The Coast to Coast was devised by Alfred Wainright and first described
in his guide published in 1973. He describes the route in 12 stages; it
took me 13 days. I measured it as about 187 miles long (300 km). It
traverses three national parks - the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales
and the North York Moors. The walk is extremely varied passing from the
dramatic granite pikes and becks of the Lake District to the fascinating
Westmorland limestone pavement. Perhaps the most delightful section is
that of the Yorkshire Dales from Kirkby Stephen, over Nine Standards and
then along the Swale from Keld to Reeth. The C2C starts with a coastal
walk along the sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head and finishes
satisfyingly with a similar stretch of the Cleveland Way along the shale
and mudstone cliffs from Hawkster to Robin Hoods Bay. The idea of a
route from the Irish to the North Sea is beguiling and Wainwright
cleverly used parts of bridleways and ancient tracks to link the three
national parks but there is too much road and the route feels contrived.
I'm glad I did it, however, and enjoyed much of it, apart from the
tedious stretch from Richmond to Ingleby Arncliffe across the Vale of
Mowbray. Looking back, I most enjoyed the Lakes, despite the rain and
storms because I know them so well. And I enjoyed the easy day from Keld
to Reeth with Scharlie and Bridget, not least because of their obvious
pleasure in the landscape and flora
