Explore the Lakes and Mountains with Matt and Damien
This trip marked my third Mickledore fam trip since I joined, and we decided we were ready for a change of pace. As soon as I saw the list of potential walks available, I knew immediately which route I wanted to do.
The Coast to Coast is one of my most popular routes that I book here at Mickledore, and the route is showing no signs of slowing down in popularity, especially with it officially becoming a National Trail in 2026. Having now lived here in Cumbria for nearly three years, and with still so much of the Lakes and Cumbria to explore, the first half of the Coast to Coast, our Lakes and Mountains itinerary, was the perfect option for this year’s walk for me and my partner Damien.
We walked the CCL8 itinerary, our longest itinerary on this section of the Coast to Coast. After previously walking the first section of the Thames Path from Kemble to Oxford (TPW6), and the second section of The Ridgeway from Goring to Aldbury (RGC6), both of which were great introductions to daily long-distance walking for two people who hadn’t previously done it before, we felt the CCL8 was the perfect step up.
But after talking to a few friends and family, I was starting to wonder if we had made the right choice and whether we had bitten off more than we could chew. However, it gave us the perfect opportunity to get out there and do lots of practice walks.
The start of our Lakes and Mountains adventure soon rolled around and, with our rucksacks full of snacks and clothing for every weather condition, we boarded the train in Carlisle and headed to St Bees for what turned out to be our favourite fam trip yet. Apart from the obvious stunning views on a daily basis, it was also down to the people we met along the way, from the accommodation hosts to our lovely fellow walkers.
St Bees to Ennerdale
After a great breakfast, and packed lunch acquired, we headed out of St Bees and walked the short journey down to the start of the trail on the beach. We followed the tradition of collecting a stone to take with you on your journey, to be deposited once you arrive in Robin Hood’s Bay (our stones will have to wait a little longer).
It was a great start to the day. The sun was out, the tide had gone out, and the beach was filled with early morning dog walkers and other people starting their Coast to Coast adventure. There is a well-walked path up and out of the bay that takes you away from the beach and onto the cliff tops, with stunning views back over St Bees, and in the distance the Lake District, looking back at us – we realised the journey had begun.
The first part of the day you continue along the magnificent cliff path, which we learnt from the guide book is red sandstone and has been used for centuries in the construction of local buildings. There are plenty of places to stop and admire the bird life on the cliffs and just the general beauty of the area. It is the perfect introduction to this fantastic walk.
Ambling along the cliffs, the path starts to take you back inland through the village of Sandwith. From this point, the scenery and path changes to rolling farmland and meadows, with far-reaching views, and the mighty Lakeland hills getting ever closer. We passed through the village of Cleator and wandered our way up towards Dent Hill.
There are a couple of ways to do the next section, and a few weeks previously the woodland track up to Dent Hill had been closed due to fallen trees. We were informed, whilst we ate our tasty packed lunch at the bottom of the path, that the woodland path had re-opened. So, after a welcome break in the shade, we worked our way up the woodland track to Dent Hill.
After a steady climb up, and getting the first real opportunity to admire where we started from that day, you are soon greeted ever more so by the Lakes in front of you from the summit. As the guide book describes, there is a rather steep walk down Raven Crag Hill, which is described in the guide book as “Just about the steepest path on the whole of the Coast to Coast.” But during the walk through Nanny Catch, you soon realise, it was all worth it.
It’s not too long before Ennerdale Bridge, the end point of our first day, was in sight. We soon reached our accommodation and, after some welcome refreshments and a shower, we had the opportunity to wander around the village and discuss what a great first day it had been.
Ennerdale to Rosthwaite
After a hearty bowl of porridge and packed lunches collected, we were soon heading off on day two. The weather was not quite as nice as the day before; it was overcast and drizzly as we walked our way towards Ennerdale Water. We got the briefest glimpse of a red squirrel running across the road, which was a lovely sight to start the day. The woodland soon opens up to the shores of Ennerdale Water.
Here there are two ways to go along the shores of the lake. There is again a forestry track, or the route we chose, the one the guide book suggests, which at times is a bit of a scrabble, but you understand why, as it also offers the best views. Whilst we started the walk in the mist, drizzle and general moodiness, by the time we’d reached the end the sun was burning its way through the cloud to offer stunning views back along the lake.
We then proceeded to cross over the River Liza, where you join up with the forestry track that runs down the other side. It is a nice woodland walk up out of the valley. We were soon joined by a couple of fellow walkers that we’d met over the last couple of days and spent a bit of time with them as we walked our way past YHA Ennerdale.
We were greeted by the sight of a lone deer, which was wandering its way along the woodland paths before disappearing off into the thicker trees. We reached one of the main points of the day, which is YHA Black Sail, which I have heard so much about, and so to be able to finally understand its position, and why people are so keen to spend time there on their Coast to Coast walk, was special.
We enjoyed a quick bite to eat with some more fellow Coast to Coasters before heading out. The path takes you away from YHA Black Sail and up the side of Loft Beck. This is certainly one of the steepest climbs of the day, but the views at the top across Buttermere and Crummock and beyond were stunning. The sun was just breaking through, which made it all the more breathtaking, and it was the first day you truly realised you are now very much in the Lakes.
Based on the comment in the guide book about it rarely being a clear walk down, we had the sunshine on our side for the descent down to Honnister. We had a brief toilet and snack stop at Honnister Slate Mine before winding our way down the valley towards Honnister.
Before we started the walk I had hoped that the weather would be kind to us, to offer some amazing views of the valleys and hills that surrounded them. Today we’d been treated to these hoped-for views on more than one occasion. We passed through Seatoller and reached our home for the night in the village of Rosthwaite, and enjoyed some refreshments and a delicious dinner in the sun.
