ACCOMMODATION
The route guide (Part 4) lists a fairly comprehensive selection of places to stay along the full length of the trail. You have three main options: camping, staying in hostels/bunkhouses, or using B&Bs/hotels. Few people stick to just one of these options the whole way, preferring, for example, to camp most of the time but spend every third night in a hostel, or perhaps take a hostel where possible but splash out on a B&B every once in a while.
The table on pp28-9 provides a quick snapshot of what type of accommodation is available in each of the towns and villages along the way, while the tables on pp32-3 provide some suggested itineraries. The following is a brief introduction as to what to expect from each type of accommodation.
Camping
It’s possible to camp all along the Coast to Coast path, though few people do so every night. You’re almost bound to get at least one night where the rain falls relentlessly, soaking equipment and sapping morale; it is then that most campers opt to spend the next night drying out in a hostel or B&B somewhere. There are, however, many advantages with camping. It’s more economical, for a start, with most campsites charging somewhere between £2 and £7; one or two charge nothing at all. There’s rarely any need to book, except possibly in the very high season, and even then you’d be highly unlucky not to find somewhere. There’s also the freedom that carrying your accommodation with you brings, allowing you to stop for the night pretty much where and when you like.
The campsites vary: some are just the back gardens of B&Bs or pubs; others are full-blown caravan sites with a few spaces put aside for tents. Showers are usually available, occasionally for a fee though more often than not for free. Note that the youth hostels on the Coast to Coast path no longer accept campers. Note, too, that some of the bigger towns such as Richmond and Grasmere do not have recognized campsites, with the nearest being around three miles away.
Wild camping (ie camping not in a regular campsite; see p49) is also possible along the route but please do not make camp in a field without first gaining permission from the landowner. Some recommended wild campsites include Grisedale Tarn (between Grasmere and Patterdale), Innominate Tarn (by Hay Stacks on the high route between Ennerdale Bridge and Borrowdale), Angle Tarn (between Patterdale and Shap) and Sunbiggin Tarn (on the way to Kirkby Stephen).
Remember that camping is not an easy option; the route is wearying enough without carrying your accommodation around with you. Should you decide to camp, therefore, we advise you to consider employing one of the baggage-carrying companies mentioned on pp20-1 (though this does, of course, mean that it will cost more and that you lose a certain amount of freedom, as you’ll have to agree at least a day before with the company your destination for the night – and stick to it – so that you and your bag can be reunited every evening.)
Bunkhouses/camping barns
The term ‘bunkhouse’ or ‘camping barn’ can mean many different things. In most cases it’s nothing more than a draughty old barn in a farmer’s field with a couple of wooden benches to sleep on; sleeping bags are thus necessary.
While not exactly the lap of luxury, a night in a bunkhouse/camping barn is probably the nearest non-campers will get to sleeping outside, while at the same time providing campers with a shelter from the elements should the weather look like taking a turn for the worse.
Most of the better bunkhouses/camping barns, especially those maintained by the YHA, provide a shower and simple kitchen with running water and perhaps a kettle, though little in the way of pots, pans, cutlery or crockery.
Hostels
Youth hostels are plentiful along the Coast to Coast path and if you haven’t visited one recently – and thus the words ‘youth’ and ‘hostel’ still conjure up images of cold, crowded dorms, uncomfortable beds, lousy food and strict staff who take a sadistic pleasure in treating you like schoolchildren – we advise you to take a second look. The YHA (Youth Hostel Association) has in fact got some of the most interesting accommodation on the path, from two pretty country houses at Grasmere to a former shepherd’s bothy at Black Sail (the most isolated accommodation on the route), some former workers’ cottages at Osmotherley and an old corn mill at Robin Hood’s Bay.
Each hostel comes equipped with a whole range of facilities, from drying rooms to washing machines, televisions to pool tables and fully equipped kitchens for guests to use. Many also have a shop selling a selection of groceries, snacks and souvenirs and some are even connected to the internet (though for some peculiar reason, the YHA always charges a fortune to use the internet at their hostels). All offer breakfast and/or dinner, some offer a packed lunch, and a couple even have a licence to sell alcohol. They are also good places to meet fellow walkers, swap stories and compare blisters.
