some of the shake holes by the side of the path would make a good dumping ground for a few old fridges and other scrap items. It amazes me what lengths some people will go to rather than dispose of things in the proper way.
After meeting the road again and crossing over, there now commenced a stretch of moorland walking with limestone outcrops here and there. There was nothing particularly interesting, but it was good upland walking and generally easy going on grassy paths, waymarked for quite a bit of the way. The weather at least seemed to be improving, with patches of blue sky and bright sunshine coming over from the west.
Large boulder on Crosby Ravensworth Fell on the way to Oddendale, looking back towards Orton
Oddendale sounds as if it should be a picturesque little village or hamlet, but the view when passing by is of a very large and rather ugly farm, though there may be something more attractive out of sight beyond that. Fortunately the farm is mostly screened off by trees, and the route then heads towards the M6, passing a huge limestone quarry on the way. Massive vehicles drive to and from the cement works just across the motorway. Eventually I reached the motorway footbridge; the first one of two, then went over the fields to Shap. My B&B was down at the southern end of the village, so I had been told to take the first path to Forcebridge. However, the only path visible was headed further north, so I just had to make my way through the long grass making my own footpath along the right of way. This was not a problem, as the grass was dry, but with wet grass I would have been soaked. I arrived at my B&B at about 6.15pm for a shower and pot of tea before going up the road a short way to The Greyhound Inn for a nice steak and ale pie with potatoes and vegetables and a few pints of Tetley’s cask bitter.
It was very busy in the pub, which quite surprised me, as it was right at the bottom end of the village, quite a distance from the centre. There were a number of Coast to Coast walkers in there and I sat close to a couple of chaps who, as it turned out, were staying in the same B&B as me. They had met an Irishman on the way and he had joined them in the pub, although he was not going any further as he had to go back home.
Day 9 - Tuesday 13th June 2006 - Shap to Helvellyn Youth Hostel
Distance: 19 miles - 3,400 ft ascent
Accommodation: Helvellyn Youth Hostel
Breakfast was available from 7.30, as the other two chaps had requested it then, so I decided I might as well get off to an early start and join them. After a very good breakfast and a good chat, I picked up an enormous packed lunch and was off at 8.30.
It was nearly a mile from the B&B to the northern end of Shap, where the route turns off to Shap Abbey. Shap used to have very heavy traffic through it many years ago, before the motorway was built, but now it is quite quiet, with only local traffic using the main road. The route to the abbey was easy, with a footpath running parallel to the access road for part of the way, but the route to Haweswater requires some care, as it meanders around through farmland. There were several Coast to Coast walkers about already, some of them being Americans – they must have been staying at Burnbanks at the foot of Haweswater. Along Haweswater Beck, a small permissive diversion takes the route past Thornthwaite Force, which is somewhat hidden by trees, though it is possible to get a better view down by the beck side.
Ruins of Shap Abbey
Thornthwaite Force on Haweswater Beck
Burnbanks, where a lot of construction work was taking place on an estate of houses, claimed to be a "Model Village". The new houses were fairly well surrounded by trees, so they did not impact too much on the landscape. The weather was rather overcast, but the cloud was high enough to be clear of the fell tops, and there was an occasional ray of sunshine breaking through. I intended to take a route over the fell tops rather than along the side of Haweswater and soon found a path signposted to the fell side, leading up through the new building site. Once out on the open fell side, I climbed up onto the ridge to make my way towards the main footpath higher up, then stopped for a break overlooking Haweswater Dam with a view down the reservoir to Kidsty Pike and High Street.
Setting off again just after 11.00, I climbed up towards Bampton Common, intending to make for the Roman Road at Wether Hill, but the path I was following led towards the footbridge at Fordingdale Bottom, lower down and closer to Haweswater. There were some fine views of the head of Haweswater at various points along the way that, from the higher vantage points, were far superior to those from the lakeside route. From here the best option was straight ahead up the steep end of the ridge leading to Low Raise, and in many ways this was a more appropriate route, as it kept Haweswater in view, as would the main route. The steep ascent ahead gave good views back to the foot of the lake and beyond to Shap and the Northern Pennines with Cross Fell now visible in the distance.
Haweswater from Bampton Common with Harter Fell behind
It was good to be in the craggy mountain scenery of the Lake District at last, even though the weather was rather dull. After quite a tiring day yesterday, I wasn't feeling at my fittest for steep climbing, but by taking it a little bit at a time with short rests, it wasn't long before the steepest part was behind me. As the ridge rounded off, the path became less and less steep, and I could walk further between each little rest until the slope was gentle enough to carry on at a normal pace. Much of the view was lost at this point, with only the high fells visible until I came within half a mile of High Raise and found a convenient place for a lunch break on the crags overlooking Haweswater.
It started to get a bit chilly after a while, so I decided to press on, skirting round the hillside to keep Haweswater in view for some time, then making my way to the summit of High Raise. When I reached there, I was greeted with a fabulous view of mountains including Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, St Sunday Crag and, in the distance, Great Gable. There were glorious views down into Martindale and of Ullswater. A little further on at Twopenny Crag, after I had rejoined Wainwright's route, there was a fine view of Kidsty Pike overlooking Riggindale and the head of Haweswater. What a difference from the Vale of Mowbray!
Martindale and Ullswater from High Raise
Hayeswater and High Street
Patterdale and Glenridding by the head of Ullswater (Helvellyn Youth Hostel is by the trees high up the valley)
I started my descent past The Knott, with a view of Hayes Water, then on to Angle tarn, all the way having views of mountains all around. A weak sun shone for a short while, which made the views even better, but for most of the time it remained rather cold and dull. A Coast to Coast couple passed by me as I was resting - they were heading for Patterdale. I had been unable to get into the Youth Hostel there, so had booked into Helvellyn Youth Hostel, a couple of miles further on and a little way off the route. As I continued down to the valley below, I had to resort to wearing my fleece because of the cold wind, even though I was now a lot lower down. Once at the bottom of the fells, I was able to bypass Patterdale and make my way to Glenridding, then up the steep track to the Helvellyn Youth Hostel, about a mile and a half beyond.
