WHERE TO SLEEP WHEN HIKING THE UK COAST TO COAST

When I finished my UK coast to coast adventure journal series, I promised a handful of round-up articles providing information and advice for anyone who’s thinking about walking or who is actively planning to walk this now-National Trail. First up, where to sleep – a post sharing the places I laid my head during the two-weeks we spent doing this hike.  

During the hike I slept in campsites, pub gardens, hostels, B&Bs, and farms. In all I spent four nights indoors – three in B&Bs and one in a bunk room, and ten under canvas – twice pitched up at YHAs, twice in pub beer gardens, twice outside farmhouses, and the remaining four nights in more traditional campsites.

Where Not to Sleep

I’ll be honest here. Some of our overnight experiences were better than others. Of course they were, you never hit the jackpot every single night. Consider, each entry in this post a mini review of the option we chose. Maybe this post should therefore be “where to sleep – and where not to sleep – on the UK coast to coast”, but that wouldn’t fit in the box!

While using a baggage transfer service meant that we had the significant benefit of someone else delivering our gear each evening, it did mean we weren’t able to just play things by ear and sleep where we ended up (read more about that in my day zero post). But that also meant we knew before we started where exactly we’d be sleeping each night, and therefore what we were asking of our bodies each day.

We did this hike in mid-October which, to our surprise when planning our adventure, meant that in some places, good value accommodation was limited thanks to campsites already being closed for the season. I mean, it wasn’t even half term week! We therefore had to plan our route accordingly, and so some of the places we stayed were not necessarily our first choice.

The Full Story

If you want the full story of my UK coast to coast hike (and I really hope you do, it’s a nice little adventure story told in a chapter-a-day style – worth your time I reckon), then it’s best to head over to my adventure journal series. I mention all these places in those posts too, in the context of sharing the whats, whys and hows of the adventure. This post is merely a summary of the overnight accommodation side of things.

I’ll take each night in order – starting over on the west coast and heading over to the east.

WHERE TO SLEEP ON THE UK COAST TO COAST

Night 0 | St Bees

Accommodation: The Manor at St Bees

Accommodation Type: Bed and breakfast.

Proximity to the Trail: One mile from the beach and the official start of Wainwright’s coast to coast.

Cost: We paid £70 for a twin room (£35 per person) including a cooked breakfast.

Booking: We booked ahead and paid on departure.

Dinner: The Manor has its own pub-restaurant – I had scampi and chips, it was fine.

Breakfast: We ate in the Inn, included in the room rate.

Thoughts on The Manor at St Bees

Our twin room was pretty nice; not massive but a decent size, with two single beds, a (tiny) television high up on the wall, tea making facilities (said in a Bill Bailey style), and what seemed to be a very newly renovated ensuite bathroom with a shower. Weirdly, there was no cold water to the basin, but hey, I don’t mind washing (or cleaning my teeth) in warm water.

Our meal in the pub-restaurant was as you might expect from an Inn by the sea. I had scampi and chips, which was totally fine. Breakfast in the morning was good enough – I had coco pops (they were staring at me and I couldn’t resist), fried eggs and beans, orange juice and lots of tea.

Our stay was comfortable – it was a decent enough place to rest and get ready to start our hike.

Night 1 | Ennerdale Bridge

Accommodation: The Fox and Hounds Inn

Accommodation Type: Camping in the beer garden.

Proximity to the Trail: On the trail.  

Cost: It cost £5 each to camp in the beer garden, plus £3 for a key to The Gather ablutions block up the road.

Booking: Called ahead to check we could stay, and paid on arrival.

Dinner: We ate (a massive meal) in The Fox and Hounds Inn.

Breakfast: The pub wasn’t serving breakfast as there were no B&B guests – The Gather opened at 9am and had some options.

Thoughts on The Fox and Hounds Inn

The Fox and Hounds Inn is a hiker friendly pub which allows camping in their garden. We’d contacted them ahead of time to make sure this was okay, to positive notes from the staff, but on arrival it all felt a bit weird because they had no record of us having reserved a spot and seemed a little surprised to see any hikers. Still, we were welcomed, paid £5 to camp and £3 for a key to a decent hot shower at nearby The Gather, and set up camp by the wall in the garden.

It was a bit of a stressful first pitch-up, but that wasn’t the pub’s fault – just the nature of our first night camping on the trail.

While the pub was busy with people eating and drinking, we were the only hikers camped in the garden. That was fine by us. We were able to use the toilets in the pub until closing time, and the key to The Gather meant we had a loo overnight and in the morning.

