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Below I have given a brief summary of the stages of the Coast to Coast walk as devised by Wainwright BUT there are no hard and fast rules about how many stages you walk the route over - feel free to break longer stages into 2 or walk a few miles further than the end of a stage to make the following day shorter. Where applicable I have mentioned some of these options in the text below.
Stage 1 - St. Bees to Ennerdale
Stage 2 - Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite
Stage 3 - Borrowdale to Patterdale
Stage 4 - Patterdale to Shap
Stage 5 - Shap to Kirkby Stephen-
Stage 6 - Kirkby Stephen to Keld
Stage 7 - Keld to Reeth
Stage 8 - Reeth to Richmond
Stage 9 - Richmond to Ingleby Cross
Stage 10 - Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top
Stage 11 - Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale
Stage 12 - Glaisdale to Robin Hood's Bay
Stage 1
St. Bees to Ennerdale - 14.25 miles / 30 km
Your Coast to Coast journey starts with a climb onto the red cliffs of St Bees Head with immense sea views. This is a nature reserve and important nesting place for puffins, razorbills and the only British colony of black guillemots. After passing a lighthouse the trail turns inland and heading east for the first time. Passing through the old mining areas around Cleator after which your first climb of the trail awaits you. Dent has a reputation for being a lung busting climb, but all of this is forgotten as you catch the first sight of the Lakeland Fells on cresting the top. It is not only the Lakeland Fells which catch your attention as the view towards and down the coast is equally good and the Isle Of Man can be spotted on clear day. You begin the, at times steep, descent to Nannycatch from where you follow the beck (Cumbrian for stream) through the scenic ravine until you meet the Ennerdale Bridge road and close by Kinniside Stone Circle. The road is followed parallel on paths to the little village of Ennerdale Bridge.
Stage 2
Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite - 14.5 miles / 23 km
Today's stage has no offers of refreshment along its route. Ensure you have a decent packed lunch with you especially if you are planning the High Stile option. After leaving Ennerdale Bridge behind you have a short stretch of road walking before meeting the path along the shores of afforested Ennerdale. At the end of the lake you cross to the northern side of the Liza and follow the river on a track towards Black Sail YHA (some Coast to Coasters rate the path on the southern side of the Liza as a far better alternative than the official route). A short while after Black Sail comes the steep ascent alongside Loft Beck which, eventually brings you out at the Brandreth Fence and onto the well worn track down to Honister Pass.From Honister you follow the B5289 on the old road (now a grassy track) into Seatoller before following parallel with the B5289 again, but at a distance, through Johnnys Wood and into Rosthwaite.
The high level Red Pike - High Stile alternative route this will add time to your walk and it is quite a hard detour. Seasoned walkers will take it in their stride but for the rest of us it could be considered too much. The route is a fantastic day walk in itself so why not come back after the Coast to Coast and spend the time on it that this fell-walk deserves?
As an alternative to the Red Pike diversion why consider heading up Scarth Gap and traverse the fascinating fell top of Haystacks? Pay your respects to Wainwright whose ashes were scattered at Innominate Tarn and then carry on to the south of Blackbeck Tarn to rejoin the route above above Loft Beck - a far better alternative option
Stage 3
Borrowdale to Patterdale - 17.75 miles / 29 km
Many Coast-to-Coast walkers opt to divide this stage into two shorter with an overnight stay in Grasmere so it is easier for me to describe it as such although I actually prefer the full day, with the Helm Crag detour and then missing out on the higher level walks of either Helvellyn or St Sunday Crag.
Rosthwaite to Patterdale The description is the same for a single day stage as for the two split days below but on a single day stage do not go into Grasmere (unless provisions are needed) but take a minor road which will bring you out just north of the Travellers Rest public house.
Rosthwaite to Grasmere Again there is nowhere to buy food and drink along this section so make sure you are well stocked up especially if you are doing the full walk to Patterdale. Leaving Rosthwaite behind you walk along the stony track heading roughly south towards the magnificent, brooding Eagle Crag. A relatively easy climb up to Greenup Edge follows, through remains of glacial activity in the shape of drumlins. From the top of Greenup Edge a few people do get lost easily so please take a compass bearing if needed. The low-level path into Grasmere is easy to follow and a delight. If you are taking this as two days then why not consider the relatively simple option of taking the Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag ridge - a superb walk with wonderful views with the added benefit of gaining three Wainwrights for your bagging tally!