On the way through Glenridding I called at a shop to get some batteries for my camera, as I had forgotten to bring my battery charger to recharge the ones in my camera, which was now showing "Battery Low". I also bought a four pack of John Smith’s bitter, as I didn't want to walk all the way down to the pub in Glenridding later on. There was a call box in Glenridding, so I reported back home as I had the usual problem of "No Network" on my mobile phone. It was a long, steady climb up the track, but the advantage was that there would be less of a climb in the morning on my way up Helvellyn. Arriving at the Youth Hostel, I made my dinner choices of soup, Cumberland sausage, and sponge pudding before having a much-needed shower. There was an excellent drying room in the hostel, so I washed out my walking things and was able to remove much of the water using their mangle, which is so much easier and more effective than trying to wring the wet out by hand. It is simple things like this that make a big difference for walkers. Some modernised hostels have washing machines, but this is a bit of overkill for just a few small items of clothing.
I had dinner with a couple from Derbyshire who were staying at the hostel plus their friend who was camping down the road. They had climbed Scafell Pike earlier in the day before driving here ready for climbing Helvellyn tomorrow. Then they were going down to Wales to climb Snowdon on Friday before returning home.
After dinner I walked a little way up the hillside where there was a view across to some of today’s route, and sat drinking some of my John Smith’s, though I needn’t have worried about getting it, as the hostel had a very good selection of beers on sale. There was quite a bit more sunshine than earlier, though that was lost quite early in the steep sided valley and, with the cool wind, it started to get chilly.
In some ways it was quite nice to get away from the Coast to Coast route, as there can be just so many people doing the walk. When there is a lesser number of walkers, it is interesting to meet up with them to chat about each of their schedules and how they are getting on with the walk. With the numbers walking at the moment, there are just too many of them for me to get involved and, after the first couple of days, I have tended to just give a cheery greeting and continue walking. The exception to this is with the few people who are walking in the same direction as me, who I keep meeting from time to time, and with whom it is possible to build up more of a rapport. This would be different, of course, if I had been walking in the normal direction, in which case I would have met a far smaller number of people and would have seen much more of most of them.
Some of the stories that come across from people are rather frightening, as many Coast to Coast walkers go up onto the high fells of the Lake District with little idea about map reading, relying on meeting others who will point out the way. They often have only a guidebook and not even a compass, not that many of them would know what to do with one anyway. Considering how the weather in the mountains can change dramatically, with mist descending over the tops, together with cold wind and rain or even snow at times, it is surprising that more people do not get into difficulties.
Day 10 - Wednesday 14th June 2006 - YHA Helvellyn to Grasmere via Helvellyn and Striding Edge
Distance: 9.6 miles - 3,350 ft ascent
Accommodation: YHA Butharlyp Howe, Grasmere
Breakfast was at 8.00 and I sat with the couple I had met last night, along with another lady who was on her own. The only other two who were having breakfast were late down and sat at a different table. This hostel is one that is still run on more traditional lines, which encourages people to eat together and mix far more, whereas there is a growing tendency to have a cafeteria type service, which is much more impersonal. The breakfast was quite good by youth hostel standards, but not up to the standards of many B&Bs, who tend to go a bit over the top in what they provide both in quality and quantity. All in all, this is a very good hostel in every way, not being too big and impersonal, whilst having all the facilities that a walker requires. I only hope that the YHA don't see fit to change this and other similar hostels, but unfortunately these hostels are out of line with current thinking and current trends.
The couple had done all sorts of things on various holidays including bungee jumping in New Zeeland, climbing Table Mountain in South Africa plus many adventure activities that I cannot remember. Their next ambition was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and they also intended to buy a place in Andorra. I was not in a rush to get off, as I didn’t have very far to walk, so it was interesting to linger for a while and have an interesting chat.
I started out at 9.20, having picked up the large packed lunch that I had ordered and paid for in advance. Had I realized how much I was going to get from some B&Bs, a small one would have been more than enough, as I still had a lot of things left over. The weather was quite good and I had decided to take a fairly roundabout way up Helvellyn via Sticks Pass and Raise, just to make the walk a little longer. At first there was a steady zigzag path climbing up the steep fell side above the mines near the hostel, and this then levelled out onto the high valley bottom of Sticks Gill, where there was more evidence of old mining activity. At the head of the valley there was another steady climb up to Sticks Pass, none of which was too difficult and I was able to just plod along steadily up the steeper parts, taking my time.
Helvellyn Youth Hostel towards Glenridding and Ullswater
Thirlmere from Lower Man
Ullswater and Catstye Cam from Lower Man
The weather was quite bright with a mixture of sunshine and clouds and a cool northeasterly wind, which was a change from the westerly wind of yesterday. Near the top of the valley were a couple of buildings, one with an overhead electricity supply, and I wondered if they might be some sort of mountain rescue post, but the latest O.S. map shows that they are for a ski lift. On the way up there were good views of Catstye Cam, with the path to Helvellyn via the more direct route below, and I could see across to Glenridding and the head of Ullswater. There was nobody about in this part of the mountains, so it was very peaceful for a while.
At the top of the pass the view towards the western fells opened up ahead, from Scafell Pike, Great Gable and High Stile to Grasmoor and Grisedale Pike. I stopped for a drink and a rest overlooking the view, and then climbed the steadily ascending path up to Raise, where even more came into view. Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite Lake could be seen to the north as well as much more of Ullswater to the east. As I progressed further along the ridge to Whiteside and Lower Man, a large part of Thirlmere also came into sight. The climb up to Lower Man was steep, but with then only a gentle slope to reach Helvellyn. In a remarkable coincidence of timing, the couple from Derbyshire and their friend were approaching the summit trig point from the opposite direction as I approached it, and we got there at exactly the same time. They had come via Striding Edge and were going to return to the hostel by a similar route to the one I had taken coming up.