Weighed against these advantages is the fact that beds are still arranged in dormitories thereby increasing your chances of sharing your night with a heavy snorer; however, many now have rooms with two to four beds and some are en suite. The curfew (usually 11pm) is annoying, too. A couple of the hostels also suffer from a shortfall in adequate washing facilities, with only one or two showers to be shared between 15 to 20 people. Nor is it possible to stay in hostels every night on the trail, for there are some areas where hostels don’t exist and when they do they are occasionally at least a mile or two off the path.
If you are travelling in April/May or September, at the beginning or end of the walking season, you may find many shut for two or three days per week, or that they have been taken over by school groups and walkers are shut out. Even in high season most are not staffed during the day and walkers have to wait until 5pm before checking in. Furthermore, it is rumoured that most youth hostels will save your booked bed only until 6pm – though to be fair, I never came across this rule on the route and if it does exist it doesn’t seem to be rigidly enforced. And finally, the cost of staying in a hostel, once breakfast has been added on, is in most instances not that much cheaper (around £12-17 for members) than staying in a B&B, especially if you are walking with someone.
Booking a hostel Despite the name, anybody of any age can join the YHA. This can be done at any hostel, or by contacting the Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales (01629-592700, www.yha.org.uk). The cost of a year’s membership is £16 for an adult, less for anyone under 18.
Having secured your membership, youth hostels are easy to book, either online or by phone through the contact details above. If you are booking only a few days in advance it may be better to ring each hostel direct; if you haven’t actually booked in advance hostel staff will reserve a bed at the next stop on the path for you. Since non members have to pay £3 more per night it is worth joining if you expect to stay in a hostel for more than six nights in a year.
Bed and breakfast
Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) are a great British institution and many of those along the Coast to Coast are absolutely charming, with buildings often three or four hundred years old. There’s nothing mysterious about a B&B; as the name suggests, they provide you with a bed in a private room, and breakfast – a hearty, British-style cooked one (see opposite) unless you specify otherwise beforehand – though they range in style enormously. Most B&Bs have both en suite rooms and rooms with shared facilities, though even with the latter the bathroom is never more than a few feet away. These rooms usually contain either a double bed (known as a double room), or two single beds (known as a twin room). Family rooms are for three or more people. Solo trekkers should take note: single rooms are not so easy to find so you’ll often end up occupying a double room, for which you’ll have to pay a single supplement (see below).
Since July 2007 there has been a ban on smoking in all enclosed places open to the public in England. While places to stay are able to designate rooms for smokers, do check this if it’s important to you; see also box p19.
Some B&Bs provide an evening meal (see p18); if not, there’s nearly always a pub or restaurant nearby or, if it’s far, the owner will usually give you a lift to and from the nearest place with food. Always let the owner know if you have to cancel your booking so they can offer the bed to someone else.
B&B rates B&Bs in this guide start at around £20 per person for the most basic accommodation to over £40 for the most luxurious en suite places in a popular tourist haunt like Grasmere. Most charge around £25-30 per person. A typical single supplement is between £5 and £10. An evening meal (usually around £12-15) is often provided, but you may need to book in advance.
Guesthouses, hotels, pubs and inns
The difference between a B&B and a guesthouse is minimal, though some of the better guesthouses are more like hotels, offering evening meals and a lounge for guests. Pubs and inns also offer bed and breakfast accommodation, and tariffs are no more than in a regular B&B. Hotels do usually cost more, however, and some might be a little incensed with a bunch of smelly trekkers turning up and treading mud into their carpet. Most on the Coast to Coast walk, however, are used to seeing trekkers and welcome them warmly. Prices in hotels start at around £35 per person. When booking say if you want a room designated for smokers, see opposite.
Others
In addition to the accommodation types listed above there are also holiday cottages, stationary caravans and even one or two adventure centres along the route, though these tend to cater more to people staying for at least a few days rather than just one night.
FOOD AND DRINK
Breakfast
Stay in a B&B/guesthouse/hotel and you’ll be filled to the gills with a cooked English breakfast. This usually consists of a bowl of cereal followed by a plateful of eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, and possibly baked beans or black pudding, with toast and butter, and all washed down with coffee, tea and/or juice. Enormously satisfying the first time you try it, by the fourth or fifth morning you may start to prefer the lighter continental breakfast which most establishments now offer.
Alternatively, and especially if you are planning an early start, you might like to request a packed lunch instead of this filling breakfast and just have a cup of coffee before you leave.
The youth hostels mentioned in this guide offer breakfast; usually it is a good meal but they charge an additional £4-5.
