Tag Archives: Coast to Coast

Coast to Coast – Littlebeck to Robin Hood’s Bay

Backpacking, Coast to Coast, England, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, , ,

July 8 – Well, today is the day! The last day of our Coast to Coast Walk across England. We took our trusty taxi back to Littlebeck, and started walking right where we left off yesterday. It was cool walking through the shady woods in the early morning.

We passed a cave where they used to mine alum, used in the past for tanning hides and dying cloth and wool.

Then we passed a hermitage. Another hiker snapped our pic.

A waterfall at Littlebeck, and a fairy on a tree.

We had to hop across the pond at Maybeck.

A bit of road and path walking. The track is getting boggier – we must be nearing the sea.

Our first sign for Robin Hood’s Bay. Wouldn’t you like to visit Sneaton Thorpe? I just love the names of some of these little towns.

A bit of crashing through the brush and rocky stream bed.

Then…. the sea!

Although we could have gotten to town in three miles by road, our path was double that, as we hugged the cliffs and crags of the coast.

And then, there was Robin Hood’s Bay! Cue the Merry Men!

A touristy town on a Sunday afternoon. Lots of inns, pubs and gardens.

Our place was right on the water. The view from our window.

We walked down to the water’s edge, so we could put our boots in the North Sea. It was dead low tide, so that’s about as wet as you could get!

So, our 192 mile trek is done. Unlike Santiago, most of the tourists were not here for the walk, and unaware that there even WAS a Coast to Coast Walk. We couldn’t even find a commemorative plate to celebrate our success. So we settled for a photo and a picture of a commemorative tea towel.

Off to the next adventure!

Coast to Coast – St. Bees to Cleator

Backpacking, Coast to Coast, England, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, , , , ,

June 20 – We arrived to breakfast at 7:30, thinking we’d be the first ones up, to find the dining room packed with hikers eager to get an early start on their first day of the Coast to Coast Walk (C2C) 192 miles from the Irish Sea eastward to the North Sea.

Our first view of the Irish Sea.

Here is the map posted at the start of the walk.

The morning is cold and windy and overcast. It may be raining, or we may just be getting hit with sea spray carried by the wind, but it is definitely wet. Our first task is to climb up the cliffs overlooking the Irish Sea. It is a hard, steep climb. The wind is so strong I have to occasionally stop and crouch down, for fear of being blown out to sea!

Please note that the fence is erected for the protection of the sheep. The walkers are outside the protection. This ain’t Disneyland!

Our next objective is to reach the lighthouse at St. Bees Head. Can you see it in the distance?

I thought once we were up on the cliffs that the walk would become easier, but the first cliff ended, we had to walk all the way down, then up the next one.

This is as close as we got to the lighthouse.

After a while the sky began to clear and we could see the sun peeping out!

We walked through a red sandstone quarry. Don’t these stones look like a sofa?

We left the cliffs and walked inland into town of Sandwith (pronounced Sannuch). This was at the first house we came to!

We continue to be impressed with everyone’s courtesy toward dogs. In every town, water dishes are set out. Dogs are welcome on trains and in pubs.

Now that the sun is out and ground is mostly level, it’s a lovely walking day. Temps in the 50s. Pretty scenery.

Interesting sculptures.

Hey! Who are those good looking folks?

Ten miles down, 182 to go!

Windermere to St. Bees

Backpacking, Coast to Coast, England, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, , , , ,

June 19 – Yesterday, we walked to the train station to purchase our tickets for the two hour ride to St. Bees, where our next hike will begin. We’ve been hearing about the transportation issues here, and now we are going to experience them firsthand. The railroad workers are on strike. No trains today.

The ticket seller asked if we were aware that there would be no trains on Tuesday. We said we were, and we understood that there would be buses provided instead. Trying to dissuade us, he said it would take four changes of bus and four hours to get us to St. Bees. I asked if he had any other suggestions. “I suggest you don’t go,” was his reply. But he sold us the tickets. Here’s some wall art at the station.

When we got to the station this morning to catch our first bus, we were told by a passenger that there was a train running for the first leg of our journey, so we hopped on for a 30 minute ride.

Ditto the second leg, which took us to Carlisle up north near the Scottish border.

Here’s Carlisle Castle:

The third leg was a two hour bus ride back south to Whitehaven, and the fourth was supposed to be a twenty minute bus ride to our final destination.

But… yes, you guessed it: 22 people got off the Whitehaven bus, and only 14 could be accommodated on the local bus. Aaarrrgghhh! The ticket lady at the station separated us by destination, and said she would call taxis for the eight of us going to St. Bees. What she didn’t tell us was that the railroad would not be paying for these taxis.

Well, now we are at St. Bees, named for Saint Bega, a probably mythical Irish princess who washed up here in a little boat rather than marry the Viking her dad picked out for her.

Here is a statue of her seeing the Virgin.

St. Bees Priory housed monks for many years, and is still an active parish. I liked that some of the stained glass windows portrayed Old Testament scenes. Here is Abraham and Isaac:

Joseph and his brothers:

The church also contains a portrait of Alfred Wainwright, who first documented the Coast to Coast Walk from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. His book from 1973 is still the guide to use.

We are staying in a really posh B&B suite that used to be a milking barn. Here is the picture of the barn hanging in our room:

I really like how old buildings are upgraded and repurposed here, rather than being torn down the way they would be in the US.

Tomorrow we start the Coast to Coast Walk!