The views from Helvellyn are impressive, with Red Tarn down below, enclosed on two sides by Swirral Edge and Striding Edge, looking particularly good when lit by sunshine from time to time. To the east were Ullswater and the mountains around High Street, and to the west a whole array of mountains of the central and western fells, including a good view of the start of my route tomorrow over Helm Crag and Greenup Edge, though there was still quite a bit of cloud over in that direction.
Red Tarn from Helvellyn with Striding Edge to the right
By now there were quite a lot of people coming from paths in every direction, as this is an extremely popular mountain, being only about a hundred feet lower than England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, but far easier to access by road and with, arguably, better views from its summit. There were also a group of workmen emptying large bags of stone that had been deposited there. They were scattering it randomly about on some of the more eroded places, presumably hoping to make them look less eroded and to discourage people from walking over those areas.
I still had quite a lot of time to spare and, as I watched a steady stream of people making their way along Striding Edge a few hundred feet below, it seemed like a good idea to walk along there too, even if it did mean that I would have to come back the same way and scramble back up the steep path onto Helvellyn. There was no need to carry my rucksack, so I left it by the memorial at the top and made my way down, then along the steep sided ridge, taking as high a line as possible on the way out to the eastern end. Although this has some precipitous slopes down either side, it is neither as long nor as steep as the Crib Goch ridge onto Snowdon, and it was quite easy going without the weight of my pack. On the return trip, I took a quicker and easier line, using some of the paths that bypassed the craggiest parts of the ridge. There were times when it was necessary to wait for people to come by from the other direction, or wait for a suitable place to overtake some of the slower ones going the same way, but this is not the sort of place to hurry – far better to take time and err on the side of caution. The final climb back onto Helvellyn, though very steep, was remarkably easy without a pack to carry – it is amazing just how much difference it makes, especially when climbing.
Striding Edge, Red Tarn and Ullswater
Grisedale Tarn from Dollywagon Pike
It was then time to make my way onwards via Nethermost Pike and round the edge of Dollywaggon Pike to Grisedale Tarn. The main Coast to Coast route takes the low route along Grisedale but, if the weather is good, those who follow that route miss a great deal of the real mountain scenery that the Lake District has to offer. The route down to Grisedale Tarn is a very steep zigzag path, which was very slippery in places. On paths like this, stones get crushed and rounded into smaller ones by thousands of boots over the years. In some places it is like stepping on a lot of ball bearings as they roll and slide about, especially in dry weather. Fortunately, this is one of the paths where work is being undertaken to improve matters, so it should be a lot safer when this has been completed.
From Grisedale Tarn, there was just a short uphill stretch to take me over into the next valley, before the descent, quite steep for much of the way, to Grasmere. It is one of those irrefutable facts that the height that you have gained with so much effort when climbing a mountain has to be lost again, often with considerable effort or difficulty on the way down. There was a fine view down to the head of Grasmere, which was now bathed in sunshine and overlooked by Helm Crag, the first climb tomorrow.
I reached Butharlyp Howe Youth Hostel at about 5.30pm and checked in. When I had booked the bed, I had asked for an evening meal and packed lunch, but they had only taken payment for bed and breakfast, as is often the case. In most hostels dinner is at 7pm and meal choices have to be in an hour before, otherwise there is a risk of not getting anything to eat. When I asked about dinner, the girl at reception said she wasn’t sure whether I was too late. Some hostels, particularly the ones who cater for a lot of school parties, have dinner half an hour earlier, and that was the case here. However, a quick check with the kitchen confirmed that I was OK to order, though it would not have been a disaster if I couldn’t have done so, as there are plenty of eating places in Grasmere, though some are rather expensive.
When I got to my dormitory, there was the same German chap I had shared one with at Helvellyn Youth Hostel. He was travelling by car and didn’t consider walking to be any kind of holiday at all. After a shower and phone call home, it was soon time for dinner. There must have been about forty children in the main part of the dining room, so there was quite a lot of noise. The few other diners were in an area partially separated from the rest, which helped to reduce the noise a little. It is a modernised hostel with cafeteria service, so I got my soup, and pizza and chips (not a very adventurous menu and aimed mainly at children) plus a bottle of Jennings’s Cumberland Ale, followed by a fresh fruit salad. Although it was noisy, the children were all very well behaved and good-natured, so it could have been a lot worse.
I sat on my own for dinner, as this is what the cafeteria system tends to encourage, it seeming to be rather intrusive to join someone else at a table when there are other ones free. After dinner, however, I got talking to a couple from the next table, who said that they were walking the Cumberland Way, with days out to do extra things along the way. I had not heard of the Cumberland Way before, but it sounded a bit like the Westmorland Heritage Walk, which it mirrored along the boundary between the two former counties, following the opposite side of Ullswater to Eamont Bridge.
On this very pleasant evening, I took a stroll into Grasmere, past all the expensive shops, restaurants and galleries, passing by Wordsworth’s grave in the churchyard, then Dove Cottage, where he lived for part of his life. At this point, having walked almost to the lake, I decided to continue and walk right around it. The first part follows the main road before taking a path to a footbridge then returning to Grasmere via the opposite bank. It was very tranquil and beautiful round by the lake, especially after I left the road behind, not that it was too busy at this time of the evening, and it was easy to see why Wordsworth was inspired so much by the place. Half way round the western side of the lake there was no longer any lakeside access, so the footpath diverted off to a road. However, not only did this still gave some good views of the lake for much of the way, but also views of many of the large houses nearby, their grounds ablaze with bright colours from the rhododendrons which, like most things this year, were late flowering and still in full bloom.
Back in Grasmere, everywhere was caught up with World Cup fever so, not having any interest in football, I sat in The Lamb Inn, drinking a pint facing away from the television set, whilst everyone else was watching it. My evening stroll was about three miles, and just the right length to pass away the evening.
