Hiking Wainwright’s Coast to Coast: A Real Backpacker’s Guide

Why This Trail Stays With You

Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk really does deserve its iconic status — it’s up there with some of the best trail experiences I’ve had.

From west to east, you’ll cross the unique landscapes of three national parks: the epic mountains of the Lake District; the rolling hills and stone towns and villages of the Yorkshire Dales, and, on the other side of the country, the vast open expanse of the North York Moors.

Highlights include breathtaking mountain views and sparkling lake-sides, ancient enigmatic sites like Nine Standards Rigg, cosy pubs and cobbled streets, wildflower meadows, and swathes of purple heather on the moors (I was definitely channelling my inner Catherine Earnshaw!).

It was the perfect balance between challenge and scenery, with plenty of moments of serenity and elation I won’t forget — truly the most uplifting, confidence-building couple of weeks I could have hoped for.

Want to experience this for yourself? Let’s dig into the guide and get your adventure started!

How Difficult Is The Coast To Coast – And How Fit Do I Need To Be?

You’re likely to be tested both physically and mentally on the Coast to Coast: if it’s not the climbs, it’ll be the weather or the navigation that challenges you. Overall, I’d grade this trail as moderate, but there’s one section that warrants its own category, and that’s the Lake District. The Lake District is hard – especially for anyone who’s carrying an over-packed rucksack!  –  and you’ll need to be strong enough to keep going for long days, sometimes in the worst wind and rain The Lakes can throw at you!

Is The Coast To Coast Suitable For Beginners?

The Coast to Coast a challenge, especially through the Lake District. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first long-distance trail, and suggest checking out the West Highland Way instead. The West Highland Way is a popular trail for good reasons: the shorter distance makes it more achievable for beginners, the mountain scenery is stunning, and there are still plenty of challenges to give a real sense of achievement.

• The West Highland Way: Your Ultimate Guide To Scotland’s Bucket List Hike!

Having said that, if you have plenty of experience with short multi-day hikes and wild camping trips, or you’re used to long day-hikes in the mountains, I’d say you can call yourself a confident beginner, so go for it! Make sure you do plenty of training carrying a full rucksack, building up to multi-day hikes in demanding terrain, and brush up on your navigation skills (there’s little to no signposting in the Lake District). Plan your hike for the summer months, when the weather’s kinder and there are more people on the trail, and you’ll have the adventure of a lifetime!

The Most Physically Demanding Sections

If you want to test your legs and lungs, the section through the Lake District will give you the challenge you’re looking for – even if you don’t take the high routes, there are some near-vertical climbs, superb passes, and lots of fun picking your way over rocks. But the challenges are worth every step –  the higher you climb, the more breathtaking the views – on a clear day! And the rewards for all that exertion? Gorgeous villages, cosy pubs and some great campsites await – eat your fill, pitch your tent, and rest, ready for the day ahead.

Once you’re through the Lakes, there are still some challenging climbs ahead. Especially memorable is a section in the North York Moors National Park. Before you get onto the wild open moor, there’s a beautiful stretch between Lord Stones and Clay Bank Top, taking in Wain Stones. The stiff climbs and countless steps leave you wondering whose idea it was to do this hike in the first place! The rewards for your effort keep on coming, though – the views out to the coast are truly fantastic.

More Than Just A Physical Challenge

A long-distance trail isn’t just about strong legs and shoes that can take a beating — it’s also a test of mental resilience. The Coast to Coast is no exception. On any long hike, you’ve got two options for how to pass the miles: you can turn inward, getting lost in your thoughts, or outward, soaking in the landscape.

On my previous hike, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, I was dealing with grief and it was impossible to get out of my head. As a result, I think I’d lost some confidence and a few sections on the C2C maginfied that feeling — taking a beating on the Ennerdale high route, pushing through hail storms on exposed, empty moors…

Some stretches of the trail feel like they’ll never end. Trudging along the edge of Haweswater Reservoir, fenced in with the same grey view for miles, was one of those times. Another came on the North York Moors — sideways rain, hail, low visibility, and no landmarks to tell how far you’d come or how far you still had to go. It’s in those moments that you find out just how deep you can dig.