The real benefit of camping in a pub garden, over and above it being a cheap and convenient place to sleep, was the pub dinner. It was very good food (such a large portion!), at a decent enough price.

Night 2 | Borrowdale (Longthwaite)

Accommodation: YHA Borrowdale

Accommodation Type: Camping in the YHA grounds.

Proximity to the Trail: The trail goes through the grounds of the hostel – right past the front door. 

Cost: This stay was gifted – thanks so much to YHA for supporting the hike. It normally costs £10 each to camp.

Booking: Booked ahead (meals booked on arrival).

Dinner: We made use of the YHA Supper Club.

Breakfast: Cooked breakfast in the YHA.

Thoughts on YHA Borrowdale

I was fortunate to have been gifted a couple of nights at YHAs along our coast to coast hiking route, this being the first.

We camped on the reasonably large field at Borrowdale, but doing so meant we had access to all the traditional YHA facilities. This included the dining room, self-catering kitchen, lounge, showers, and drying room – we were as warmly welcome as anyone staying in a dorm room.

It was chilli night at the YHA supper club, which was a very reasonable £9 for a large bowl of chilli with rice and garlic bread. We paid extra for lemon meringue pie, which was well worth it. It’s amazing how good food tastes after a hard day in the hills. There was a real buzz in the dining room, too, lots of people enjoying an evening as part of a Lake District adventure.

The following morning, we enjoyed a cooked breakfast in the YHA dining room. They’d had a problem with one of their deliveries which meant choices were a bit different to normal, but it was still good – fresh, hot, and plenty of it.

I honestly love YHAs (even without the free stays!), they are always so welcome, very clean, and have everything a hiker could need – along with other people to chat adventure with.

Night 3 | Grasmere 

Accommodation: YHA Grasmere Butharlyp Howe

Accommodation Type: Camping in the YHA grounds.

Proximity to the Trail: A little off the route, just north of the village of Grasmere. Absolutely worth the short extra distance.

Cost: This stay was gifted – thanks so much to YHA for supporting the hike. It normally costs £10 each to camp.

Booking: Booked ahead (meals booked on arrival).

Dinner: We made use of the YHA Supper Club.

Breakfast: Breakfast baps in the YHA.

Thoughts on YHA Grasmere

Our second YHA in a row, YHA Grasmere Butharlyp Howe is situated just outside the village in an old manor house in beautiful grounds. A lovely hostel, the rules and set up here were different to those at Borrowdale, but the warm and friendly welcome was very much the same.

After we’d pitched up in front of the house (what a setting!), we were able to make use of the washing and drying facilities, top up our battery packs in the lounge power sockets, and sit on the sofas catching up on messages and sorting out a few photographs.

We could have easily walked down into Grasmere for a pub dinner, but we were happy hanging around the hostel, relaxing and chatting with other guests. And you can’t beat a cheap and cheerful YHA supper club – we were served a hearty portion of meatball pasta followed by fruit salad, which was tasty, comforting, and exactly what we needed to refuel and ready ourselves for the next day.

There wasn’t a full breakfast service at this particular YHA, but I did get a sausage bap and tea, which was plenty to get me going.

Night 4 | Patterdale   

Accommodation: Side Farm Camping

Accommodation Type: Camping – campsite.

Proximity to the Trail: Very slightly off the route, just outside Patterdale.

Cost: £10 each with showers included.

Booking: Pitches reserved ahead, paid (cash only) on arrival.

Dinner: We walked into Patterdale that evening and ate at the White Lion Inn. We also had lunch in the Patterdale Hotel.

Breakfast: At our tents.

Thoughts on Side Farm Camping

We arrived in Patterdale very early in the afternoon thanks to being stormed-off the hills, were unable to raise anyone at the farm, and the onsite tearoom was closed for winter, so we had to make other plans for the afternoon. If we’d have been carrying our own kit, we’d have pitched up first and booked-in later, one of the only days on our coast to coast hike when using a baggage transfer service had a downside (find our what we did in my day four post).

We returned at a more normal 4pm, paid our dues and collected our bags. We pitched up at the bottom of the large camping field, which sits on the banks of Ullswater. It is a beautifully located site, with decent facilities, including hot showers with excellent water pressure, and a laundry room with drying area. I would absolutely come and stay here again sometime.

The village of Patterdale was about a 15-minute walk from where we’d pitched our tents, and we made the trip back in the evening to eat dinner at the White Lion Inn. I had curry, which was delicious, and we ended up hanging around there for the whole evening, chatting to the guy behind the bar.

There wasn’t anyone to pay to make us breakfast, so we had to fend for ourselves for a change!

Night 5 | Shap  

Accommodation: New Ing Lodge

Accommodation Type: Bunk room.

