The Coast to Coast in the Lake District: Highlights, Heavy Rain, and Hard Lessons

From sideways rain to stunning ridges — this is the story of my soggiest, toughest, and most unforgettable days on the Coast to Coast.

If you’re here to explore the story of this section of the trail, stay with me — but if you’re planning your own route, you’ll find the Coast to Coast main guide linked below.

Returning to the Lake District

Almost two decades. That’s how long it had been since I last walked in the Lake District National Park. The realisation floored me. The mountains were seared into my memory, vivid as ever, and it felt like no time had passed at all. I never stopped wanting to return — but life has a habit of getting in the way, and time moves faster than you expect.

In September 2025, I finally put that right, setting out on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast: a 200-mile hike across northern England, from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, beginning in the Lakes, where route choice, weather and navigation matter more than anywhere else. I planned to slow down here, to immerse myself in the landscape and build memories that might last another twenty years.

I got more than I bargained for.

Into The Mountains

Day one follows the undulating coastline from St Bees before turning south-east towards the Lake District National Park. By the time I reached Ennerdale Bridge, on the northern edge of the park, the skyline was crowded with mountains. I felt a rush of excitement — and, if I’m honest, a flicker of trepidation.

Earlier that day, I’d begun hiking with Mike and his two dogs. We’d met by chance at Birmingham railway station, both stranded by a cancelled train. As it turned out, we’d been on the same service from the South West too. What are the odds?

That evening, we camped at the Fox and Hounds Inn in Ennerdale Bridge and agreed to tackle an alternative high route together the following day.

Red Pike and High Stile Ridge

With sweeping views over Buttermere and Crummock Water, Red Pike — the Coast to Coast’s entry point to the ridge — was high on my list of places I wanted to experience again. Even an out-and-back would have satisfied me. But the forecast looked reasonable: heavy showers early on, with winds building to gusts of 30 mph. A full ridge walk seemed possible. (See route options in the Coast to Coast main guide.)

We set off along muddy paths beside Ennerdale Water, the first lake of the hike. It was a cold, wet start, but shafts of sunlight breaking through the low clouds lit the landscape in fleeting moments of calm. The views were serene.

Hiking with someone else was a novelty for me. I enjoyed the company, settling into Mike’s slower pace — dictated by the dogs — along the level shores of the lake. At the far end, just before the climb to Red Pike, we stopped for lunch at YHA Ennerdale. With a tough ascent ahead, the break felt too long, and I could feel my anxiety creeping in. Still, I told myself to stop worrying. Tackling the ridge together felt safer than going solo.

Back on the trail, we spotted a sign to Red Pike handwritten on the hinge of a wooden gate. There was little in the way of a defined path across the boggy ground, but we followed a beck to another gate, where the reality of the climb became unavoidable. It was relentlessly steep.

With my stupidly heavy rucksack, it was a slog. Mike, hiking ultralight, would forge ahead, then pause for a breather, while I trudged steadily upwards. Looking back into the valley below, the views were magnificent: heather-clad hillsides, glimpses of Ennerdale Water, fast-moving clouds, and sheets of rain sweeping across distant peaks.

At the summit, enveloped in cloud, the wind cut straight through us. We’d climbed 602 metres in less than a mile and a half (2.25 km), and despite the conditions, it was worth every step. Through shifting mist and light, the landscape revealed itself in fragments: fellsides suddenly illuminated by shafts of sunlight, like a spotlight being turned on, the surface of Buttermere ruffled by the wind far below.

This was the Lake District of my memory — every inch the place I’d hoped to see again. I was elated.

When the Weather Turns

We didn’t linger. The wind was strengthening, and the cold quickly seeped into our bones. Leaving the summit to a lovely German family, we turned into the cloud to navigate the ridge, relying on maps, fence posts, and cairns. From Castle Crags, more panoramic views opened up, with Bleaberry Tarn below, before the path narrowed and became increasingly rocky on the approach to High Stile, the highest point on the ridge.

That’s when unease began to set in. It was getting late. The gusts were far stronger than forecast — well over 30 mph — and the rain was driving in sideways. Then, without warning, I was blown clean off my feet.

One moment I was upright; the next I was slammed into the rocks, my arm and leg taking the full impact. With the weight of my pack, I had no chance of stopping the fall. I scrambled back up as Mike, walking ahead with the dogs, turned in disbelief.

“Thirty miles an hour?” he said. “No way. That felt more like sixty.”

I asked if we could stay close. There hadn’t been another person on the ridge since Red Pike, and after the fall, my anxiety was written all over my face. He looked unconvinced but agreed.

As the brooding mass of Haystacks loomed ahead in the fading light, I studied the map and, with six miles still to go, made a decision. I was heading down Scarth Gap Pass to pick up the road and rejoin the Coast to Coast near the slate mine. The weather was rapidly deteriorating, the day had already overrun, and visibility was slipping fast.

I showed Mike the escape route and was relieved when he decided to come down too. That descent — slippery rocks, steep gradients, two strong dogs pulling enthusiastically — was no easy option, but it was the right one.

We walked the last hour in pitch darkness and torrential rain before reaching YHA Patterdale, both of us satisfied that we’d made the right decision to come off the ridge and not press on into the unknown. No regrets.

Lessons From The Lakes

Over breakfast the next morning, I showed Mike my arm — bruised black and red from wrist to elbow and nearly twice its usual size.

“Oh my god,” he said. “I didn’t realise it was that bad.”

The days that followed brought relentless rain and strong winds, ruling out any further high routes. Still, the Lake District weather brought consolation prizes, including magical rainbows and roaring waterfalls. And there was always the wildlife to distract you. My heart skipped a beat when we spotted a red squirrel scampering along a lichen-covered stone wall, and I won’t forget watching a large herd of red deer grazing far below Kidsty Pike. 

The trail wound through mountain passes and along rugged tracks and fast-flowing rivers, with Herdwick sheep a constant presence and stone-built villages stirring memories of earlier visits with my young son — Beatrix Potter, Wordsworth, the enigmatic Castle Rigg.

What would I remember this time?

Being blown off my feet, that’s for sure. The bruising lingered for weeks, and even now — four months later — there’s a small, stubborn lump on my ulna. But there were other moments too: the breathtaking views from Red Pike, a conversation with two elderly hikers on the green in Grasmere, the quiet awe of landscape after breathtaking landscape, and Mike’s excellent company.

Read on to find out what I experienced on the Coast to Coast in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Park. Safe to say, this is a hike I’d definitely do again!

Wainwrights Bagged (Western Fells)

• Red Pike (Buttermere) – 755 m
• High Stile – 806 m
• High Crag – 745 m

In good conditions, you could also include Haystacks (597 m) along this ridge.

Planning Your Own Walk On Wainwright’s Coast to Coast?

• The Lake District section is breathtaking — but the terrain can be brutal. Expect some stiff climbs and scrabbling over rocks
• Stay flexible with weather and route choices. The weather changes quickly in the Lake District, and low visibility can make navigation a challenge – there’s very little signposting in the mountains
• Be prepared, and the good memories will definitely outweigh the challenges. There are so many highlights in the Lake District section that it’s difficult to name them all, but give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the stunning views

Plan your trip with confidence and sign up for The Extra Mile to get my free trail-planning workbook, From Dream to Trail.

Thanks for joining me on this incredible hike. I’d love to hear from you if you’re planning to walk it too

Happy hiking.