England Coast to Coast
Going the Distance: Hiking England's Coast to Coast Way
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From the first time I heard about the Coast to Coast, also known as the Wainwright Path after its creator Alfred Wainwright, it sounded irresistible. The route stretches from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hoods Bay on the coast of the North Sea passing through three national parks: Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. It’s hard to find just the right words to describe this amazing experience; any attempt to capture the journey and the special moments along the way would only scratch the surface. But I can say with confidence that it is certainly amongst the most interesting, challenging, and rewarding treks I have undertaken. Walking through the lush landscape felt like stepping into a mysterious fairytale land. Hiking the great outdoors certainly gets the body into shape, but it also nourishes, sustains, and recharges the heart, mind and soul. In addition to building physical and mental stamina, being close to nature for long periods of time allows plenty of time for thinking and reflection.
I am often asked – “what do you think about while hiking all day every day for hours on end?” Well, I haven’t tracked my thinking while hiking, but I would estimate that the majority of my thoughts are about my performance: Is it the best I can do? What’s my energy level? How do my legs feel? Can I push myself to run up the next steep hill, or should I hike up slowly and appreciate the views? I also spend time reflecting on the state of my heart exploring my feelings. Am I in a good place in my life, in my career, in my relationships? Am I living life as the best version of myself that I can be? It is a great time to mull over issues. And, of course, I try to be observant, to pay attention to my surrounding and to take note of the scenery, other hikers, and anything interesting along the way. I consciously remind myself to focus on the uniqueness of the experience and the moment to appreciate the present and the gift of wanderlust passion. If I am honest, I have to admit that I also spend a lot of time fantasizing about what I’d eat after the hike.
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But to circle back to mulling over issues, I have a strategy that if something bothers me and occupies my thoughts on a hike, I pick up a small pebble and carry it with me until I can put the issue into perspective, at which point I let it go and symbolically toss the pebble away. Interestingly enough, a tradition of the Coast to Coast walk is that walkers wet their feet and pick up a stone in the Irish sea and carry it all the way to the North Sea where they again dip their feet and then throw the stone into the sea upon the completion of the hike. I cheated a bit and didn’t wet my boots nor my feet. But I did collect the stone, and as I was getting ready to toss it into the North Sea, I was thinking it took conscious and consistent effort to make it happen, to make my dream come true, and the same applies to my professional life in today’s complex career path and trajectory realities.
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Long-distance hiking is challenging for everyone, but we humans are designed for walking. I had never been an athlete and never played any sports. I was a chubby child who loved books and spent hours in the backyard daydreaming about my favorite characters. When I hit my teenage years, I figured out that walking helped me lose weight and kept my anxiety in check. Thus, I took up walking and then running and hiking long distances. With time, I started challenging myself setting increasingly more difficult hiking goals. I learned that I thrive when I have goals to work towards, and that a good plan always gets me to the finish line when I apply myself. As I entered adulthood, I’d come to realize that at some level, building a successful career is similar to a long-distance hike. When we plan for it and make smart career choices, we can walk the distance and perform to our max potential.
Thinking about a thriving career as a hiking adventure can help you better plan for the strenuous challenges you are likely to face throughout your working life. On your career-journey be sure to:
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Carefully consider and select appropriate yet challenging goals (as you’d choose your hiking destinations)
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Develop a clear plan (as you’d chart out a hiking route)
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Master the skills of your profession (as you’d strengthen your hiking muscles)
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Acquire the best tools of the trade (as you’d purchase your sturdy hiking boots and equipment)
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Remain flexible to adapt change (as you’d navigate through rough terrain or bad weather)
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Establish your base pace but be ready to increase or reduce it as needed (as you’d slow down to enjoy the view or speed up to catch the last shuttle bus out of the park)
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Consider your options (for example, when encountering an enormous bull right in the middle off road, you’d probably want to take an alternative path, but when faced with a vast mass of bog upon bog, you’d need to keep moving quickly to avoid being sucked under)
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Pay attention, focus on the game, level the playing field (as you’d pay attention to the trail signs, mileposts, and fellow hikers)
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Celebrate milestones (you’d better get that beer at the end of a long hiking day, you deserve it)
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Repeat (dare to dream big, set a new goal, & crush it)
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I’ve found one thing to always be true: for the best views you must put in the effort. And for me, the best part about achieving career goals, or crossing off a bucket-list trek is that there are always new goals to achieve and more destinations to explore - knowing the next adventure awaits.
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“An objective is an ambition, and life without ambition is… well, aimless wandering”
~Alfred Wainwright
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Our Itinerary with Alpine Exploratory (self-guided):
We walked an average of 15 miles per day, hiking on moderate to steep grades and varying trail
conditions. We customized the route based on time and interest, took a taxi twice.
We stayed in comfortable hotels and inns chosen for their charm and/or accessibility to local pubs and leisurely post-hike activities.