Proximity to the Trail: On the route, on the main road through Shap.

Cost: £25 each for a bed in a bunk room (camping would have been £7 each).

Booking: Booked camping and paid deposit in advance, called the night before to switch to indoors, paid balance on departure (breakfast booked on arrival).

Dinner: Fish and chips from the local takeaway.

Breakfast: Continental breakfast at New Ing Lodge, costing £5.

Thoughts on New Ing Lodge

In our pre-hike planning, we’d booked to camp at New Ing Lodge, which would have suited us just fine. But we’d been watching the forecast, and had noticed that we were due a particularly cold snap lasting just a couple of nights. We could have camped, but sometimes it’s okay to choose comfort, and New Ing Lodge gave us that opportunity – we switched to beds in a four-person bunk room.  

We had such a great welcome, and knew straight away we’d made the right decision. The lodge was warm, the bunk room was lovely, with four large beds and plenty of space for us to spread out. We had the room to ourselves, with a nicely fitted shower room just for us next door. In all honesty, it was the nicest bunkhouse I’ve ever stayed in.

We walked down the main street to pick up a chippie tea, which we ate in the comfortable and cosy lodge common room. The following morning I chose the continental breakfast option, which cost me £5 on top of my room rate.

An absolute gem – stay here if you hike the coast to coast!

Night 6 | Kirkby Stephen

Accommodation: The Kings Arms Hotel

Accommodation Type: Bed and breakfast.

Proximity to the Trail: Very slightly off the route, on the main street through Kirkby Stephen.

Cost: £85 for a twin room (£42.50 per person), including breakfast.

Booking: Booked ahead and paid on departure.

Dinner: Indian food at The Mango Tree.

Breakfast: At the B&B, included in the room rate.

Thoughts on The Kings Arms Hotel

The Kings Arms Hotel, on the main street through the village, was not our first-choice accommodation. The new owners of the B&B we’d originally booked cancelled on us just a couple of weeks before we were due to stay so they could start renovations, which was a bit of a bummer, but I guess that’s the way things go sometimes.

Our £85-a-night twin room was spacious and comfortable, recently decorated, with a tiny but decent-enough bathroom. Unfortunately, the promised drying room didn’t exist – we asked but were told the website and information sheet in the room were both incorrect. We also found they were not serving dinner that evening, so we headed up the street to the local Indian restaurant instead.

While our room in The Kings Arms Hotel was nice enough, our stay wasn’t one we want to repeat. As a couple of very tired long-distance hikers, we were tucked up in bed by around 10.30pm, hoping to drift off despite the music playing in the bar downstairs. Except as the time went on, the music only got louder – joined by raucous drunken shouty singing.

I can’t tell you what time it stopped. We did eventually get some shuteye, even managing to sleep through our alarms. We just about woke up in time for our 8am breakfast.

Based on our one-night experience I would say this B&B isn’t walker friendly at all, and wouldn’t recommend it to others looking for a restful night whilst hiking the coast to coast. You live and learn.

Night 7 | Muker 

Accommodation: Usha Gap Farm and Campsite

Accommodation Type: Camping – campsite.

Proximity to the Trail: A little over a mile off the low route option though Swaledale.

Cost: £8 each.

Booking: Pitches reserved ahead, paid on arrival.

Dinner: Firepot meal at our tents.

Breakfast: At our tents.

Thoughts on Usha Gap Farm and Campsite

We ended up at Usha Gap, down in the valley (on the low route option of this section of trail), rather than up on the top thanks to there being no accommodation open in Keld.

As it happens, Usha Gap Farm and Campsite was a lovely place to spend the night. A large campsite which was reasonably busy for mid-October, we tucked our tents in by a stone wall as away from other campers as we could manage (always our preference). I had a lovely (included) hot shower in the heated ablutions block, and made use of the drying room for my kit. The other facilities included a campsite shop, laundry room, and (indoor) washing up facilities with hot water.

We had a picnic table by our pitch, where we prepared our Firepot meals for dinner. I have to admit, so it’s no hardship to boil up some water for one of those, they are my go-to camping meal.

I could definitely see myself returning to this site as a base to explore the Swaledale area, a nice site which would be as good for a week as it was for one night.

Night 8 | Reeth

Accommodation: Orchard Caravan Park

Accommodation Type: Camping – campsite.

Proximity to the Trail: Very slightly off the route (and really only because the campsite drive is so long!). 

Cost: £8 each.

Booking: Pitches reserved ahead, paid on departure.

Dinner: King’s Arms in Reeth.

Breakfast: At our tents.