Finding Focus When Motivation Slips

If you hit a wall — when the wind cuts sideways and conversation dies because everyone’s in their own head — it helps to have a mental trick ready. For me, it’s sound. When your visual world is grey and endless, switch to aural markers instead: music, podcasts, audiobooks.

An hour of good storytelling can mark two and a half miles of walking — and somehow, it feels like half an hour, not five. I really wish I’d remembered to pack my headphones on this trip — I still make rookie errors!

Getting To And From The Trail On Public Transport

How To Get To St Bees

Travel to Carlisle:

• Train: Carlisle is on the Avanti West Coast mainline – Find your best route using the National Rail Network Map
• Bus: Carlisle is also served by Megabus (M11 Glasgow to London)

From Carlisle to St Bees:

• Train: Change at Carlisle and take the Lancaster service run by Northern

How To Get Home From Robin Hood’s Bay

• Bus to local train stations: The X93/X94 Arriva Bus Service runs between Whitby and Scarborough train stations, stopping at Robin Hood’s Bay.
• Check the National Rail Network Map to find out whether a train from Whitby or Scarborough is the best one for you.

For more details on planning transport to and from any trail (and how to get the best prices), check out this guide:

• How To Get The Best Price Travel

How Long Does It Take? (Suggested Coast To Coast Itinerary)

Officially, the Coast to Coast is 197 miles (317 km) long — but that’s just the trail! When you plan your itinerary, you’ll need to consider distances to campsites, as well as extra miles for any alternative routes you’d like to do — even trips off-trail to pick up supplies. Plan for about 210 miles, and you should be fine.

Most people hike the trail in 16 days, which is a very achievable average of 12.5 miles a day (200 miles).

I mixed up the miles, and I hiked it in 12 days.

I really wanted to enjoy my time in the Lake District, and I wasn’t sure how the terrain (and weight of my rucksack!) would affect my speed, so I had a very loose daily plan. It began with shorter daily miles through the Lakes and bigger days after that — I enjoy hiking big miles, as you’ll see from the later days in my itinerary, which are much more ‘my pace’.

These distances are approximate. They’ve been taken from my OS App route, which doesn’t include any of the extra miles for the high route I took, or any of my wanderings off-trail for supplies or exploring! Sadly, I didn’t record each day’s hike  (no idea why now, but I suspect it was to save my phone battery). In all, I hiked over 200 miles.

1. St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge, 14.5 miles. Camped at the Fox and Hounds pub.
2. Ennerdale Bridge to Longthwaite, 14 miles. Camped at YHA Borrowdale.
3. Longthwaite to Grasmere, 9 miles. Camped at YHA Grasmere.
4. Grasmere to Patterdale, 8.5 miles. Camped at Side Farm.
5. Patterdale to Shap, 14.5 miles. Camped at New Ing Lodge.
6. Shap to Keld, 17 miles. Camped at Rukins Farm 
7. Keld to Grinton, 14.5 miles. Camped at YHA Grinton Lodge.
8. Grinton to Smardale Fell, 12 miles. Wild camped.
9. Smardale Fell to Danby Wiske, 24 miles. Camped  at Holme Farm Camping
10. Danby Wiske to Chop Gate, 19 miles. Camped at Beak Hills Farm.
11. Chopgate to Glaisedale, 21 miles. Camped at Armcliffe Arms
12. Glaisdale to Robin Hood’s Bay, 19 miles. Camped  at Hook House Farm Campsite

I say ‘my pace’ because when I hiked through the Lakes, I hiked with someone else (one of the great things about this trail) and definitely fell into his more leisurely step (which, to be fair, was dictated by how far his dogs could walk, and the distance between campsites). If I did it again (I’d love to!), it would be easy to do longer days through the Lakes and complete the hike in 10 days, and still feel there was plenty of time to explore.