DAY 1: Arrive in Cleator. Stay at Ennerdale Country House Hotel. There’s nothing much to see or do in the Cleator surrounding area, but this charming hotel has a large garden to walk around and great views of the gardens from the balcony.
DAY 2: Taxi to St. Bees to start the trek. Hike to Ennerdale Bridge. Stay at Thorntrees B & B. On the first day, tradition is to dip your boots in the Irish Sea and pick up one pebble before setting off. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to getting my boots wet, but I did pick up a small round pebble saying a short prayer that will keep us from harm and for a safe arrival at the North Sea, where we’d drop off our pebbles, at the end of the trek. The day starts with a steep climb up on the cliffs. And we were lucky to have good weather, which gave us amazing views. However, we paid the price ending the day with a brutal descent downhill.
DAY 3: Walk to Rosthwaite. Stay at the Scafell Hotel. A long strenuous hike. The highlight was the Ennerdale Woodlands. Sadly, we didn’t encounter any fairies.
DAY 4: walk to Grasmere. Stay at the Wordsworth Hotel. A spectacular day. We chose the more challenging high-level path. Highlights were the massive stone walls and the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.
DAY 5: Walk to Glenridding. Stay at Inn on the lake. We were rewarded with stunning views on the climb to Grisedale Tarn, a high lake among the mountains. Most people stop at Patterdale, but we headed to Glenridding to enjoy the 15 acres of grounds around the lakeshore and an excellent dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
DAY 6: Taxi to Keld. Walk to Reeth. Stay at Burgoyne Hotel. It’s always a good day when you are in the midst of one long-distance hike and can start dreaming about another one. Keld is the crossing point of both the Coast to Coast (west to east) and The Pennine Way (south to north.) The two ways cross at Kisdon Force, a series of waterfalls in on the River Swale. It’s such a beautiful part of the Yorkshire Dales.
DAY 7: Walk to Richmond. Stay at Millgate House. Richmond is the largest town on the Coast to Coast, featuring its own Norman Castle, which we did not visit. We were just happy to stroll around and enjoy the cafes, pubs, and stunning views. Our home for the night was Millgate house, which is an art-lover’s treasure trove but a minimalist’s nightmare. Whatever the case, your stay there will be a delightful, unforgettable experience. I never remember proprietors’ names or form particularly strong bonds with them. However, Tim and Austin, the owners of Millgate House are the nicest most gracious hosts. They actually live on the top floor of the house. We felt like cherished guests rather than paying strangers. They welcomed us with drinks and let us wonder around in their award-winning garden. They shared useful information and recommendations on local food, and even walked us over to a laundromat and negotiated after-hours service on our behalf. Breakfast was a match for any five-star hotel with the highlight being homemade bread.
DAY 8: walk to Great Broughton. Stay at Wainstone’s Hotel. Today was a peaceful walk through peaceful rolling hills and expansive swathes of heather and moorlands. You really get to experience wild open spaces. To the very imaginative, it’s the day to try and spot the Wain Stones, which I am told, look like the decorations on top of a birthday cake. We chose to stay at Great Broughton even though it’s not on the Coast to Coast route (about 2.5 miles north) because other alternatives near Clay Bank Top didn’t seem as good. The village is right on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.
DAY 9: Walk to Blakey Ridge. Stay at The Lion Inn. Continuing our walk in stunning vast open landscapes, the moor gives us the space and quiet to think and reflect crossing an endless see of heather making our way to the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge, isolated high up on the moors. This is our highest and most isolated stop on the route. The place is family-owned since the 16 th century.
DAY 10: Walk to Grosmont. Stay at Grosmont House. The day started off with fairly continuous light rain. We had to put on our rain gear for the first time on the trek. At some point it had stopped raining, but it was still foggy with poor visibility until it all cleared away in late morning, granting us another day of beautiful weather. It’s hard to believe we are only a few miles away from Robin Hood’s Bay, and the end of our journey. We decided to stop at Grosmont to extend our exploration and prolong the joy. It’s definitely worth the stop as it’s home to the North York Moors Railway. We ended up spending our evening at the Station Tavern, a family run pub built in 1836 right next to the railway station. The owner couldn’t have been friendlier entertaining us with funny stories and the occasional free drinks. We loved it so much we stayed for dinner in the dining room. Service was first class.
DAY 11: Walk to Robin Hood’s Bay. Stay at the Victoria Hotel. I have no words to describe the excitement of turning a bend and seeing it big as life, The North Sea. And all I could think about were the words of America the Beautiful – we walked from “sea to shining sea” - not from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean but definitely glowing sparkling blue seas! At Robin Hood’s Bay, we spotted the plaque on the wall that marks the end of the walk, and we quickly rushed off to wet our boots in the North Sea. This time I did dip my boots into the Sea. They have served me well and won’t be returning home to California with me. I dug my Irish Sea pebble out of my backpack and threw it into the curling sea. And then we headed to check in at The Victoria where we had one last remaining decision to make for this trip – the choice of where to have dinner on our last night.