Thoughts on Orchard Caravan Park

We’d booked this site based on reviews from other coast to coasters, it seems most people camping along the route stop here, but I was definitely a little sceptical if we would fit in. I mean, this was a caravan park, where people clearly left their caravans all year round.

I was wrong! It was a really great site, we had such a lovely welcome from site manager Ian, and it cost me an about-right £8 for the night.

This was one of two nights on our coast to coast hike we had to pay for hot water, but we knew in advance and had come armed with 20ps.

That evening we walked back into Reeth to eat at The King’s Arms. It was a Sunday night and they’re famous for their “leftover roasts”, but sadly they’d run out – but the fish pie I ordered from the main menu was very good.

Night 9 | Colburn

Accommodation: The Hildyard Arms

Accommodation Type: Camping in a beer garden.

Proximity to the Trail: On the trail.

Cost: Free.

Booking: Called ahead to check we could stay.

Dinner: Firepot meal at our tents.

Breakfast: At our tents.

Thoughts on The Hildyard Arms

The Hildyard Arms doesn’t open on a Monday, but we’d called a few weeks ahead when planning the hike, and were given permission to camp in the beer garden anyway. The normal deal is that you can camp for free if you use the pub (which is a perfect set up if you ask me), but as there was no way of buying a meal or drinks, we had our night for free.

It felt a bit strange camping in a beer garden, for the second time on this hike. Not uncomfortable or anything, just a bit unlikely, not particularly normal. Given that the pub was closed, there were no patrons trying to enjoy their beers as random hikers pitched up around them. A lovely lady came to welcome us and showed us the facilities – drinking water, toilet with basin accessible from the outside, a hot shower (50p a go), and a washing machine/dryer we could use without charge.

We’d been given a menu for a takeaway that delivered to the pub, which we did ponder making use of, but in the end had another one of the Firepot meals we’d brought with us.

(Note that the terms of staying here have now changed slightly. The Hildyard Arms now ask for a £10 deposit to book a pitch, which is refunded on arrival in the form of a voucher for use in the pub. Seems incredibly reasonable to me.) 

Night 10 | Oaktree Hill

Accommodation: Lovesome Hill Farm

Accommodation Type: Camping in a farmhouse garden.

Proximity to the Trail: Around half a mile off the trail, accessed via alternative footpaths.

Cost: £10 each plus heating for the bunkhouse lounge.

Booking: Booked and paid for in advance (breakfast/heating organised on arrival – cash only).

Dinner: Firepot meal in the bunkhouse lounge.

Breakfast: Cooked breakfast at the farm.

Thoughts on Lovesome Hill Farm

Lovesome Hill Farm offer bunkhouse accommodation and camping, the latter of which is basically in their front garden – a beautiful and slightly formal rose garden between the road and the farmhouse. On arrival we were offered access to the bunk barn for the kitchen and shower facilities, and to keep out of the rain, if we gave our host a little extra for heating on top of the £10 camping fee we’d already paid.

When we’d booked our stay, we had thought that a (paid-for) home cooked dinner would be an option, but sadly for us our host wasn’t cooking for guests that night. We could have called a taxi to get into Northallerton, or ordered an Indian takeaway which delivered to the farm, but once we were set up, we just wanted to stay put, so had another one of our yellow Firepot pouches.

We’d booked breakfast with our host when we checked in, and were presented with a tray of fantastic locally produced food in the bunk barn common room bang on time. We had a plate of cooked breakfast each, with fresh eggs and local bacon, but the highlight was the homemade marmalade for our toast, and the homemade apple juice to wash it all down. Delicious!

(Note: It looks like Lovesome Hill Farm no longer offer bunk barn or camping accommodation – it’s not on their website anymore.)

Night 11 | Osmotherley

Accommodation: Cote Ghyll Mill Caravan Park

Accommodation Type: Camping – campsite.  

Proximity to the Trail: Osmotherley is around 20 minutes off the trail.

Cost: This night was gifted thanks to the YHA, but we stayed in the campsite next door. Normal price in the campsite is £11.50 each for walkers and cyclists.

Booking: Booked ahead.

Dinner: At the Queen Catherine Hotel, Osmotherley.  

Breakfast: Eaten at Lordstones Café on the trail.

Thoughts on Cote Ghyll Mill Caravan Park

Our stay had been booked by YHA head office for me thanks to my partnership with them, but was actually fulfilled by the adjoining campsite rather than at the YHA itself (the same company runs both). Instead of cancelling our booking as it clashed with a sole-hire activity week, the team had simply moved us to their other site. We didn’t have far to go; it was right next door.