Grasmere to Patterdale on leaving Grasmere the Coast to Coast climbs to Grisedale Tarn via Great Tongue and a choice of two paths with the 'easier' path being on the eastern side of Greta Tongue. Both paths bring you out at Grisedale Tarn, a mountain lake in a dramatic setting. You have a choice of three options at Grisedale, the first being the main route heads down Grisedale Valley, rocky at first but then turning into a delightful low-level amble. The second option is an ascent of Dollwaggon Pike and onto Helvellyn before making your way down the rocky ridge of Striding Edge.The third option is an ascent of St Sunday Crag and then descending gently into Patterdale. My choice, for what its worth, is to keep Helvellyn for another day (when you can walk Striding Edge with the grain instead of fighting your way through hordes of walkers going in the opposite direction to you) and head up St. Sunday Crag where the crowds are less but the views are equally as good.
Stage 4
Patterdale to Shap - 16 miles / 26 km
An early start is the order of the day to allow plenty of time to enjoy the stage. Again, make sure you stock up well before leaving as refreshment stops are nonexistent. The route leaves Patterdale by climbing to Boredale Hause on a steady gradient, passing the picture perfect mountain tarn, Angle Tarn, and to the highest point of the whole Coast to Coast at Kidsty Pike (780metres). The climb is not a difficult one with the height gain gently spread out but it is still worth lingering at Kidsty Pike as the views are stunning and you may be able to catch a glimpse of a golden eagle, herds of wild deer and even the occasional fox. Descending to Haweswater simply, if a bit steep at times, brings you to the shoreline path along the western side of Haweswater reservoir and the hamlet of Mardale, hidden deep under water at the southern end of Haweswater. The path then follows the lake to Haweswater Dam above the hamlet of Burnbanks. The trail then follows paths to the almost hidden ruin of Shap Abbey. A walk along the road and field paths then lead you to your over night stop of Shap and a chance for a much shower and refreshment.
Stage 5
Shap to Kirkby Stephen - 20 miles / 32 km
Today is another long day of walking but nowhere near as hilly as the previous days through Lakeland.You are now in limestone country and the views are of limestone pavements and crags, moorland and pasture. There is refreshments available slightly off the route at Orton, Most Coast to Coasters do this section in one day but if you do then omit the diversion to Orton. After leaving Shap you cross the busy m6 by way of a footbridge and head towards the walled village of Oddendale and its concentric stone circles before passing a variety of, limekilns in various states of repair. Crossing over Crosby Ravensworth Fell and Great Asby Scar with magnificent views of the Howgills and limestone pavements. You then pass though fields and onto Tarn Moor to Sunbiggin Tarn and its resident waterfowl. There then follows two or three miles of road walking before a turn in the eastern direction takes you to Bents Farm and Severals Village a prehistoric site which to the untrained eye looks nothing like a prehistoric site! A short while after Severals lies another strange prehistoric monument called the Giants Graves, a series of narrow mounds of which not a lot is known. The route takes you into the delightful valley of Smardale and the impressive Smardale Viaduct. Then it's over Smardale Fell with views of the Nine Standards, and down into Kirkby Stephen.
Stage 6
Kirkby Stephen to Keld - 12.75 miles / 20.5 km
Today is the day you pass from Cumbria to Yorkshire and also the day that you cross the Pennines and its watershed whilst finishing the day halfway through your Coast to Coast trip. Today is also, probably, the boggiest section of the whole route and many a walker has been up to their waist in the gloop on while crossing the Pennines. You leave Kirkby Stephen via the delightfully named Franks Bridge and pass through Hartley before joining a metalled road as it contours above and round a working quarry and eventually onto a rough track where the Coast to Coast now splits depending on the time of the year. The reason for this is because of ground erosion and grouse shooting butts; the 'green' path doesn't go over the Nine Standards but is the safest to use in bad weather. The 'red' and 'blue' paths do both go over Nine Standards but then split before all three routes rejoin again near Ravenseat. The routes are clearly marked on a notice board where the route splits as well as on modern OS maps and the Harvey strip maps of the route. From Ravenseat the route drops down to Keld through farms and fields before a short stretch of road walking to enter Keld and your halfway point of the whole walk.
Stage 7
Keld to Reeth - 11.25 miles / 18 km
Wainwright's original route keeps you to the higher ground, passing through the remains of former lead mining operations such as those at Swinnergill or Gunnerside Gill. After crossing the bridge over East Gill Force the trail takes you to Crackpot Hall, an old ruin dating from the 18th century and with magnificent views down the valley. Turning north the path now passes through the remnants of lead mining with smelt mils, mineshafts and spoil heaps before heading to the top of Melbecks Moor on indistinct paths. Once on Melbecks Moor prepare yourself for a shock as you are almost walking in a lunar landscape with the soil stripped away by the old mining methods. Once over this weird landscape you drop down to the Old Gang Smelting Mill on good tracks before reaching Surrender Bridge and then into the strangely named Cringley Bottom and onto Reeth.