After returning to the hostel, I had a very disturbed night not, as I might have expected, from the children, from whom I heard not a sound, but from the bunk above me, whose occupant fidgeted around all night and every time he moved, his bunk creaked and groaned. This used to be a major problem in hostels, especially with the old style bunk beds that had springs all around the base, but I have not generally noticed this with the newer style of bunk like these ones.
Day 11 - Thursday 15th June 2006 - Grasmere to Black Sail Hut, Ennerdale
Distance: 15 miles - 3,530 ft ascent
Accommodation: YHA Black Sail
I assumed that breakfast started at 8.00, but I could have had it at 7.45, had I read the information properly. However, I got to the dining room just before the children arrived, so was able to get served straight away and managed to pack everything ready to be off by 8.45. This hostel is a fine old country house in lovely grounds but costs quite a bit compared with many hostels. Bed and breakfast cost £19.45 as a member so this would be £22.45 for a non-member, which is more than many B&Bs, though not those in the Lake District which tend to be expensive. Bearing in mind that this is for a bunk bed in a shared dormitory with no towels provided and a cafeteria breakfast, it is not particularly good value. The price of hostel beds tends to reflect the grading of the hostel, which is generally based on all sorts of facilities that a walker would never be likely to use. For walkers, the smaller hostels with fewer facilities generally provide a much better atmosphere, and cater more for their needs, as well as being better value for money. In retrospect, I would probably have been more at home in Thorney How, three quarters of a mile further up the road, even though it would have been a bit further from the village.
It was a very hot morning as I made my way along the road towards Easedale, before turning off for the steep climb up to Helm Crag. At first there was shade from the trees to help keep me cool, but then I came back out into the open with bright sunshine and no movement of air. However, as I gradually reached the top of the steepest part and started to swing round to the east, there was at last a breeze – not enough to keep me cool, but at least some help. As I ascended, Easedale Tarn came into view, with Harrison Stickle and Sergeant Man behind. There was a view of Grasmere and Loughrigg Fell below and the mountains of Fairfield and Helvellyn to my right. Near the summit, there are a number of rocky outcrops, which give the crag its distinctive shape. The first large one of these was well climbed and I took this to be the summit, but it is actually the one a little further on, a large slab of rock leaning at a steep angle, which doesn’t lend itself to easy climbing, that is the highest point.
Summit rocks on Helm Crag with Dunmail Raise to right
There now followed a long ridge walk going up and down over several crags, but generally climbing higher as it went along. At Gibson Knott, I stopped for a rest and much needed drink before continuing to Calf Crag. It was quite slow and hard going with all the undulations of the stony path, but the views from the ridge more than compensated for the extra effort. There is an alternative route along the Easedale Valley, but this would not give anywhere near the quality of scenery and is only to be recommended in bad weather. It had started to cloud over by this time, so the scenery didn’t look quite so good as I reached Calf Crag for another short rest.
When I continued on my way, I seemed to be going off too far to the left, and realised that I should have dropped into the valley then up onto Greenup Edge, whereas I has stayed higher up but was heading in the direction of High Raise. Rather than backtracking, I made my way with a little difficulty around the open fell side until I eventually came out just above Greenup Edge, having wasted quite a bit of effort in the process. As I regained the proper route, there was a steady stream of Coast to Coast walkers passing by, many of them Americans.
Lining Crag towards Stonethwaite
From Lining Crag, there is a very steep but well built path dropping down to Greenup Gill, but the slope gradually gets gentler as it progresses down the valley. I stopped for lunch at 12.40 under the shadow of Eagle Crag, having done only 6.5 miles of the route because of the slow progress along the rough crags. As I prepared to continue, it started to brighten up, adding a bit of sparkle to the scenery and, after a while, the path became less uneven so that I was, at last, able to walk at a reasonable pace. As I had no need to visit Rosthwaite, I took a short cut via the pretty village of Stonethwaite into Longthwaite, where the path leads past the youth hostel and along by the river to Seatoller. All the time, the weather was improving and the fells brightening up with sunshine, which made such a difference.
Eagle Crag overlooking Stonethwaite Beck
Village of Stonethwaite, just off main route
Old Toll Road to Honister Pass, looking back down towards Seatoller and Borrowdale
Seatoller is another pretty village in Borrowdale, and the start of the Honister Pass over to Buttermere. The route, however, takes the old toll road, which gives a nice steady ascent away from the traffic. By now, I was getting into my stride, having felt a bit weary earlier in the day, and made good speed up to the top of the pass without too much effort. The toll road meets up with the road higher up, but there is a footpath shortly afterwards and, when that ends, the track through to the slate quarry is fairly free of traffic.
I wasn't sure whether I would be able to phone home from Black Sail Hut tonight, as they do not have a land line there and I didn't know if I would have any mobile phone reception in such a remote location, so I thought it might be possible to phone from high up at the top of Honister, where there might be more chance of a signal. Sure enough, my mobile was showing a good signal, so I continued on, keeping a check on the signal strength as I went along. By the time I reached the top of the old tramway, I thought that I had better phone before I lost signal strength, only to find that as soon as I tried to make a call, my useless Sendo phone said "No Network", having been displaying a good signal strength only moments before. It seems to get locked up at times and just keeps on displaying whatever it was doing before that happened. This more often happens the opposite way about, with it showing "No Network" when there is actually a good signal. It is only by switching it off and on again that it is possible to see what is really happening.
I continued up the path, which skirted past Grey Knotts, where I met up with a chap who was also heading for Black Sail Hut, and we walked along together for the rest of the way. It was a beautiful evening now with Great Gable and all the other mountains standing majestically in the sunshine. There is a steep path down into Ennerdale, which eventually levels out at the bottom of the valley for the rest of the way to the hostel. The hostel, however, cannot be seen until the last minute, as it is hidden by one of the many drumlins in this area. These are mounds of glacial deposits forming a series of small rounded hillocks near the head of Ennerdale valley.