I admit we were both a little disappointed to start with, as the best thing about camping at a YHA is having access to all the (indoor!) communal facilities, where you can relax and chat to other people staying. Of course, it turned out just fine. The staff were very welcoming, and we had a lovely, albeit muddy, stay.

We had plenty of space to pitch, a large and warm ablutions block to use with lovely hot showers, a coin-operated laundry, and a small drying cupboard which no-one else seemed to be using. The only thing missing was a common room, but as we were only a 20-minute walk from Osmotherley village centre, we moved to a local pub after we’d done our camp chores, and spent the evening there.

Night 12 | Blakey Ridge

Accommodation: Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge

Accommodation Type: Bed and breakfast.   

Proximity to the Trail: On the trail.

Cost: £55 for a small twin room (£27.50 each), including breakfast.  

Booking: Booked and paid deposit in advance, balance paid on departure.

Dinner: At the Lion Inn.

Breakfast: At the Lion Inn, included in the room rate.

Thoughts on the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge

A well-known landmark on the coast to coast hike, the Lion Inn sits on the Blakey Ridge Road in Kirkbymoorside. It’s something of a rite of passage to overnight here when walking the width of the country, and it was one of our must-dos for this adventure experience. A coast to coast bucket list item, if you will.

You can camp in the beer garden, but we’d booked the smallest room available, a little twin-bedded room with a private bathroom across the landing. It cost a very reasonable £55 for the night for the both of us.

Given the room was tiny (although still with some storage, two comfortable beds, and tea making facilities), we left some of our things on the landing to give us a little extra wiggle room. Oh, and the bathroom – had an actual bath! What a treat!

We whiled away the evening downstairs in one of the inn’s dining rooms. The food was so good, and while it was very busy, we enjoyed our time there. I chose the mince beef and dumplings, followed by jam roly-poly – it was proper home cooked unfussy food, which was every bit as warming and comforting as I wanted it to be.

There was lots of choice for breakfast, too, which was cooked to order – I had poached eggs on toast.

Night 13 | Littlebeck  

Accommodation: Intake Farm

Accommodation Type: Camping in a farmhouse garden.  

Proximity to the Trail: A little off the trail, but an easy footpath-based detour with no additional distance to the hike as a whole. 

Cost: £31 each all-in – camping, showers, cake, dinner, breakfast (it would have been £7 each for the pitch only).

Booking: We booked ahead and paid on departure (cash only).

Dinner: In the farmhouse.

Breakfast: In the farmhouse.

Thoughts on Intake Farm

Our welcome at Intake Farm near Littlebeck was nothing short of wonderful. I mean, our host – Judith – opened the door to greet us with “would you like tea and cake?”. Once we’d had said cake, we were shown to a lovely flat area of garden to pitch our tents, given access to the farmhouse shower to get cleaned up, and shown to the guest lounge where we were encouraged to stay inside by the fire until it was time for bed.

That evening, Judith presented us with the most wonderful home cooked dinner of beef stew with mashed potato and vegetables, followed by lemon meringue pie. And in the morning, I had my fill of yogurt and granola and poached eggs on toast.

Intake Farm really was a glorious place to spend our last night camping on the coast to coast. Judith was a wonderful host, we were very well looked after, and importantly were made to feel very welcome indeed.

We paid £31 each for “camp and care” (how Judith referred to providing the pitch, all-night access to an indoor toilet/washing facilities, a hot shower with a massive loaner towel, tea and cake on arrival, and keeping that log burner on for us all evening), along with that amazing home cooked dinner and hearty breakfast. Intake Farm also offers bed and breakfast rooms, if you prefer.

Honestly, stay here, it’s lovely.

The End of the Coast to Coast

After 14 nights sleeping in a rather random selection of places, which is one of the wonderful things about long-distance hiking, my last night away from home on this trail was spent in my friend’s spare room. We finished our hike in the mid-afternoon and were able to get a lift from there, rather than needing to book anywhere in Robin Hood’s Bay.

Of the places we stayed, New Ing Lodge and Intake Farm probably standout as being my favourites, thanks to the wonderfully warm welcome we received from our hosts. I’d also highly recommend the two YHAs we camped at – both Borrowdale and Grasmere have fantastic facilities and I’d very happily go back to either for future Lake District adventures.

And I guess that one bad experience in two weeks – in Kirkby Stephen – isn’t bad at all.

I hope this has been somewhat useful. If you have any questions about any of the places listed in this post – or indeed you wonder why we didn’t choose to stay somewhere you think would have been more obvious – feel free to ask via the comments below. I’m very happy to share any knowledge I might have to help you plan your hike.