There are currently no dates scheduled for this trip.
We offer private and bespoke group options for all our trips. This trip can start on any date of your choosing, with a minimum of 6 people. To explore this option please don’t hesitate to contact us with your preferred dates, accommodation, and group size.
You can also let us know if you would like to see this trek added to our calendar or would simply like to register your interest. We will accommodate requests from our walkers wherever possible.
Overview
This is a 6 day walk along some of the finest countryside England has to offer. After dipping our boats into the Irish Sea by St Bees, we will journey along the first 6 days (82 Miles) of Wainwright’s world famous Coast to Coast route.
Travelling through the heart of the Lake District, you will be inspired by stunning views of rugged mountains and tranquil tarns, and spend your evenings in picture-postcard villages.
Highlights of the Coast to Coast West
- Following in Alfred Wainwright’s footsteps on this famous long-distance trail.
- Walking the length of Ennerdale Water.
- Lakeland views from high points such as Kidsty Pike.
- Descending into Patterdale from Grisedale Tarn.
- Visiting the charming villages scattered along the route.
Itinerary
Each day, you will be guided along the Coast to Coast trail by your qualified and friendly walking guide, and all the logistics of your trek will be managed by your trek manager, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience.
We will be with you from the moment you set off in the morning to the moment you arrive at your accommodation in the evening. You will only need to carry your day bag, with essentials to keep you warm, dry, fed, and hydrated for the day. Your main luggage will be transported to your next accommodation for you.
Everything will be taken care of so that you can just enjoy the walking!
Today is the day we will all make our way to St Bees to begin our Coast to Coast adventure. In the evening you will get a chance to meet the rest of your group, as well as your guides, for a welcome evening and briefing. This will be in a local pub/restaurant where you will have the option of an evening meal.
Accommodation in St Bees.
Today is the beginning of your journey along the Coast to Coast and the beach at St Bees makes for a fine starting point. Keeping with tradition we will begin at the sea front with everyone dipping their boots into the Irish Sea, before heading (counter-intuitively) north-east on the coastal path. This gains spectacular views back over St Bees.
We will follow the coastal path and then head inland where the scenery will change. We will soon be crossing fields before walking through the village of Cleator. After lunch, we will be making our way up Dent Fell, which on a clear day gives excellent views over Whitehaven, St Bees, Sellafield, Scotland, Ireland and, of course, over to the Lake District.
Once we descend, a short section next to the road will bring us into Ennerdale Bridge.
Distance: 14 miles (22.5km)
Total ascent: 700m
Time: 7-7.5 hours
Accommodation in St Bees.
We head out of Ennerdale Bridge and soon arrive at Ennerdale Water, giving dramatic views over the lake as well as the forest and fells beyond. We will follow a rocky path all the way to the other end of the lake, where we will cross over the river into Ennerdale forest. The path will now become much wider and the walking easier, offering excellent views of Pillar.
We continue along the well-maintained path all the way to Black Sail Youth Hostel, which was described by Wainwright as “the loneliest and most romantic of youth hostels”. You will see why once you arrive. From here we ascend to a height of almost 650m, and if clear, we gain the best views of the day. Once over the top, we will descend to the Honister Slate mine, still in operation, before making our way through Seatoller and into Rosthwaite.
Distance: 14.5 miles (23km)
Total ascent: 700m
Time: 7-7.5 hours
Accommodation is in Keswick.
Today you will begin by following the Stonethwaite Beck out of Rosthwaite. Soon we will be ascending Greenup Edge. Whilst this is a tough ascent the scenery along the way will make the effort worthwhile. The views back down the valley and the cascading waterfalls next to the path make this a fantastic section of the route.
Once at the top of Greenup Edge, you will drop down into Easedale, a beautiful and wild area, soon reaching Grasmere itself.
Distance: 9 miles (14.5 km)
Total ascent: 500m
Time: 5-5.5 hours
Accommodation is in Keswick.
Today we start with a short section on the road before we can head up the flanks of Fairfield, alongside Tongue Gill, to Grisedale Hause. Here you will find Grisedale Tarn and your first views into Patterdale. We cross the stream running from the tarn itself on good stepping stones with equally good photo opportunities.
Then we head down the path to the upland pastures of Grisedale. Walking past fields of Herdwick sheep and woodland groves on a good farm track takes us to our destination for the day, the village of Glenridding.
Distance: 8.5 miles (14km)
Total ascent: 750m
Time: 5.5-6.5 hours
Accommodation is in Keswick/Penrith/Glenridding.
To start our day, we will walk a short way down the road from Glenridding until we leave by bridleway to Side Farm. From here we undertake our biggest climb of the day. You will be rewarded for your efforts by stunning views of the mountains and valleys of the Lake District.
After the climb, the character of the day changes as you follow a high-level footpath amongst mountain terrain to the stunning Angle Tarn. Photos taken, we carry on over The Knott (our high point) and along Kidsty Pike before dropping back down to the shores of Haweswater Reservoir. The stunning views continue as we travel the length of the reservoir on improving track to the hamlet of Burnbanks. We now leave the mountains behind and head through the pastures to the small town of Shap, passing the ruins of its historic abbey as we near the end of our day.
Distance: 15 miles (24 km)
Total ascent: 1125m
Time: 8.5-9.5 hours
Accommodation in Penrith/Shap.
Longer, but easier going than the previous day, our last day is 20 miles long. Walking out of Shap we cross the M6 via a footbridge and have contrasting views of Hardendale Quarry and the Lakeland fells we left behind the previous day. These soon fade into the distance as we traverse the rolling farmland around Orton, with views south to the Howgill Fells.
