[at-l] Coast-to-Coast Trail

[hikers99 at yahoo.com (Marielle and Paul)]

More about the Coast to Coast

Fly into Manchester and take the train to St Bees. I believe you have to change twice. Trains are frequent in UK but St Bees is small and out of the way so I think there are only 2 trains per day there. We were 6 in our group so we arranged for a van from the airport to St Bees. Was convenient and much cheaper per person than the train.

The walk ends at Robin Hood Bay. There is regular bus service to nearby Southampton I believe from where you can take the train. When we were there,  there was a fire on the moors and the bus had a major detour, so we hired a cab (van) to take all of us to York from where we could get a direct train to Manchester. The cab was a flat rate and was not expensive per person. The driver took us the long way showing us all the local sights and giving us a history lesson. He even volunteered to take us to local castles and attractions.

The walk was wonderful. There are a few days in the lake district and also days on the Yorkshire Moors.  The views were spectacular. Everything was lush and green.  The people we met walking the route were fantastic, as were our hosts at the b & B's and pubs. Most of the places we stayed were in small towns, and we toook our meals at the local pub, meeting the friendly town people.  We really got a feeling for rural England and it is far different from their big cities and from rural  North America.

In order to to the trail you will need one of the detailed books. I highly recommend that you get the two ordinance maps that cover the 195 mile trip. Map and compass skills is a highly recommended asset, especially for the first few days, when you are in the Lake District. We had a GPS and it saved us a lot of grief once or twice, and we used it a few times a day to confirm our location

The two maps are large fold-outs, each  consisting of a large number of narrow strips showing the trail and surrounding terrain. These strips were taken from other Ordinance topo maps and contained elevation lines as well as the grid lines and numbers for the GPS.  (too bad that is not available for the AT)

The maps are in short supply at both ends of the trail and we couldnt find them anywhere else.  They are available online and from the baggage companies and tour operators.

When the trail gets out of the mountains, you will find yourself going through the countryside.  British law allows access through a lot of private land and the farmers are required to provide you with access through their fields, usually aver stiles but sometimes using gates. This was not the case in the Yorkshire moors where the farmers dont upkeep the stiles, or have barb wire over them or place a menacing bull in the field.  In that area, most companies recommend doing lots of road walk rather than trying to find the route across the fences and fields.  One hot day we had to do 25 miles, more than half of which was on the road.

I took a real liking for British Stout at the pubs. The desserts were great too. No matter which one you ordered, they asked if you wanted ice cream or cream or custard on it.  I want to go back and have some more Sticky Toffee Pudding, and also to stop in the afternoon at a tea room and order Cream Tea. Really decadent.

The person who did our booking asked if we wanted meals at our accomodations. We opted only for breakfast, and decided to have evening meals at the pub where we would have a choice from a menu.  It was a good decision.  Check to make sure there is a place you can go for evening meal at all your stops.  The accomodations will also prepare a lunch bag for you but we found it rather pricey and went instead.to the local shop in the morning to buy a few items for the day's hike. 


We are thinking of ging badck and doing another one of the English walks, but I am really tempted to do the Coast to Coast a second time. It was unforgettable.

PA (MA & PA 99)

**********************
www.hikers99.homestead.com