Coast to Coast 2009

Introduction

This is the story of my second journey along Wainwright’s definitive British footpath – the Coast to Coast. I had walked it previously in May 2006 – walking alone after my friend had dropped out. This time round he promised he wouldn’t abandon me – and sure enough, we set out – together – on the 29th April. We had a plan to do things a little differently from most people – a plan to add a sting to the tail of the 192 mile walk from St. Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire – but more on that later.

This journal is a response to several requests I’ve had to publish my account of the 2009 walk and I openly admit it’s really a fudge! The text you read over the next few pages is actually the blogs I wrote as I was walking the path – and indeed the blogs I wrote as I prepared for the walk. As such it reads like it was written “live” – not my usual style of wrting at all. It also means it lacks the depth of my usual journals – something I intend to address at some point in the future – but for now this is it.

I didn’t really feel the need to use a guide book this time round – not only had I walked the route less than three years previously, but the time I’ve spent creating the Walking Places C2C pages have provided a wealth of knowledge and I feel I know the path intimately. However, it should be made illegal to walk the route without carrying the Wainwright guide with you, so into the bag he went.

The Trailblazer guide, written by Henry Stedman has just been updated for the 2010 walking season. The path has been completely re-walked and the revisions written by Chris Scott – who now includes short pieces from “ordinary” folk – there are also loads of new photos – so a brand new book almost. Make sure you wait for the 4th Edition if you’re walking in 2010.