From the farmlands, we pass a disused railway and cross Scandal Beck before heading into the town of Kirkby Stephen to celebrate finishing the western section of the Coast to Coast.
Distance: 20 miles (31 km)
Total ascent: 670m
Time: 8-9 hours
Accommodation in Kirkby Stephen
Today is departure day. There is the option of our free transfer back to St Bees – ideal if you have a car parked there. If making your way home on public transport, you will find it more straightforward to make use of the train station in Kirkby Stephen for your onward travel.
From here it is time to say our goodbyes and make our way home or on to your next adventure.
What's Included?
The cost includes
- Accommodation for 7 nights (breakfast included)
- 6 days guided walking
- Qualified UK Mountain Leader as your guide
- Luggage transfers
- Support vehicle
- Full Information Pack
- Training advice
- Maximum group size of 8
- Free transfer back to St Bees if required
Not included in our packages
- Lunches, snacks and dinners
- Arrival and departure transport
Accommodation Options
Bed & Breakfast
The Bed and Breakfast option provides you with good standard Bed and Breakfast accommodation, with breakfast included within the price of the holiday.
The B&Bs we use are located within small towns or villages and so you will have access to local shops as well as a choice of pubs to make sure you have plenty of opportunity to have an evening meal.
In areas where there are no B&Bs or there are no facilities such as shops or pubs we will instead drive you out to another nearby village where a better overall experience can be achieved.
FAQs
This trek is graded 4/5 on our trekking scale.
A more challenging trek usually due to longer days, lots of hills and/or pathless sections over rough ground. Treks of this grade will include more remote days/stages.
Despite some low mileage days for treks of this grade, on the Coast to Coast West you will make a series of passes through the mountains of the Lake District. The daily hill climbs needed to do this make it slightly more strenuous than a grade 3/5 trek. With 2 big days to finish there is challenge right to the end.
To help you decide if this trip is right for you, please also refer to the itinerary, which includes daily distances, ascent, and detailed descriptions of the terrain.
You can read more about our grading system in our Trip Difficulty Guide.
Please note: all long-distance walking is challenging, particularly if you are not used to walking/exercising on consecutive days. What makes a trek challenging is personal and depends on your fitness, strengths, and preferences.
Put simply you can expect a route devised by someone who knew the are a better than anyone.
Oh, how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this; the scenes that delight the eyes, the blessed peace of mind, the sheer exuberance which fills your soul as you tread the firm turf? This is something to be lived, not read about. – Alfred Wainwright
Some of those wonderful views are gained through required effort and this is a hillier route than say the West Highland Way, which generally follows the glens (valleys). A series of hill passes are the theme of the western section of the Coast to Coast, linking Lakeland villages until we reach Shap.
You can expect to walk through a land that inspires poets and mountaineers, and a place with strong mining, farming and cultural heritage. You can expect a memorable trek on a route that is popular for good reason!
The Coast to Coast is no small undertaking, but by breaking the route in to two sections we provided the option of splitting your sea to sea journey. This makes it achievable for those who would find two weeks continuous walking too much.
That said, even in isolation there is still challenge in this route. It is hilly for a long-distance route, taking numerous high passes through the fells instead of following glens/valleys as with a lot of long-distance trails. Given the daily ascent it is slightly more strenuous than say the West Highland Way and you would want to have good hill fitness to get the most enjoyment out of this route.
There are a mix of short and long days. There are two shorter days in the middle, which to sets us up nicely for the final two days which are the most challenging.
If you are unsure if this is the right trek for your and you would like to discuss it further, please do get in touch for a chat.
We begin our trek in St Bees on the west coast of Cumbria. It is best to make your way to the start using public transport, as returning for your car at the end of the trek will add on half a day to your departure travel plans. St Bees is served by rail and local bus services from both the south and the north.
On our Coast to Coast treks we make use of accommodation in a combination of St Bees, Keswick, Patterdale/Glenridding, Penrith/Shap, and then finally in Kirby Stephen.
While we cannot guarantee this will be the same for all our customers as availability does dictate our choices. We will have 2 or even 3 night stays in some places and that way you do not need to repack pack each day. You will also have the opportunity to explore the local places along the route.
Some villages are small with limited facilities, such as St Bees or Shap, but these are mixed with larger towns/villages such as Keswick or Kirkby Stephen, which have a variety of places to eat and supermarkets. Your trek manager will be on hand to help ensure you always have an opportunity to purchase packed lunches and get an evening meal.
You will be provided with a full kit list, but as a guide the basics you will need are:
A small rucksack (around 25 litres), walking boots, waterproof trousers, waterproof jacket, hat, gloves, a spare warm layer and walking trousers (not jeans or denim), a water bottle, sun and midge protection.
With Thistle Trekking you get a personal service. We are happy to answer any questions and queries and help where we can with all aspects of your trip.
Your point of contact will be the same person from the first enquiry to the final communication before your Coast to Coast trek.
Our guides are all qualified, experienced, and fun companions on the trail.
What our walkers said about their Coast to Coast (West) trek
The whole set up from start to finish has been excellent. The initial email enquiring about the holiday to the guides, accommodation and the people I walked with were just BRILLIANT – thank you for a fantastic holiday.
Kate W
Always wanted to walk the coast to coast and having walked with Thistle on 2 occasions prior had no hesitations in booking again!
Gill B
Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Everything was very well organised, even the weather. Simon was a great guide – full of info and very helpful.
Annette H
