Anyone who’s checked my Blogroll will have seen I’ve been following John Hayes for several months now – up until recently he’s been writing planning blogs for his E4 long distance walk. Last week however, he set off on his epic challenge – to be the first person anyone is...
I have quite a large music collection – built up over many years; including vinyl singles, LPs, CDs and more recently almost exclusively downloads from various locations. So I thought it may be interesting to select a walking related song for each day of my upcoming Coast to Coast walk...
Grasmere to Stonethwaite I head south west out of Grasmere, along the minor road, past the Dale Lodge Hotel and then turn right, off the road, onto a footpath up Kelbarrow and onto Silver How. Between this Wainwright and that of Blea Rigg, are three Birketts I’ve not done before;...
I’m finally into the Lakes, or at least Shap, which is certainly the gateway to the Lakes as far as this journey is concerned. I will be able to see Kidsty Pike from the front door of the B&B as I set out – weather permitting of course – almost...
Kirkby Stephen to Shap Over half way now and approaching the Lakes, I’ve had three short-ish days, but today’s leg into Shap is just shy of 20 miles and has a great mix of stunning scenery including huge tracts of….. open moorland and some splendid limestone pavement. I leave KS...
Reeth to Keld I leave Reeth on the B6270 – passing the lovely Reeth Bakery, where I would hope to collect something tasty for lunch – and leaving the road just beyond the school where I take a footpath through the fields to Reeth Low Moor . I skirt the...
Osmotherley to Richmond I’m very much of the opinion that this section is one of those that you just need to get out of the way as quickly and painlessly as possible. There really is nothing to recommend this route to the long distance walker, it’s all extremely dull. Lots...
Grosmont to Blakey Ridge Without being deliberately awkward, there isn’t really an alternative to Wainwright’s route out of Grosmont, to Egton Bridge and beyond, to Glaisdale. Although the map suggests this route is road walking all the way to Delves – about 3 miles from Grosmont, it is in reality...
Bring the Hills to Work with you For a couple of years now I’ve used this technique to remind me constantly of my favourite places to walk. Whether you’re a Lake District addict or a Dales devotee, use your precious place names as the basis for your passwords at work....
As well as walking backwards along the route this year, my plan has always been to walk as many non-standard Wainwright legs as possible, while still maintaining as many of the usual stops as possible to facilitate baggage transfer. In the opening sentences of his Coast to Coast guide book,...
Another Coast to Coast planning entry – this time just to publish the finalised itinerary and accommodation stops along the route. Sunday June 12th – Robin Hood’s Bay to Grosmont Monday June 13th – Grosmont to Blakey Ridge Tuesday 14th June – Blakey Ridge to Osmotherley Wednesday 15th June –...
With the Lakes planned and the eastern section sorted, I turn my attention to the middle bit and the final night. From Osmotherly I had the choice to split what would normally be a 25 mile stage into two, with a night in Danby Wiske. However a brief pause for...