Buttermere and Crummock Water from near Grey Knotts
Black Sail Youth Hostel with Green Gable, Great Gable and Kirk Fell
There were several people already at the hostel, one of them the temporary warden who alternates between here and Ennerdale Youth Hostel. In the conversation, it was mentioned that there was reception on some mobile phones from outside this hostel, whereas there is none at Ennerdale Youth Hostel, which is four miles nearer to civilisation. So, surprisingly, I was able to call home after all from the most unlikely of places. The warden has a mobile phone set up with an external aerial to give more reliable reception, enabling him to take bookings, which had to be done via the other hostel previously.
The hostel had a problem because their gas driven fridge had broken down, and the YHA were having difficulty in sourcing a suitable replacement. Although the hostel does have electricity from a generator, it is only a low powered supply, which is used to top up the batteries for the electric lights, and is not running continuously, as would be required to run a commercial fridge and a freezer. This meant that everything fresh had to be brought up from Ennerdale Youth Hostel each day and had to be used up or thrown away afterwards.
This was one of the first of a series of youth hostels, opened at Easter 1933, and there are old photograph albums showing it as it was then. In many ways things have not changed very much, but in others they have. Now there is electric lighting, hot and cold running water, a shower and even central heating driven by a solid fuel stove. The big event in the early days was the arrival of a bath, which was mounted outside in front of the hostel, presumably filled by hand. In those days hostelling was more like camping, but with solid walls and roof, and none of the trappings of modern life.
Now the hostel consists of a living/dining room, three dormitories, a kitchen and warden's quarters. The toilets and shower are part of the building but accessed from outside, so you have to think twice before going there on a cold, rainy night. Problems with the capacity of the septic tank have resulted in signs requesting restraint in flushing, saying "If it's brown flush it down, if it's yellow leave it to mellow!" I had a shower, then dinner, which the warden had managed to put together from limited resources. It consisted of jacket potatoes, tuna, grated cheese, boiled eggs, salad and bread rolls. This was followed by yoghurt with honey and hazelnuts or tinned pears.
Amongst those staying were a young couple - she was from Crewe, but working in a youth hostel in Wales, and he was an Australian from the outback. After dinner they decided to climb Great Gable. It was a beautiful evening and Great Gable stands at the head of the valley just begging to be climbed, more than any of the other mountains. There was some concern amongst the other hostellers as to whether they would have enough daylight for the trip, as it was already 8pm. We were able to watch them as they climbed up towards Windy Ridge. They were just visible as tiny specks with the naked eye, but much clearer through binoculars, and could be seen to be making very good progress, reaching Windy Ridge in fifty minutes. They were then out of sight for the rest of the way to the summit, as the path goes round the back of the mountain. After a while, the rest of us were driven inside by the midges, which were now out in force, and the couple returned at 10.20pm, with still plenty of daylight left.
Another hostelling couple were quite elderly, and trying out hostelling for the very first time. It did make me wonder what impression Black Sail Hut gave them, as it is so different from the mainstream hostel network, with much more primitive facilities. Those who are looking for home comforts could be put off hostelling for life, whereas those who appreciate Black Sail’s magnificent mountain setting and don’t mind a few privations in exchange for the unique experience that this place provides, would want to return time and time again.
The one drawback with the hostel was that the warden couldn't find a key to the beer locker, so we couldn't have a drink, except for one chap who had brought his own. The nearest pub is at Wasdale Head, four miles away, over Black Sail Pass, which was not a real option in the evening, though some people do it in the middle of the day.
Day 12 - Friday 16th June 2006 -
Black Sail Hut to Ennerdale Bridge via Black Sail Pass, Great Gable and High Stile
Distance: 15 miles - 4,400 ft ascent
Accommodation: Bridge End Cottages B&B Ennerdale Bridge
I had a good night's sleep, sharing a dormitory with one chap and his elderly mother, who had climbed Great Gable earlier in the day. Breakfast was at about 8.00 and was rather disorganised and a combination of "help yourself" to some of the things, with the warden cooking breakfasts of scrambled egg, hash browns, beans and toast, though the scrambled eggs were a bit difficult to identify as such either by appearance of taste; one hosteller actually having to ask me what they were. However, the warden had done his best in difficult circumstances, and had probably used some powdered scrambled egg mix or something similar.
The weather didn’t look too bad, as I set off at 9.15, with cloud reasonable high above the mountaintops but quite overcast. I had not been sure whether I would have enough time or energy to climb Kirk Fell, Great Gable and then the High Stile alternative route of the Coast to Coast, so I compromised by climbing the Black Sail Pass, then skirting round Kirk Fell on the traverse path to start the ascent of Great Gable. By the time I had got to this point, the cloud had dropped considerably and it was raining enough for me to need my waterproofs. All views were lost as I started the steep climb of Great Gable, but I just kept going upwards until the path started to level out towards the summit, which I reached at 11.05. There was nothing much to see, other than the memorial, which I had learned attracted a large group of people for the annual Remembrance Day Service, with as many as 150 attending. There was not much point in staying there for long in the cold and wet, but I made a quick call home to my wife, as this is where I had proposed to her 34 years previously.
High Stile and Haystacks with Black Sail Hut beneath, from Black Sail Pass
I had to be careful to get the correct path down towards Windy Gap, and started off down one that was obviously leading me in the wrong direction, before I realised and was able to skirt around the mountain until I picked up the right one. Even when I had dropped down to Windy Gap, I was still in the cloud, and remained so all the way over to Brandreth, though at least the rain eased off sufficiently for me to remove my waterproofs. After a lot of slow going along rocky and steep paths, it was a relief to reach more level ones where I could progress at a better speed and with less effort. Route finding was not difficult, even in the mist, as it was just a matter of following the remains of the old metal fence, which had now rusted away so much that bits of broken off fence post were incorporated into many of the cairns as route markers.
