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I re-visited one of England's most spectacular hikes after a £5.5m upgrade

Danny SavageCoast to Coast trail
Getty Images St Bees beach is pictured in the background with groups of houses near the water's edge with groynes lining the beach itself, and in the foreground is a coastal path surrounded by vegetation, on a cloudy day.Getty Images
Now an official National Trail, the Coast to Coast walk starts at St Bees beach in Cumbria, pictured here, and ends in Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire

The tradition at the start of the Coast to Coast walk is to dip your boots in the sea near the village of St Bees.

Just don't get them too wet.

This spot, on the Irish Sea coast in West Cumbria, is the starting point for a very long stroll, all the way to the North Sea.

It's a tough 190 mile (305km) trail through three National Parks, from England's west coast to its east.

"It's got culture, it's got historical interest and it's got challenge, but it isn't too challenging," says Doug Sim, chair of St Bees Parish Council. "And by having a definitive start and finish at the beaches, it feels very complete."

The route has now been designated England's newest National Trail following a £5.5m upgrade - overseen by Natural England and partners - improving surfacing, signage and accessibility.

A map of the Coast to Coast trail from St Bees - on the Irish Sea coast - to Robin Hood's Bay - on the North Sea coast - showing Lake District National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors National Park along the way

It was first devised and walked by the legendary fell-walker Alfred Wainwright more than 50 years ago.

He felt the Pennine Way - the famous 268 mile (429 km) trail from the Peak District to the Scottish Borders - was too long for most people, taking three weeks. He believed a challenging yet beautiful two-week trek was needed.

A guidebook to the Coast to Coast was published by him in the early 1970s in his own handwriting and sketches. It is a work of art.

Chris Butterfield A red book entitled "A Coast to Coast walk - a pictorial guide" with a map of the trail on the front cover, behind brown glasses and a brown pipeChris Butterfield
Alfred Wainwright's guidebook to the walk alongside the pipe and glasses he took with him when he first completed it

I walked it back in 1991, book in hand. The weather was glorious. I was lucky.

The first few days of the trail across the Lake District are the hardest yards. Up and down, over numerous mountain ridges and along remote valleys.

Make it to the village of Shap and you've done the toughest bit.

The issue up until now is that some of the route was on permissive paths through private land, which could be closed for some of the year.

Over the last few years a lot of legal work has been done by local authorities and the National Parks to make the path an official right of way.

It is now better signposted too, with the letters "aw" inscribed on each way-marker as a nod to the man who thought of it first. In many ways it is his National Trail.

Day two of the journey for most is the eastward march up Ennerdale in the Lake District. This is just one place where a lot of improvement work has been done. There are new gates and bridges to make it accessible for all.

It is impossible for a wheelchair user to follow the whole trail but chunky sections are now doable. This is a joy for Annie Wallen, who lives in the area and can travel 15 miles (24km) in her motorised wheelchair.

She says Wainwright "might have walked in boots but I roll on rubber. I love it." Even being able to do a portion of this trail is "really special" to her.

A woman using a mobility scooter with a dark blue jacket in the middle, travelling along a wide gravel track. Two men walk beside her, one on each side. The track runs through open countryside with grassy ground, scattered trees, and forested slopes rising on either side. Cloudy sky overhead.
Annie Wallen, who uses a motorised wheelchair, can now access more of the trail

Above the valley the path stretches away over high ground, parts of which have now been laid with giant flagstones. This will tackle the erosion caused by years of boots from all over the world.

Jo Willmott, a project ranger for the trail's upgrade, says you often meet people from the US, Canada and other countries. "It's showing the best of the UK," she says.

After the Lakes comes the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The route goes from Kirkby Stephen, over the hills to Swaledale, past long-forgotten lead mine ruins - as recently seen in Wuthering Heights - and on through vibrant green pastures to Reeth and Richmond.

This is Mark Reid's favourite stretch. He should know, he has walked the Coast to Coast nine times. He guides groups of walkers along the trail from end to end.

Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park . Two people, Danny and Mark , and a dog stand on a grassy riverbank beside a wide, calm river. A line of trees borders the water, and an old stone wall curves across the field behind them. The landscape rises into green hills with scattered trees and additional stone walls, leading towards distant higher ground under an overcast sky.
The stretch through the Yorkshire Dales National Park is guide Mark Reid's favourite stretch

I meet him on the village green in Reeth and we walk down to the banks of the River Swale.

He says "you've got a group of friends" after two weeks of walking, and visitors often return again and again. "You reach the North Sea and it's really emotional, there are people in tears. It's really quite a fantastic experience."

The fact that people often come back is part of the reason the £5.5m upgrade went ahead. It is seen as an investment with a demonstrable future return from visitor spending.

A wooden signpost stands at a junction of paths, with two horizontal arms pointing in different directions. The right‑hand arm reads “Coast to Coast Path, Public Footpath” with a walking‑figure symbol. The left‑hand arm shows part of the same acorn‑shaped National Trail marker. Trees and grassland fill the background, and a gravel path runs behind the sign. In the centre of the sign post are the initials aw carved into it.
Alfred Wainwright's initials can now be seen on way-markers throughout the trail

From the Dales, the Coast to Coast goes across to the North York Moors National Park.

Clad in flowering purple heather in late summer, the moorland path goes via the famous Lion Inn pub at Blakey Ridge, through wooded gorges, past steam trains at Grosmont and onto journey's end at Robin Hood's Bay.

It's a picture-postcard finish. A quiet, steep lane leads down through fishermen's cottages with their orange pantile roofs to a waterside hotel and the sea. Or rock-pools if the tide is out.

This is where you can dip your boots in the water for the final time and reflect on memories of a life well walked.

A white seaside building labelled “The Bay Hotel” stands on a cobbled slope beside the shoreline. The building has multiple windows, a doorway to a bar, and scaffolding on its right side. A wooden fence runs along the front. To the right, the rocky beach is exposed at low tide, with shallow pools of water leading out to the calm sea beneath a blue, lightly clouded sky.
The Bay Hotel at Robin Hood's Bay overlooks the North Sea
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