Any good guide book will give you more suggestions, but my beggest takeaway is to allow for shorter days in the Lakes.

Why Is It Best To Go From East To West?

I recommend you follow convention and hike the Coast to Coast from west to east to keep the prevailing winds and rain behind you.

But there’s another reason: crossing the Lake District is tough. Hikers walking east to west will have already walked 145 miles before crossing into the national park. The mountain scenery would make a stunning finale, of course, but after all the steep ascents and descents, regardless of the weather, you’ll probably be broken!

Along the entire Coast to Coast, I met fewer than a handful of people hiking east to west, and by the time I got to Robin Hood’s Bay, I realised that for those going in the opposite direction, the Lakes aren’t really the finale: there’s a good day’s hike along the coast to St Bees. And St Bees doesn’t have the bustling atmosphere that you experience in Robin Hood’s Bay. The number of people congratulating me left me on a high – it felt like the finish of a race! Finishing at St Bees, I was sure, would have left me feeling flat.

Coast To Coast Alternative Routes: The Highs And Lows

Wainwright himself suggested you hike whichever route excited you, and of course, it was the high routes for him, but there are also some fantastic low-route alternatives. Here are the highs and lows I know of (heading west to east):

The Lake District

Dent Hill (near Cleator) alternative low route. The steep up-and-over hill had been closed for months for logging, so I took an alternative quiet tarmac lane that circumnavigates the bottom, and then crossed the edge of beautiful Flat Fell to Nannycatch Gate, where it meets up with the original route over the hill. It seems the National Trail approves of the alternative too — there was a brand-new fingerpost pointing along a track across Flat Fell.

Ennerdale alternative high route. Of all the high routes, this was the one I most wanted to do. Soon after Ennerdale YHA, you take a left turn and a steep climb up to Red Pike, then across the ridge to High Stile (at 807m, the highest summit on the Coast to Coast), High Crag and Hay Stacks. It was superb. The views over Buttermere brought back special memories of walks with my then-young son, but a severe change in the weather and an accident brought me back down just before Hay Stacks. It was a dramatic end to the day that left me bruised and battered – here’s the story:

• The Coast To Coast In The Lake District

Grasmere Via Helm Crag, an alternative high ridge walk. For me, this route was out of the question: strong winds and sideways rain scuppered any ambitions, but from the low path along Easdale Beck, the ridge looked both spectacular and imposing, and my disappointment was real!

Grisedale, two alternative ridge walks: St Sunday Crag or Helvellyn and Striding Edge. I’d earmarked St Sunday Crag (there’s no way I’d have attempted Striding Edge with the excessive weight I was carrying), but, once again, poor weather and low visibility meant it was off the cards (when you’re hiking for the views, there’s no point in attempting it in low visibility!)

The Yorkshire Dales

Keld, an alternative low route through Swaledale Valley. A few miles before Keld, I met a local man who recommended the low-route alternative, but this time it had nothing to do with the weather! He told me the higher moorland route, full of the remains of lead mining,  was “interesting”, but the low route beside the River Swale was beautiful and lush. Having spent the previous day up on the moors and living in ‘mining-central’ in Cornwall, I realised the valley walk would have the typical Dales landscape I wanted to experience: lush valleys dotted with sandstone villages, dry-stone walls, hill farming — it was everything I remembered it to be.

When’s The Best Time To Walk The Coast To Coast?