Lunch
Your B&B host or youth hostel can usually provide a packed lunch at an additional cost, though of course there’s nothing to stop you preparing your own (but do bring a penknife if you plan to do this). There are some fantastic locally made cheeses and pickles that can be picked up along the way, as well as some wonderful bakers still making bread in the traditional way (the bakery at Reeth springs to mind here; see p166). Alternatively, stop in a pub (see ‘Evening meals’ overleaf).
Remember, too, to plan ahead: certain stretches of the walk are devoid of eating places (the stretch from Patterdale to Shap for example) so read ahead about the next day’s walk in Part 4 to make sure you never go hungry.
Cream teas
Never miss a chance to avail yourself of the treats on offer in the tearooms of Cumbria and Yorkshire. Nothing relaxes and revives like a decent pot of tea, and the opportunity to accompany it with a jam and cream scone (a combination known as a cream tea) or a cake or two is one that should not be passed up.
Evening meals
If you don’t book a meal at your B&B you may find that in many of the villages, the pub is the only place to eat out. Pubs are as much a feature of the walk as moorland and sheep, and in some cases the pub is as much of a tourist attraction as any stone circle or ruined abbey. Most of them have become highly attuned to the desires of walkers and offer both lunch and evening meals (with often a few regional dishes and usually a couple of vegetarian options), some locally brewed beers, a garden to relax in on hot days and a roaring fire to huddle around on cold ones. The standard of the food varies widely, though portions are usually large, which is often just about all walkers care about at the end of a long day.
That other great British culinary institution, the fish ‘n’ chip shop, can also be found along the route. Larger towns also have Chinese and Indian takeaways; these are usually the last places to serve food in the evenings, staying open until at least 11pm.
Self-catering
There is a grocery shop of some description in most of the places along the route, though most of these are small (and often combined with the post office) and whether you’ll be able to find precisely what you went in for is doubtful. If self-catering, therefore, your menus will depend on what you can find. The path is quite trekker-friendly, however, in that a couple of these small stores sell Camping Gaz (which you can also pick up in the bigger towns such as Grasmere, Kirkby Stephen and Richmond). Part 4 goes into greater detail about what can be found where.
Drinking water
There are plenty of ways of perishing on the Coast to Coast trail but given how frequently it rains and how damp the north of England is, thirst probably won’t be one of them. Be careful, though, for on a hot day in some of the remoter parts of the Lake District after a steep climb or two you’ll quickly dehydrate, which is at best highly unpleasant and at worst mightily dangerous. Always carry some water with you and aim in hot weather to drink three or four litres per day. Don’t be tempted by the water in the multitude of streams that you come across. If the cow or sheep faeces in the water don’t make you ill, the chemicals from the pesticides and fertilizers used on the farms almost certainly will. Using iodine or another purifying treatment will help to combat the former though there’s little you can do about the latter. It’s a lot safer to fill up from taps instead.
MONEY
Banks are few and far between on the Coast to Coast path. There’s a NatWest at Shap, a Barclays and an HSBC at Kirkby Stephen, and Richmond has branches of all the major banks, but apart from these places there’s nothing. The post office thus provides a very useful service. You can get cash (by debit card with a PIN number, or by cheque with a debit card) for free at a post office counter if you bank with certain banks/building societies (see www.postoffice.co.uk for a full list). A number of post offices also play host to the village cashpoint/ATM (usually a Link machine). These machines are useful for people who cannot get cash from the counter but a number of these are privately operated and charge £1.25-1.75 whatever amount is withdrawn. Another way of getting money in your hand is to use the cashback system: find a store that will accept a debit card and ask them to advance cash against the card. A number of the local village stores, such as those in Reeth and Robin Hood’s Bay, will do this, though you’ll usually have to spend a minimum of £5 with them first.
With few local stores, pubs or B&Bs accepting credit or debit cards, and few places where you can get money out along the way, it is essential to carry plenty of cash (I usually reckon on £100 per person) with you, though keep it safe and out of sight (preferably in a moneybelt). A chequebook could prove very useful as a back-up, so that you don’t have to keep on dipping into your cash reserves. Travellers’ cheques can be cashed only at banks, foreign exchanges and some of the large hotels.
Budgeting
England is not a cheap place to go travelling, and while the north may be one of the cheaper parts of it, the towns and villages on the Coast to Coast route are more than used to seeing tourists and charge accordingly. You may think before you set out that you are going to try to keep your budget to a minimum by camping every night and cooking your own food, but it’s a rare trekker who sticks to this rule. Besides, the B&Bs and pubs on the route are amongst the Coast to Coast’s major attractions, and it would be a pity not to sample the hospitality in at least some of them.
