309 km across Northern England
The Irish Sea to the North Sea
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast
Wainwright's Coast to Coast is one of England's greatest long-distance walks, stretching 309 kilometres from the Irish Sea to the North Sea across the full width of northern England. Devised by the legendary fell-walker Alfred Wainwright in 1973 and officially designated a National Trail in March 2026, the route passes through three of England's most spectacular national parks — the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors — crossing some 8,500 metres of total elevation along the way. Over 12 days I walked from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire, passing Norman castles, Viking dales, Roman roads, ancient stone cairns, and the resting place of Wainwright himself on Haystacks. The first night was at The Manor in St Bees, a small village built around a 12th-century priory at the edge of the Irish Sea.
Day 0
London to St Bees
Day 0 of the Coast to Coast, and getting to the start line is a journey in itself. The train pulls out of London Euston and runs north for the best part of a day, climbing the length of England before the change onto the Cumbrian Coast Line — one of England's most beautiful and least-travelled railways — which turns and clings to the very edge of the Irish Sea. To the left the sea lies grey and endless, the Isle of Man a faint smudge on a clear day; to the right the dark folded fells of Lakeland, where tomorrow's walking waits. And then St Bees — a scatter of red sandstone houses around a 12th-century Norman priory, the westernmost point of the whole crossing. Tonight, the anticipation. Tomorrow the path climbs onto St Bees Head, turns its back on the sea, and 309 kilometres of England open up to the east. 🚂🌊
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