As ever, this will depend on what you want to see and experience, but overall the best time to hike the Coast to Coast is between Easer and mid-September. Here are the top 4 things to consider:

1. The weather.  This is likely to have the most impact on your decision. Whatever time of year you go, you should plan for rain and wind – Cumbria and Yorkshire are some of the wettest counties in the UK, and the westerly winds can be ferocious (especially on high ground). The summer months are generally the warmest, but even in early September, I experienced hailstorms on the North York Moors.
2. People.  If you love people and enjoy a sociable hike, choose summer – this is a very popular trail, and people travel around the world to hike it. If you prefer quieter trails, It’ll certainly be quieter in the spring and autumn, but make sure you’re equipped for the cooler, wetter weather
3. Accommodation and resupply. Often, campsites don’t open until Easter and close in late September – and many cafes close out of season too. YHA’s tend to open all year, but out of season, they are often available to ‘whole hostel’ bookings, so you’ll need to check and book ahead.
4. What to see:
   • Spring: wild flowers begin to bloom, lambs are frolicking in the Dales, and the lush green hillsides and unfurling bracken will bring your senses alive
   • Summer: this is the time to be in the North York Moors – the landscape is a palette of purple and you might spot a golden plover, or hear the song of a skylark high above
   • Autumn: the chance of rainbows and impressive waterfalls is one of the bonuses of the increasing rainfall in the Lakes – and nothing takes my breath away more than the rich bronzes of fading braken
   • Winter: the winter months are outside the scope of this guide – snow, ice, bitter winds and winter storms mean spikes and crampons… and few facilities. Only attempt this trail in winter if you have plenty of experience in harsh conditions.

Navigation On The Coast to Coast

Is The Trail Well-Signposted?

Dotted along the trail are brand-new Coast to Coast wooden fingerposts, along with frequent small roundel markers on gates and posts, often with the AW monogram. This is thanks to the new National Trail status, and it means the Coast to Coast is pretty well signposted – in places! There are still gaps, notably in the Lake District (see below), and sometimes, where things could be tricky, you’ll find helpful hand-written signs provided by farmers and locals.

Do I Need To Map Read Or Use A Compass?

If you’re route-finding with a GPS you may not need a map and compass, but definitely take them for backup and emergencies.’

Navigating The Coast To Coast In The Lake District

The Lake District is notoriously badly signposted (the new National Trail status doesn’t appear to have significantly improved this) and, although the route isn’t generally pathless, some sections could be confusing, especially in low visibility, and particularly on the high routes. If your GPS fails, you’ll need a map and compass to keep you on the correct path where tracks converge.

Finding Your Way In The Yorkshire Dales

You can safely put your map and compass away for this section: navigating in the Yorkshire Dales is a breeze. It’s well signposted, and coupled with a GPS you won’t have any issues – even across the moorland at Castle Rigg. Bog-hopping and getting lost in the fog is now a thing of the past: there’s a newly laid flagstone path right across the moor. It’s there to protect the fragile peat environment, but comes with the obvious bonus as a navigation aid.

Keeping On Track On The North York Moors

Rest assured, you won’t be fighting your way through the heather and bracken on this section; you’ll be on firm, mostly broad tracks and footpaths, most of which are well-signposted. Keep an eye on your GPS or map at junctions, and you’ll find your way to Robin Hood’s Bay without any trouble.

Coast To Coast Maps, Apps And Guides

The Coast to Coast officially opens as a national trail in spring 2026, with minor route changes expected. Some of these are already in place on the ground (and easy to follow), but, as yet, there are no updated official maps, so ensure you buy the latest edition you can.

It’s not possible to navigate the trail by signposts alone, and if you plan to use GPS, I recommend you take a paper map and compass in case of emergencies.

I used:

• Harvey Maps — the Coast To Coast National Trail map is excellent for the full trail on one map
• OS Maps — English Lakes OL4 and OL5 (for the north-western and north-eastern areas). In the Lakes, where navigation is more tricky, maps with an overview of the entire area are useful
• OS Maps App. You can download my map and upload it to your own account, or upload the route map using the link above
• Compass — mine is always in my map case and I recommend you take one to use in poor visibility, especially in the mountains
• Trailblazer guide to the Coast to Coast. Trailblazer are my preferred publisher for any trail — here’s so much info, from wildlife, to history and the maps are great for planning

I also recommend:

• Cicerone guides — often come with a separate OS Map booklet
• Hiiker — dedicated hiking app

Campsites, Hostels And Wild Camping On The Coast To Coast

Campsites, hostels and wild camping offer the most budget-friendly and flexible options on any trail. Campsites on the Coast to Coast are happy for backpackers to just turn up without booking (although I always recommend calling ahead), and wild camping gives you the most freedom of all.

