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General
Information
Duration
of tour: 8 days (7 nights)
Season:
27 March to mid October.
Starting
point: St Bees
End
of tour: Kirkby Stephen
Breakfast:
in the UK will generally consist of sausage, bacon, eggs etc, cereals, toast and fruit will also be available. It is important for you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason being that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in the main it is showers.
Single
Supplements:
are payable on most of our tours. The single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as double/twin rooms.
Luggage: .
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to your room.
Getting to the Start
Convenient
Major city and international airport: Manchester Airport 4-5 hours
by rail via Carlisle.
Outward
journey from London: Train from London Euston to Carlisle. Then
local train from Carlisle to St Bees (1 hour 15 mins). Then short walk
from station to hotel.
Inward
journey to London at end of tour: Bus/taxi from Robin Hood’s Bay
to Scarborough. Then train from Scarborough to London. National Rail
website is www.nationalrail.co.uk
if you want to look at the journey involved.
Grading
Moderate to
Challenging. Some long days and steep climbs and descents. Generally
however undulating. Mixed weather can be expected. We would not
recommend the route for first time walkers. Note that often the trails
in the Lake District especially are steep and rocky at times.
Waymarking
Despite its
justifiable popularity, this is not a National Trail. Waymarking is
variable or erratic and you will have to use map interpretation for much
of the time, especially at times of low visibility, so you should be
accustomed to using map and compass.
Your Accommodation
Note
that the sheer popularity of this tour may mean that we cannot get you
into the accommodations described below for the dates of your tour. We
will endeavour to get you into a similar standard of accommodation
nearby, but please appreciate that there is limited accommodations.
Also, although we aim to get you into accommodations with ensuite rooms
this is not always possible at a couple of places on your tour you may
be sharing bathrooms.
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Night 1: A 17th century sandstone barn situated on the main street in the coastal village of St. Bees! The barn was initially converted in the 1980's into a large guesthouse and self-contained flats, being recently refurbished throughout. All rooms have a colour television and tea & coffee facilities.
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Night 2: Overnight at a friendly, family owned
hotel, of three crown standard. Enjoy a home cooked meal of local produce including fish and game in season. A traditional feel is retained by the hotel, with its open fire, and the fully licensed bar serves a range of beverages including locally produced ale.
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Night 3: Tonight we stay in a small and long established guesthouse. It is set in a beautiful small hamlet and has proved to be a popular peaceful retreat for Sherpa clients. Ensuite facilities are not available here as it is a listed building and the changes required to build bathrooms are not permitted.
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Night 4: Our small family run guesthouse is conveniently placed in the center of this delightful village. Grasmere is one of Lakeland’s most celebrated villages, and there is time either this afternoon or tomorrow morning to look around and visit the poet Wordsworth's home at Dove Cottage.
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Night 5: Tonight’s accommodation has been popular with visitors and local people alike since the early 1800’s. Many a tale could be told of events that have taken place in all its lifetime, including the time when Wordsworth was in our very bar as news arrived that Nelson had died at Trafalgar. This is a listed building so the rooms are small, to change this would spoil the character of this wonderful coaching inn.
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Night 6: The proprietors will welcome you to their guesthouse in the village of Shap. The village offers an interesting insight to the history of the area, and the old Shap Abbey is nearby.
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Night 7: This accommodation has many unusual features, and is of an exceptionally high standard. It is a Grade II listed Georgian town house full of character, with a friendly relaxed atmosphere.
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The
Coast to Coast has been named among the world's best walks ahead of
world-famous hikes to the Inca Trail, Everest and Mont Blanc. It
came second in a search to find the 50 best walks in the world, it was
only behind the Milford Track, in New Zealand, according to
Country Walking magazine. Richard Baker, deputy editor of Country
Walking magazine, said a list of up to 60 walks was sent out to guide
book writers and other experts who came up with their top 50. He told
BBC News that he was not surprised at the popularity of the
Coast-to-Coast: "It has mountains, valleys, moors and lakes. There
is a great camaraderie on the walk. It also appeals to all people. It is
not an easy walk and you have to be fairly fit." Bill Scott, from
Vancouver, Canada, has completed the walk twice with his wife, and plans
to do it next year. He said: "I am surprised it is not first out of
the 50. What I know of walks throughout the world, the Coast-to-Coast is
second to none. "It has many different facets and is a cultural
experience as well as a physical and mental challenge. "The
cultural experience is typically British and specifically English. The humour,
the personalities and characters of the people you meet - they
have a style about them and an environment they generate themselves
which cannot be emulated anywhere in the world. But it is not a walk in
the park."
Outline
Itinerary
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Day 1 St Bees: Travel to starting point on the edge of the Irish Sea with views across to the Isle of Man.
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Day 2 St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge: Footpath along red sandstone coastal cliffs of St Bees Head and then inland over hilly ground to the edge of the Lake District National Park (14 miles 6 hours. The day’s total ascent 780 metres / descent 665m).
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Day 3 Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale: A quiet and scenic footpath along the shore of Ennerdale Water to Black Sail and over the hills to Borrowdale, (14 miles 8 hours. The day’s total ascent 765m / descent 785m).
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Day 4 Borrowdale to Grasmere: Classic Lakeland scenery over Greenup Edge to Easedale and Grasmere (10 miles 6 hours. The day’s total ascent 750m / descent 760 via Helm Crag).
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Day 5 Grasmere to Patterdale: Over Grisedale Pass (2000 ft) and around the small mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn to Patterdale (7miles 5½ hours. The day’s total ascent: 900m / descent 805m via the recommended route over St. Sunday Crag). Add 2 miles and 2 hours if include detour via Summit of Helvellyn. Add 1.5 hours for detour via St. Sunday Crag.
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Day 6 Patterdale to Shap: Past Angle Tarn, over Kidsty Pike (2560 feet, the highest point on the whole route) and along Hawes Water (home of England’s only nesting eagles, although we believe that the birds have flown) (17miles 9 hours. The day’s total ascent 1174m / descent 1009m).
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Day 7 Shap to Kirkby Stephen: Easier going over limestone plateau (18 miles 8 hours. The day’s total ascent 808m / descent 950 m) between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.
PLEASE NOTE: It is generally normal practice when staying in hotels that you check-in at or after 2pm and checkout by 10am the following morning. Guesthouses/bed & breakfast establishments are normally check-in at or after 4pm and checkout by 10am.
Included
Bed &
breakfast throughout. Ensuite facilities where available. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn. Full route notes and map package.
Extending Your Tour
It is possible to shorten a long walking day by adding in an extra night enroute. If this is something you are interested in doing then please correspond with a member of staff and they will be happy to advise you.
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