If the only expenses of this walk were accommodation and food, budgeting for the trip would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, in addition to these there are all the little extras that push up the cost of your trip: for example beer, cream teas, stamps and postcards, internet use, buses here and there, baggage carriers, phone calls, laundry, film, souvenirs, entrance fees. It’s surprising how much these add up!
OTHER SERVICES
Internet access is available at Grasmere Youth Hostel, Patterdale YH, Kirkby Stephen library and Richmond library. In addition, The White Swan at Danby Wiske also offers an internet service (and by the time your read this the Blue Bell Inn will probably have replaced their computer that got nicked). Most small villages have a post office that doubles as the local store, and nearby you’ll usually find a phone box.
There are outdoor equipment shops and pharmacies in the larger towns of Grasmere, Kirkby Stephen and Richmond and tourist information centres at Kirkby Stephen, Ullswater (near Patterdale), Reeth and Richmond.
TAKING DOGS ALONG THE COAST TO COAST PATH
The Coast to Coast is a dog-friendly path, though it is extremely important that dog owners behave in a responsible way. Dogs should always be kept on leads while on the footpath to avoid disturbing wildlife, livestock and other walkers. Dog excrement should be cleaned up and not left to decorate the boots of others; take a pooper scooper or plastic bag if you are walking with a dog.
It is particularly important to keep your dog on a lead when crossing fields with livestock in them, especially around lambing time (see box p51) which can be as early as February or as late as the end of May. Most farmers would prefer it if you did not bring your dog at all at this time.
In addition, in certain areas on the Coast to Coast trail (particularly between Shap and Kirkby Stephen) there are notices ordering owners to keep their dogs on a lead to protect endangered ground-nesting birds, particularly between March and June; dogs can frighten them off and possibly cause them to desert their nests.
Remember when planning and booking your accommodation that you will need to check if your dog will be welcome. Youth hostels do not permit them unless they are for assistance and some inns and hotels charge extra for a dog. Note, too, that your dog needs to be extremely fit to complete the Coast to Coast path. You may not believe it when you watch your mutt haring around the fields, but they do have a finite amount of energy too, so make sure your dog is up to the task of walking for ten or twenty miles a day.
CAMPING
You can survive on as little as £10-12 per person if you use the cheapest campsites, don’t visit a pub, avoid all the museums and tourist attractions in the towns, cook all your own food from staple ingredients ... and generally have a pretty miserable time of it. Even then, unforeseen expenses will probably nudge your daily budget up. Include the occasional pint, and perhaps a pub meal every now and then, and the figure will be nearer £15 per day.
HOSTELS, BUNKHOUSES AND CAMPING BARNS
The current charge for staying in a YHA hostel is £12-17 per night for members. Whack on another £4-5 for breakfast and an evening meal (£7-10), though you can use their self-catering facilities for both. There is also lunch (£4-5) to consider, which means that, overall, it will cost £25-35 per day, or £40-45 to live in a little more comfort, enjoy the odd cream tea and beer and go out for the occasional meal.
There are a few bunkhouses and camping barns along the Coast to Coast. They vary in quality and price (expect to pay around £6).
B&BS, GUESTHOUSES AND HOTELS
B&B prices start at around £20 per person per night but can be twice this. Add on the cost of food for lunch and dinner and you should reckon on about £40 minimum per day. Staying in a guesthouse or hotel will cost more. Remember that there is often a supplement of £5-10 for single occupancy of a room.
WHEN TO GO
Seasons
Britain is a notoriously wet country and the north of England is an infamously damp part of it. Rare indeed are the trekkers who have managed to walk the Coast to Coast path without suffering at least one downpour on the way; three or four per trek are more likely, even in summer. That said, it’s equally unlikely that you’ll spend a fortnight in the area and not see any sun at all, and even the most cynical of walkers will have to admit that, during the walking season at least, there are more sunny days than showery ones. That walking season, by the way, starts at Easter and builds to a crescendo in August, before steadily tailing off in September. By the end of September few indeed are the trekkers on the trail, and in October many places close down for the winter.