For YHAs it’s best to telephone to book. Their website bookings are based on the number of people in the party rather than the number of tents booked in — which means the system can show that camping is full, even though there may be plenty of spaces.

Campsites And Hostels On The Coast To Coast Walk 

I’ve put together a complete guide to campsites on the Coast to Coast Walk, which are also highlighted on a map. The guide includes reviews and full details of the 12 campsites I stayed at, plus recommendations from fellow hikers — and the distances between them.

• I Stayed At 12 Campsites On The Coast To Coast Walk – Here Are The Best (And The Rest!)

Wild Camping: What’s Allowed and What Isn’t

Officially you can’t wild camp without the landowner’s permission, but of course people do.

In practice, the Lake District is the easiest and most accepted place to wild camp, but you should still camp away from towns and villages above the highest fell wall. In the Yorkshire Dales, there are lots of farming communities (and sheep), so be especially aware of the area you plan to set up in. And the North York Moors? The open moorland is probably the most difficult place to find somewhere discreet, but off the moors, there are places you can tuck yourself away.

In all cases, if you’re asked to move on, be respectful and polite, pack up and move on.

The best way to organise your nights along the route is to plan most of your wild camps for the Lake District, and stay at campsites the rest of the way. If you prefer a basic campsite experience (a pitch with use of a toilet), try camping at one of the pubs listed in the campsite guide linked above.

• Coast to Coast Through the Yorkshire Dales: Sheep, Drystone Walls, And The Best Wild Camp
• Wild Camping Guides

Where Can I Resupply And Charge My Electronics?

I carried enough food and water for two to three days and found it straightforward to stock up at larger Co-ops and convenience stores as needed. Inbetween the grocery stores, you’ll find cafes and pubs where you can pick up water (most will fill your bottles for free), and a meal or snacks as well. Take a water filter with you and you won’t be short in the Lake District.

As well as grocery shops, I’ve indicated where I charged my electroinics at pubs and cafes along the way, but check out the campsites and YHA Guide for more charging points. YHAs and some campsites also serve food, and some can provide packed lunches, too.

Sundries

The most reliable places to buy sundries are Kirkby Stephen and Richmond. You’ll find pharmacies, post offices, outdoor stores (for gas, clothing, etc), and much more.

Is The Coast To Coast Safe?

The Road Crossing Everyone Dreads

Undoubtedly, crossing the A19, a major 4-lane trunk road just before Ingleby Arncliffe, is the most dreaded road crossing on the entire Coast to Coast – and with good reason. 

Continuous streams of traffic travelling up to 70 mph, including lorries, require focus and speed, which isn’t easy if you’re carrying a heavy rucksack. However, there are precautions you can take: the biggest is to avoid rush hour, and, in my opinion, the next is to have a fluorescent cover for your rucksack.

The unofficial crossing point is right beside Exelby Services, so some traffic slows down to come off the road. If you’re at all worried, I recommend having a coffee break in the services and sitting at the window overlooking the road. This way, you get a good feel for the volume of traffic before you cross – and this is exactly what I did.

All this said, I followed several fellow hikers, and we all got to the other side without any problems!

Do I Need To Worry About Livestock?

Thankfully, most cattle I came across were on the other side of a fence, but the biggest concern for anyone hiking with their dog is sheep. Both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales are sheep farming counties, and your dog will need to be on a lead most of the way. 

Personal safety

If you decide to take a high route in the Lake District, I recommend teaming up with someone else. Then if there are any problems, you’ve both got some support. 