As I dropped down below the cloud base at Brandreth, there were some good views down to Ennerdale and Buttermere with some signs of the weather brightening up a little, so I decided it was still worthwhile taking the high level route over High Stile despite the disappointing start over Great Gable. Making my way over to Haystacks, I stopped for a lunch break at Innominate Tarn, which was what Wainwright said was his favourite spot and where he requested his ashes to be scattered. The water supply to Black Sail Hut comes from there, so hostellers who have stayed there can say they have a little bit of Wainwright in them! There were a few spots of rain whilst I was having my break, but a weak sun was also breaking through, which made it look more promising.
The progress over Haystacks was rather slow, as there are several ridges to scramble over and then a steep path back down. It didn’t help that I took a less favourable path down, which meant that, not only did I have a steeper and more difficult descent, but I also lost more height than I needed to. The path ahead looked formidable, with some very steep climbing but, taking it little by little, it was not as bad as it looked. There was a short, steep climb onto Seat followed by a longer, steep climb onto High Crag. The only saving grace was that there was a well-made footpath for most of the way, which made the ascent that much easier.
Innominate Tarn on Haystacks, Wainwright's favourite spot Now very overcast and spotting with rain
Buttermere & Crummock Water from Haystacks
Buttermere & Robinson from High Stile
Red Pike, Bleaberry Tarn & Crummock Water from High Stile
At the summit of High Crag, I had a short rest at 3pm. The weather was still holding up with the cloud still clear of the fells over which I would be climbing, but not over some of the higher ones of central Lakeland. Thankfully, the route looked far easier from here with only gentle dips between each of the remaining peaks. There were some very good views down to Buttermere and Crummock Water, as I made my way over High Stile and on to Red Pike. Time was creeping on and I still had about five miles to walk after dropping down from Red Pike, so I took advantage of my lofty position, which gave me a good signal on my mobile phone, to call my B&B in Ennerdale Bridge warning that I would be later than anticipated.
I hadn’t given much thought to the descent from Red Pike, thinking only about the ascent, but there was a drop of about 2,000 ft straight down the steep hillside, which was not only a strain on my leg muscles and knees, but also gave my feet a hammering as well. At last I reached the forest road at the bottom and was then on the flat for most of the remaining distance. A little way along the track I saw a Land Rover coming towards me with someone waving at me. It was the warden from Black Sail Hut just being taken back up there from Ennerdale Youth Hostel at High Gillerthwaite with fresh supplies. In retrospect it would have been more sensible to have booked in there for tonight, as it would have made the day’s walk far more comfortable. When I was booking it didn’t seem to make sense to book two hostels only four miles apart by the direct route. However, the way I had come was over ten miles and involved some very steep and rugged mountains, which was quite enough for one day’s walk.
It is never good to have to rush a walk, which is what I was doing now, as there is a tendency just to focus on walking as quickly as possible without enjoying either the walk or the scenery. The path round the southern side of Ennerdale Water did not help matters, as it has a lot of rough stones and tree roots for much of the way, which both slowed me down and were harder on my feet. Near Angler’s Crag the path goes up and down the steep hillside, finding the best route around the crag and this also impeded my progress, but after that the path was much better and, before long, I was past the end of the lake and onto the road into Ennerdale Bridge. Much as I dislike road walking, at least I could make good speed, with nothing to hamper my progress for the remaining one and a half miles. By way of distraction, I was able to look at the wide variety of wild flowers in the verges to make the walk less tedious. I finally reached my B&B just before 7pm, footsore, weary, and in great need of a shower and something to eat and drink.
Ennerdale Water looking back towards Angler's Crag
The Shepherd’s Arms Hotel was just along the road and provided sustenance in the form of Cumberland sausage, egg and chips along with a few pints of Shepherd’s Arms Own bitter, brewed for them by the Dent Brewery. In the bar was a sign displaying the various records for running the Coast to Coast, the last one being 39 hours 36 minutes in 1991. Nevertheless, remarkable as such feats of stamina and physical fitness are, the main object of the Coast to Coast walk is to enjoy the scenery, which I doubt the runners had much time to notice. I can remember when I returned from last year’s walk of the Cambrian Way, a chap empathising with me about the walk and talking about his own experiences of running. To me we were worlds apart. He talked about how much enjoyment and satisfaction it gave him, but all this came at the end when he was able to look at his time on the clock, whereas he was prepared to go through any degree of pain and discomfort in the process. My objective was to set a schedule that would allow me to enjoy the walk and the scenery as much as possible. If I had to push myself to go faster or further, it was because of a failure on my part to plan that stage of the walk well. We really had nothing in common apart from the fact that we both participated in some form of physical activity. Now it was time for an early night after a long, hard but rewarding day.
Day 13 - Saturday 17th June 2006 - Ennerdale Bridge to St Bees
Distance: 14.3 miles - 1,900 ft ascent
Accommodation: B&B St Bees
Breakfast was at 8.00, and I joined two other chaps staying there, who were walking the Coast to Coast in 16 days, but with quite a few of their own detours and variants, as they had done the walk before four years ago. I had asked for a packed lunch, which the landlady didn't do, though she said that the pub would make one for me. However, on reflection, I realised that I would be going through Cleator at lunchtime, so there would be no need of one. When I set off at 9.15, it was overcast, but warm and with a few patches of blue sky here and there.
The route follows the road for one and a half miles but, for much of the way, there was a recently built footpath beside the road making it much better for walking. There was a gradual climb up to moors and to Kinniside Stone Circle with views ahead of Dent Hill, and behind to the fells around Ennerdale. From there a path leads down along Nannycatch Beck, an attractive little valley, before ascending Dent Hill. I had a short break overlooking Nannycatch, as I was already feeling hot and a little weary from yesterday's exertions. Towards the end of yesterday's walk, when I was pressing on at a fast pace, I started to feel very sore where the bottom of my rucksack was rubbing against my back. It was still sore this morning, but I was hoping that the easier day's walk would not make it any worse. This is another problem that occurs when trying to go too quickly; there is much more strain on everything, and much more chance of doing harm or having an accident than is the case when progressing at a steady rate. Ankles can be twisted, blisters caused, slipping or tripping can occur, and muscles can be strained. Fortunately, however, my problem was only minor, and did improve as the day went on.
