The aim of this final post in my coast to coast series of ramblings, is to provide a bunch of hints and tips that will help you have a great coast to coast hike.
I wanted to put together all the little bits and bobs I learnt when hiking this route myself that you might find useful – things about the route, the overnights, the food, and everything else. This will be a super-fast post to read, I’ve gone for the quick-fire list style, but I hope you find them helpful.
Thanks to Jenni for helping me compile this list. And please, if you’ve done the trail and have more tips, please do comment below to share your wisdom – I look forward to reading your additions to my list.
Twenty Coast to Coast Hints and Tips
01 Don’t Rush
Allow plenty of days to do the hike rather than cramming in the miles too quickly – it’s a beautiful route, so take your time to enjoy the scenery, tea rooms, long lunches, and chats with other walkers.
02 Hike in Autumn
There will be fewer bugs if you hike in autumn. But even if you wait until October, still carry bug spray, especially if you are hoping to camp close to water, or up on high ground.
03 Baggage Transfer Wins!
Use a luggage transfer rather than carrying everything; it means you can enjoy the hills, recover quicker overnight for consistent hiking, and tackle the mountain routes where available. Yes, it means you have to plan your overnights ahead, but it’s worth it.
04 The Coast to Coast is 200+ Miles
The official route might be 190 miles, but you’ll be fortunate if you stick to that! We walked well over 200-miles thanks to a combination of choosing the high routes where possible, walking to and from campsites off the main route, and heading into villages for dinner (pub dinners are one of the real perks of hiking!).
05 OS Maps App
There are some coast to coast footpath signs, but don’t rely on them for navigation. Get yourself an OS Maps app subscription so you can print out the maps you need – then there’s no need to take a bunch of bulky maps. Print on A4 paper and discard the pages you use as you go.
06 Get a Guidebook
Buy a guidebook and take it with you – it’s worth the weight. Yes, they are great for the routing, but more to help explain the features, history and other things you’ll see on the way. I had this one by Trailblazer, but others, such as this one by Cicerone, are available!
07 Carry a Compass
Carry a compass… and know how to use it. Some of the high sections on the coast to coast route, particularly Nine Standards Rigg in the Yorkshire Dales, would be hard to navigate in low cloud without one, as the features are few and far between.
08 There are Hills Everywhere
Don’t forget, there are hills outside the Lakes – and they’re big ones! There’s Dent Hill on the first day, with its knee twinging descent, Nine Standards Rigg on the Cumbria/Yorkshire border, and the rollercoaster of the Cleveland Hills near the end – to name just a few.
09 Get High!
I would absolutely plan to hike the optional/alternate high routes where they are available. But always have the low routes plotted just in case – and try not to be too disappointed if you do need or want to stay low, as they are still awesome (read about our Helvellyn day).
10 Tote Plenty of Water
There aren’t many natural sources of water on this trail (even though it can be incredibly wet underfoot!), so be sure carry what you need for between built-up areas. We carried enough for the whole day each day, just to be sure.
11 Be Ready for Rain
Did you know that Seathwaite – very close indeed to the coast to coast route – is considered the wettest inhabited place in England? Yea, it’ll rain, guaranteed! Make sure you are prepared with head-to-toe waterproof gear. And, importantly, don’t wait until you’re soaked to put that stuff on!
12 Prepare for Bogs
Unless Cumbria and Yorkshire have a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather, you will come across boggy ground on this hike. Be prepared to wade on occasion – waterproof gaiters are a wise investment.
13 Wear Old Boots
All your gear on any long-distance hike should be tried and tested, but especially your boots (or trainers, if you prefer). Honestly, don’t take the risk, wear gear you know well and trust fully.
14 Walking Poles are Your Friend
Walking poles come in very handy indeed on the coast to coast hike – the terrain can be steep, rocky and slippery, with boggy sections and water crossings, and the days can be long. Poles help distribute the effort of hiking across your body, and help look after your knees, ankles and back.
15 Power Up
Portable batteries are heavy, but are a must-have to keep phones and other devices charged on the trail, especially when camping. I had a small one (gave me one full phone charge) in my day pack, and a larger/heavier one in my overnight bag (have me five full phone charges), which was just about right based on the number of nights we camped in a row (see this post about where to sleep when hiking the coast to coast).
16 Pack a Stove
Even if you don’t drink as much tea as I do, I highly recommend carrying a stove (rather than just a flask of hot water). There is something wonderful about taking a tea break on trail – and you’ll not see a coffee shop every day.
17 Snacks Galore!
Many of the small villages you walk through on the coast to coast route don’t have shops or cafes, which is pretty sad when you think about it. But with that, go prepared with plenty of snacks – at least for the first three days, and then keep supplies stocked up when you head through towns.
18 Bring a Lunch Box
One thing Jenni packed that I didn’t pack was a lunch box – and I was jealous every day! There simply aren’t pubs or cafes to stop at every day, so having a container in which to store a packed lunch in your pack will help stop your sandwiches squashed or soggy.
19 Have Cash
Carry loose change for honesty boxes, showers, public loos, and even some local cafes. Rural England isn’t cashless yet!
20 Calls of Nature
Public toilets are few and far between on the coast to coast route (welcome to England!), so make sure you know how to responsibly do your business in the wild, and be fully prepared to practice the principles of leave no trace. Carry poo bags to pack out your toilet tissue after wild wees; we remember sections of the West Highland Way where there was used tissue lining both sides of the path – unpleasant for walkers, and terrible for wildlife.
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.
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