Low level alternative
There exists a good alternative route to Reeth by following the River Swale in the valley and linking the Swaledale villages of Muker, Ivelet, Gunnerside and Healaugh before arriving in Reeth. The route takes in the delightful meadows of Swaledale. It is recommended that in bad weather the low-level is route is taken unless you are very proficient with map and compass to navigate the high-level route. Indeed, many walkers much prefer this low-level option as it takes away the need for navigation allowing you to totally yourself immerse yourself in the surroundings.
Stage 8
Reeth to Richmond - 10.5 miles / 17 km
This is a very short stage today and a relatively easy stage through fields, woodland and villages. You leave Reeth via a metalled road which leads you past Marrick Priory, a ruined abbey, before climbing through the delightful woods on the so-called Nuns Steps, a flagged medieval causeway which climbs steeply up through Steps Wood connecting Marrick Priory to the pretty village of Marrick.The route then passes through farmland with numerous stiles and gates before a stretch of road walking brings you to Marske. More farmland is crossed, passing under Applegarth Scar and through farms before entering Whitecliffe Wood and a road walk into Richmond which AW is quite insistent should via Cravengate, Newbiggin and then Finkle Street!
Stage 9
Richmond to Ingleby Cross - 23 miles / 37 km
Today sees the longest stage of the Coast to Coast trail but the going is flat as you traverse no mans land between the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. The route mainly follows footpaths (can be muddy!) across fields following rivers and heading through woodland. There is nothing of the grandeur of previous stages but the hills of the North Yorkshire Moors keep beckoning you ever onwards. This is definitely a low-level walk through fields and and the longest stretch of road walking on the route (8 miles / 13km) reaching the lowest point of the Coast to Coast (110 feet / 33metres above sea level) at Danby Wiske. Some walkers on the Coast to Coast choose to break this long stage into two by over-nighting at Danby Wiske where, unlike in Wainwrights time, there is now a small selection of B&Bs and a pub. Many Coast to Coasters find this stage rather dull but I believe that it adds to the route rather than detracts - the Coast to Coast is of a sum greater than the total of its parts and the fact that you have walked through many varied landscapes and terrain simply makes the experience all the better.
Stage 10
Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top - 12.25 miles / 20 km
This is Wainwright's original stage 10 but nowadays hardy walkers choose to extend this section to Blakey Ridge to gain a better chance of accommodation than at Clay Bank Top. After the long walk from Richmond
the day before it is hardly surprising though that most will opt to finish at Clay Bank Top and await their lift from obliging accommodation providers from nearby Great Broughton and Urra. This the stage where the route enters the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and you are on the hills again following the Cleveland Way as well as the Lyke Wake Walk for some of the way - the added signs helps the navigation no-end!
The route starts by entering Arncliffe Wood, joining the Cleveland Way on its way to the top of Beacon Hill where the route also joins the Lyke Wake Walk. The path from here on is easy to follow as it makes its way, ascending and descending across a series of moors offering fine views. This is one of the stages of the route veteran walkers will say they remember well and for only good reasons. The final hill of the day, Hasty Bank, with its spectacular cluster of rocks and pinnacles named the Wainstones offers an excuse for exploration before you drop down to Clay Bank Top and your lift to your accommodation- hopefully!
Stage 11
Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale - 18.75 miles / 30 km
This stage starts with an ascent to Urra Moor when the gradient eases and the track is clearly seen on the ground. At Bloworth Crossing you part company with the Cleveland Way and follow the dismantled railway as your speed increases to match the very easy going you now have. As you round Blakey Gill you will spot The Lion Inn which you leave the railway for and follow the Lyke Wake Walk signs for. A couple of miles walking on a minor road then ensue before joining a metalled track with good views of Roseberry Topping to the north west. You cross over Glaisdale Moor above Great Fryup Dale to your left whilst descending gradually over Glaisdale Rigg to Glaisdale.
Stage 12
Glaisdale to Robin Hood's Bay - 19 miles / 30.5 km
Apart from finishing the walk many walkers consider this section to be one of, if not, the best stages packing in an awful lot of scenery. Some consider so good that many walkers opt to split the stage at Hawkser thus leaving a short trip to Robin Hoods Bay and more time to enjoy the days attractions. The scenery is more varied than on any other stage of the route with the deep wooded valleys of the Esk especially being a delight.
Leaving Glaisdale by a short section of road walking to the station where you roughly follow the River Esk through woodland and a permissive path through Egton Manor estate and emerging on a road Grosmont. A steepish climb to Sleights Moor follows and and short section of busy road walking before the delightful woodland path to Falling Foss has you spellbound. A section of moorland walking brings you to Hawsker and the coastal path around Ness Point and into Robin Hoods Bay and the finish of the Coast to Coast.
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