Nannycatch Beck, at the base of Dent Hill
The climb up to the ridge of Dent Hill was very steep, so I took it steadily with several short stops, turning back each time to look at the view down into Nannycatch below and over to the Lakeland fells in the distance. At last the slope eased off and the rest of the way was much more gentle. As I reached the forest road near the top, I noticed that one of the Coast to Coast signs had recently been changed to point in the opposite direction, presumably to divert the route down an easier forest road rather than going the steep way that I had taken. At the summit I stopped for another look back to the Lakeland Fells, which I would not be visiting for some time, and across to my final destination on the coast, with the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant prominent further south and the towns of Egremont and Cleator Moor down below. It was rather hazy by the coast, so rather than seeing the sea, all I could make out was a grey void beyond the land. To most Coast to Coast walkers this is their first good sighting of the mountains ahead, though some of them can be seen from St Bees Head, whereas for me it was the reverse, as my walk was drawing to a close and it was time to bid them farewell.
There was a steady path down from the hill leading into the forestry plantation below, where a concessionary path had been waymarked, but was rather difficult to negotiate in places because of overhanging branches from nearby trees. As I reached the bottom, I put on my glasses to check the guidebook and found that everything looked blurred. One of the lenses had dropped out, presumably when I was setting off from Dent Hill. I could still use one eye, but it took some getting used to at first. I had a spare pair at home, and I would soon finish the walk, so it was not too much of a disaster, but still a bit of a nuisance.
Making my way into Cleator, I was pleased to see that it didn't look as grim as when I walked through here 14 years ago, there being some new housing developments and a facelift had been given to many of the existing houses. There was a shop there where I was able to get something for lunch. There was also a pub and, had it had a beer garden, I may have been tempted in to having a pint, as it was relatively easy walking for the rest of the day, but the pub faced right onto the narrow street, so I didn't bother. On towards Moor Row, where there was also a shop, there were a series of kissing gates that were definitely not designed with rucksacks in mind, and I had to twist and turn until I managed to find a position where I could squeeze through. I met a few Coast to Coast walkers on the way, enthusiastic on the first day of their walk, then it just dawned on me that I could ask someone to look for the lens from my glasses as they passed Dent Hill summit. It was just an off chance, but it was worth a try.
I stopped for a lunch break in a field near Stanley Pond, though it was difficult to see much of the pond from there. Three walkers came by, so I decided to ask them to look for my lens, giving them my address in case they managed to find it. Unfortunately nothing came of this, but it was still worth a try. By now, the weather was rather sultry with a few spots of rain but nothing worth worrying about at the moment. Another series of lanes led to the road into Sandwith, and thence along the lighthouse access road before branching off on a lane to the cliffs overlooking Saltom Bay and the Irish Sea. All that remained now, having reached the opposite coast, was to walk around St Bees Head to the finish at St Bees. Despite the distant haze, some of the hills of the Southern Uplands were just visible.
Red sandstone cliffs towards Saltom Bay and Whitehaven
Fleswick Bay from St Bees Head
St Bees, the finish of the walk, from cliffs
Though the section of the walk from Dent Hill to the coast had not been the most exciting, it was, nevertheless, quite enjoyable with pleasant countryside and views back to the Lakeland fells in many places. St Bees Head being a large, rounded headland, there were not very many places giving good views of the cliffs, though there were one or two bays and also a few viewing platforms, mainly intended for bird watchers. I stopped for a rest just before Fleswick Bay, where I met another walker, who was striding briskly up the hill with a large rucksack on his back. He was just looking for the camping barn at Sandwith and was linking up a series of long distance walks. Having just walked the Cumbria Way, he had come round the coast to join the Coast to Coast and then would join up with other walks. He had already done a walk round the coast of Britain a few years ago, which is a considerable feat. Fleswick Bay gave some good views of the very red sandstone cliffs of this area and shortly afterwards my destination came into sight.
There were a lot of holidaymakers about, some of them walking along the cliff path, and also a large gathering of smartly dressed people by the sea. No, it was not a reception committee awaiting my arrival, but some sort of baptism ceremony in which a girl was being immersed in the sea. I performed my own ceremony by dipping my boots discretely in the sea, but not too deeply, as they were at the end of their life and had developed a crack right through the leather. Searching everywhere for my pebble from Robin Hood's Bay, I realised that I must have lost it somewhere along the way. There were plenty here already, so I decided against going back for another one!
After phoning home, I found my B&B, where I had a nice bath before going out for a few pints and something to eat. I had hoped that I might find some way to get out of St Bees tomorrow by public transport, but the system has conspired against anyone wishing to leave on a Sunday. It just meant that my daughter would have to come to collect me by car, and I couldn't even get part of the way to meet her. I went down the road to the Coast to Coast bar in the Manor House Hotel, where I had a very good and reasonably priced meal of chicken, bacon and mushroom pie followed by rice pudding, along with a few pints of Theakston's Black Bull to celebrate the end of the walk. There were not many who looked like Coast to Coast walkers in there, though there was one group of four who left shortly after I arrived. It was then back to watch television before falling asleep.
Day 14 - Friday 18th June 2006 - Return Home from St Bees
Everything was very quiet in St Bees on Sunday morning, and I could easily have been late for breakfast, thinking it was still early because of the grey sky and lack of traffic. I had asked for breakfast at 8.30, and it was already 8.15 when I looked at the time. Nobody else was staying there, so I had breakfast on my own before making my way down to the seafront, where I watched a number of people setting off up the cliffs at the start of their walk in the cool and dreary weather. It didn't make me feel too bad about the walk being over in these conditions, whereas a nice sunny day would have made me want to carry on walking. I had quite a while to wait for my daughter to arrive, and the weather got progressively worse, so I adjourned from my position in a shelter by the sea to the nearby café for a pot of tea. Then I walked around to the church, which has a lovely arched entrance of local red sandstone.