Spring
Find a couple of dry weeks in springtime and you’re in for a treat. The wild flowers are beginning to come into bloom, lambs are skipping in the meadows, the grass is green and lush and the path is not yet badly eroded. Of course, finding a dry fortnight in spring (around the end of March to mid-June) is not easy but occasionally there’s a mini-heatwave during this season. Another advantage with walking at this time is that there will be few trekkers and finding accommodation is relatively easy. Easter is the exception, the first major holiday in the year when people flock to the Lake District and other national parks.
Summer
Summer, on the other hand, can be a bit too busy and, in somewhere popular like the Lakes over a weekend in August, little short of insufferable. Still, the chances of a prolonged period of sunshine are of course higher at this time of year than any other, the days are much longer and the heather is in bloom at this time, too, turning the hills a fragrant purple. If you crave the company of other trekkers summer will provide you with the opportunity of meeting hundreds of them, though do remember that you must book your accommodation well in advance. Despite the higher than average chance of sunshine, take clothes for any eventuality – it will still rain at some point.
Autumn
September is a wonderful time to walk, when many of the tourists have returned home and the path is clear. I think that the weather is usually reliably sunny, too, at least at the beginning of September, though I admit I don’t have any figures to back this claim. The B&Bs and hostels will still be open, at least until the end of the month. By then the weather will begin to get a little wilder and the nights will start to draw in. The walking season is almost at an end.
Winter
A few people trek the Coast to Coast in winter, putting up with the cold temperatures, damp conditions and short days for the chance to experience the trail without other tourists. Much of the accommodation will be closed too. But whilst it may also be a little more dangerous to walk at this time, particularly if taking one of the high-level routes through the Lakes, if you find yourself walking on one of those clear, crisp, wintry days it will all seem worth it.
RAINFALL
At some point on your walk, it will rain; if it doesn’t, it’s fair to say that you haven’t really lived the full Coast to Coast experience properly.
The question, therefore, is not whether you will be rained on, but how often. But as long as you dress accordingly and take note of the safety advice given on pp52-4, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Do, however, think twice about tackling some of the high-level alternatives if the weather is very inclement, and don’t do so on your own.
DAYLIGHT HOURS
If walking in autumn, winter or early spring, you must take account of how far you can walk in the available light. It won’t be possible to cover as many miles as you would in summer. Remember, too, that you will get a further 30-45 minutes of usable light before and after sunrise and sunset depending on the weather. In June, because the path is in the far north of England, those coming from the south may be surprised that there’s enough available light for walking until at least 10pm. Conversely, in late spring, late autumn and winter you will be equally amazed how quickly the nights draw in.
ANNUAL EVENTS
Thanks largely to its popularity with tourists, Grasmere has over the past few years become something of a mecca for those interested in those peculiarly Lakeland sports such as fell running, and Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling.
The annual Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, the origins of which date back around 300 years, takes place at the end of August. Other sports featured include tug-of-war, hound-trailing and the more recent addition of mountain-biking. If you are in the Lakes at this time, don’t miss the opportunity of witnessing this unique event.
As you’d probably expect, Grasmere also hosts an annual Art and Book Festival at one of Wordsworth’s old houses, Dove Cottage (or at a hotel very nearby). The festival usually takes place in January, is residential and consists of lectures, surgeries and workshops. For further information about these and other events see www.lakelandgateway.info and click on Events.
The villages of Swaledale, which include Keld, Muker, Thwaite, Gunnerside and Reeth, hold an annual music festival; the Swaledale Festival (www.swaledale-festival.org.uk) usually takes place at the end of May to early June.
The festival has an annual theme (eg stringed instruments), and in addition to the music there are all kinds of other activities from art exhibitions and guided walking trails to craft workshops; information can be found and tickets bought on the dedicated website www.swaledale-festival.org.uk.
Richmond Live is a pop music festival usually held over one weekend in July or August; for details visit the website www.richmondlive.org.
Robin Hood’s Bay hosts a folk music weekend, usually on the first or second weekend of June. For something a bit different, if you happen to be in the village in winter don’t miss the Victorian weekend at the beginning of December, where the town turns out in 19th-century costume. It’s all good fun, with quizzes, recitals, concerts and demonstrations, and it’s all in aid of charity too. Further information about these is available on www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk – click on What’s on.
In addition to the events outlined above, all kinds of agricultural shows take place annually in towns and villages on the Coast to Coast trail. These shows are an integral and traditional part of life all over rural England and particularly in the Lake District. Too numerous to list here, details of all the shows can be found by looking at the websites of the places concerned, of which you’ll find a number in the box on p38.
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