Otherwise, the usual ‘rules’ apply: leave a daily plan with someone before you leave home and regularly check in with them – daily if possible. There’s limited mobile signal in some areas on the trail, so I recommend checking in when you have signal rather than waiting until the end of the day, when it may well have disappeared into the ether! An alternative is a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) satellite communication service, like the Garmin InReach Mini – though they’re not cheap. And, as always, carry a small first aid kit that includes tick tweezers and an emergency foil bivvy bag.

• What To Put In Your First Aid Kit

Is It Safe To Hike Solo? 

Most backpackers I met were hiking solo or in pairs, although, as it’s such a sociable trail, you’d often meet solo hikers walking together, which I regularly did. The only exception really was groups on pre-arranged trips, mostly staying at hostels and B&Bs with baggage transfer. The Coast to Coast is the best of both worlds for anyone who doesn’t have someone to take the trip with or fancies some company along the way.

Packing For The Coast To Coast — What Gear Do I Need?

When you put together your gear list for the Coast to Coast, pack for the cold and wet and hope for some sun!

My base weight was about 12kg when I left, which was too much. Once I’d hiked through the Lake District, I decided to send some things home in Kirkby Stephen. This included my trekking umbrella (which I was glad I had up to that point), sun cream, some tent pegs and a few extra clothes.

For this particuar trip, as well as my usual gear I took a new tent: the Terra Nova Southern Cross. It’s a 4-season tent, so it’s comparitively heavy for a summer hike but I was glad I had it on the higher, exposed sections — other hikers definitely felt the cold more than me! I also took a new stove, the Soto Windmaster, which worked well. And, also new for me in 2025 was the Anker 737 powerbank and Anker 140w charger — they weigh a tonne, but I had no worries about charging up, so it was worth its weight in gold.

A new guide to packing for a long-distance hike is coming soon; sign up for The Extra Mile to find out when it goes online. It’s also where I publish ocassional reviews of new gear — like the Soto Windmaster and the Anker battery bank mentioned above. It would be great to see you there.

• Osprey Renn 65 Review — my trusty rucksack still going strong in 2026
• Small Tent, Big Decision: How To Pick A 1-Person Backpacking Tent — how I chose my Terra Nova Southern Cross

How Much Did It Cost To Hike The Coast To Coast In 2025?

Travelling to the north of England from west Cornwall is expensive (and took 12 hours), but I was shocked how much I spent in cafes and for breakfasts at campsites and YHA. In part, this was because once I was there I decided to hike this trail differently. It became a much more social hike than I’ve ever done before — and being social often means eating together… Next time I’m on trail, I plan to go back to my old properly solo ways with much more wild camping – and save a few pounds along the way!

• Travel: £213.00
• Campsites/hostels x 12: £131.00
• Groceries: £135.61
• Eating out (cafes (inc travel), YHA breakfasts, pubs): £103.05
• Sundries (washing, foot care, postage): £23.39

My total costs for this hike in 2025 were £606.50 (sharp intake of breath).

Groceries and eating out cost £238.66, which over 14 days (12 days hiking, plus two days travel) works out at £17.47 per day, which I hope gives you an idea of how much to budget for. If that sounds too much (it does for me!) I reckon you could do it for around £14.00 a day. However, it’s all too easy to buy breakfasts, rather than cook your own when you stay at campsites and YHA (lesson learnt!), so if that’s something you enjoy, you might want to budget up to £20.00 a day for groceries and cafes/meals out.

Do I need Cash?

Most places accept card payments, excluding some small campsites. I took £100 cash for campsites and emergencies, which was more than enough for two weeks. Keep your money and card separate so that if you lose one, you’ve still got the other!

Thanks For Reading

This really is such a special trail, so if you’re planning your hike I hope you’ve you’ve found this guide useful and inspiring. As ever, feel free to leave any questions in the comments, and if you’ve already hiked the trail and have any recommendations or info that might help another hiker planning their trip, I’d love to hear from you, too!

Don’t forget to check out the other guides in the series listed below, including my experiences in each national park. You might find the planning guides useful, too.

Happy hiking!