Ornately carved west doorway of Priory Church, St Bees
Back at the seafront, my daughter finally arrived dressed in a flimsy summer dress, as it had been warm when she set off from Wales, whereas here there was the combination of a cold, strong wind and rain, so she had to make a quick dash to the nearby hotel by the beach, where we had lunch. The weather continued to get worse as we made our way back home, and I felt rather sorry for those walkers who were out in it, especially up in the mountains. I considered myself to be very lucky for having picked a time when the weather was so good for most of the walk.
After Thoughts
I think I made the right decision to walk the Coast to Coast in reverse this time, partly because of the build up towards the Lake District mountains and partly to make it a bit different from before. I felt I could fully appreciate the gentler scenery in the earlier parts of the walk, which I hadn't done to the same extent when this came near the end. However, I tend to find this happens on the second time a walk is undertaken, as there are no false expectations of what is to come, as it has all been seen before and can be appreciated for what it is.
It was also quite true on this occasion that there were far more days when the wind was easterly rather than westerly, although it was also true that the westerly wind was more likely to come with any bad weather. In any case, I didn't find the wind direction to be a significant factor, though it may have been different had I had more bad weather than I did. Wainwright's other point was that it is more logical (unless you are Chinese) to follow a map from left to right, rather than right to left, which is true to a certain extent, but not a significant enough reason to influence the choice of direction, as it is quite easy to get used to going from right to left.
I was amazed at just how popular this walk has become, with Americans, Australians, Germans, Dutch and several other nationalities outnumbering the British walkers. I can only assume that the BBC documentary about the walk made some years before Wainwright's death must have been televised in a lot of countries around the world. I often find this time of year reasonably quiet for walking, so what it must be like in the school holidays, I dread to think. However, there tends to be a different profile of person walking at this time of the year, generally retired and often over 60 or even over 70. Because of this, they tend to take the easier options, using baggage transfer services and staying at B&Bs, whereas in the school holidays there are far more young people walking, usually backpacking with camping gear to keep down the cost. Nevertheless, there were still some of the older people who were backpacking and walking considerable distances each day, despite having a lot of weight to carry.
One drawback with walking the opposite way is that most people are only encountered very briefly, without the chance of building up any friendship or camaraderie. At first, I tended to stop for a brief chat with many of them, but very soon got fed up and just gave most of them a cheery greeting and went on my way. The few people with whom I developed more of a rapport, were the few who were walking in the same direction as me, and whom I met on several occasions.
The weather was remarkably good for my walk, and a lot better than would normally be expected, though the heat became a problem at times, particularly in low lying areas. However, I would still rather put up with this for the difference that the sunshine made to the scenery and for photography. The only pity was that there was not so much sunshine in the Lake District, where it would have added a sparkle to the spectacular scenery, but even there I had a reasonable amount of sunshine at certain times. Throughout the whole walk, I only wore my waterproofs for about two hours, and most of that time the rain was not very heavy. The only time I was engulfed in mist was over Great Gable, and that was not on the Coast to Coast route anyway, and the only time I got my feet wet to any degree was when I slipped whilst crossing the River Swale. I didn't suffer a single blister throughout the walk, and I think that having dry feet helped with that to some degree.
I thought that I had had a few problems booking accommodation two months before the walk, but found that many people had booked much earlier and still had problems because there were so many people doing the walk and only a limited amount of accommodation in many places. Some organised walking groups use minibuses to ferry people between the start and finish of each stage of the walk and accommodation, wherever it is available. This gives far more flexibility and allows the use of accommodation in larger towns, or at some of the youth hostels, where more is available.
I am still of the opinion that this is a very good walk, though it does have a bit too much road walking in places for my liking, but this is compensated for by some of the excellent scenery en-route, especially in the Lake District, where optional high level routes can be followed to make it even better, provided time is allowed to include this. I always feel that it is a waste to try to cross the Lake District in too short a time, as there can be much more enjoyment by taking a little longer to make the most of it. The walk is not about trying to do as many miles as possible each day, far better to walk it in more comfortable sections so that there is not the constant need to press on and on.
Upon my return to normal, everyday life, if you can describe running a hotel as normal, I entered the usual phase of weariness and lethargy that I have become accustomed to accept at the end of each walk. Whilst walking, it is possible to get up each morning and tackle another full, and often strenuous, day's walk without too many problems, and this can continue for as long as the walk lasts. However, as soon as this comes to a halt, the body seems to go into a different mode whereby it decides to go on strike until such time as it feels fully recovered from its exertions. When I first started long distance walking, this recovery time would last roughly as long as the walk itself, especially if I gave in and didn't do much exercise. In later walks, the recovery time has been reduced considerably, which I attribute in part to the fact I have got more used to these walks and am, in many ways, fitter than I used to be, but also to the fact that I try to make myself do some exercise, even if I don't feel like it at the time. In this respect, the dog helps considerably as, having been deprived of walks whilst I have been away, he is all the keener to drag me out once I return. This year, my recovery period was about three days, after which I started to feel reasonably energetic again, with only occasional lapses into lethargy after that.
Another problem that is often encountered is that of overeating after a walk. During the walk, it is possible to eat a large amount of food without any worry about gaining weight, as all the calories and more besides can be burned off by the exercise. Upon completion of the walk, it is all too easy to continue eating in the same way without doing anything to use up the energy. The result can quite easily be a rapid regaining of all the weight lost plus more besides. I find, now that I am older, this is not so much of a problem, as I can no longer eat large quantities of food, even when I am using a lot of energy, but when I first started long distance walking fifteen years ago, it was a different matter, and I soon had to take steps to avoid putting on extra weight.
Photography and Technology
Over the years that I have been doing long distance walks, camera technology, Internet technology and display technology have developed by giant leaps from 35mm colour slides that had to be scanned to produce low quality digital images for the website up to the present day with high quality digital photography, almost unlimited memory and super fast broadband,
The article in the 'Other Items' section chronacles all of this throughout my walks.