Rosthwaite to Grasmere
After another delicious breakfast we got ourselves ready to head out on our adventure across to Grasmere. We chose this itinerary as it broke up the day from Rosthwaite straight through to Patterdale, which you can do on some itineraries. So today was one of our shorter days, but the walk turned out to be one of my favourite days on the trail.
You start out along a lovely woodland path next to Stonethwaite Beck, and it is a lovely way to start the day. You steadily climb out of the valley with the amazing hills like Eagle Crag keeping you company as you continue up. There were many times on the walk up where we just stopped and turned around and admired the views from where we’d just come from.
Overall, the first section of the day is fairly steady and a lot kinder than the day before up Loft Beck. But you do find yourself with a bit of a scrabble as you work your way up to Lining Crag. Once you are up there you are again greeted with more amazing, far-reaching views, and you know you are truly in the Lakes now.
As you start to descend over Greenup Edge Pass, notes in the book say it is boggy, but we were lucky and it wasn’t too bad. They are also putting in stone pathways which make for lovely walking, and as the fells around Grasmere start to come into view we decided it was time for another perfect packed lunch as we watched the views.
We continued our walk down towards Grasmere and had again been trying to decide whether we should take the high route that the guide book suggested or stick to the lower route. It was a tough choice, and even as we started our descent we couldn’t quite decide whether we’d made the right decision. In the end we decided to stick to the low route, which is no doubt just as impressive as the high route, with stunning views as you walk down the valley with entertainment provided by a family of buzzards.
We soon found ourselves in the welcoming buzz of Grasmere. We were joined by Damien’s mum and dad in the evening and treated them to a meal, before one last drink and then getting ready for the next day.
Grasmere to Patterdale
After a great night sleep we were ready for another day, and it was a nice way to start the day with some of our fellow walkers over a communal breakfast, discussing the route from the day before and what was to come today.
It was soon time to set off with our trusty guidebook, and off to Patterdale we headed. Today turned out to be a bit hit and miss with the weather, and only a short distance out of Grasmere we were caught in a sudden sharp downpour. Thanks to the trees in full leaf we at least had a bit of shelter. It soon passed over and we carried on.
We set off with a decision to make, as today was another day where you had the choice of a high or low route. Today we had made the decision that we wanted to do St Sunday Crag. After deciding not to do yesterday’s high route, we were determined that today would be the day.
As we reached Great Tongue, the guide book gave us the choice of two routes to take to get to Grisedale Tarn. We decided to take what the guide book described as the steeper route. For the most part it was a steady grassy path up, with fantastic views looking back over Grasmere and the fells beyond. It does get steeper, but the views make up for it and you soon find yourself joining the alternative and slightly busier path.
We soon found ourselves at Grisedale Tarn, and the weather had turned again as the drizzle set in. By the time we reached the Brothers Parting Stone, the point where Wordsworth said goodbye to his brother, we had to abandon the idea of St Sunday Crag and just make the straightforward journey down into Patterdale.
Frustratingly, by the time we’d reached our accommodation in Patterdale the sun was shining and it had turned into a stunning evening. We sat in the grounds of our accommodation and enjoyed a well-earned beer or two in the sun, followed by a great meal in a nearby pub with some of our fellow walkers, before getting prepped for the big day tomorrow.
Patterdale to Shap
Today is the biggest day on the itinerary and it got off to a great start. After an excellent breakfast we set off in the sunshine with our trusty guide book, up and out of Patterdale.
The views today quickly overtook the rest to become my favourite views on this section of the trail, with stunning clear views overlooking Patterdale, Ullswater, and the mighty fells behind, with views over Helvellyn and the variety of valleys that made up the wider area. This was exactly what I was looking for when I wanted views.
As you steadily climb up and out of the valley we soon reached the picturesque Angle Tarn and were soon well on our way to Kidsty Pike, the highest point on the original Coast to Coast. It felt at times that you were looking down on secret parts of the Lake District and, after a couple of the climbs over the last couple of days, today had been a dream so far and definitely a final hurrah to the last few days in the Lakes.
After a quick pit stop we started the descent down to Haweswater. We chose the steeper descent rather than the alternative route, and whilst steep it was manageable. More so now that stone pathways are being placed, no doubt to help the strain on the knees as you make your way down.
We had our packed lunch on the quiet shores of Haweswater before we started the next part of today’s walk. With the fells left behind, you are forgiven for thinking that the hard work is done. The views as you walk down the side of Haweswater, which now sits on some small settlements that had to make way for Haweswater Reservoir, are fantastic. The reservoir was built to provide water for the city of Manchester.
The end of the reservoir is for the most part always in sight, but for quite a while doesn’t feel as though it is getting any closer. There are some steep ups and downs on the side of the reservoir, but you eventually feel the elation as you make it to the end and into the very picturesque village of Burnbanks.
The end of the day is almost in sight, but with weary legs we didn’t (well I didn’t) probably fully appreciate the beauty of the countryside, woodland, and moorland we walked through on our way to the village of Shap. On the outskirts of Shap you descend down to Shap Abbey, which sits proudly and is something I would like to go back and have another look at properly.
Shap was in sight. We worked our way through the fields and down into the village and found our home for the night. After a very welcome pint we went to the famous Shap Chippy and picked up fish and chips before a very early night and an excellent sleep.
Shap to Orton
In contrast to yesterday, today’s walk is the shortest on the itinerary. A lot of people walk straight from Shap through to Kirkby Stephen, and this was where we finally thought we were going to say goodbye to the people we’d met along the way, as most people we had formed a bond with were heading straight on to Kirkby Stephen, whereas we’d made the decision to stop at Orton for the night.
After a leisurely start to the day we set off, leaving the village of Shap behind and crossing over the M6 motorway, which was a strange scene after five days in the peace of the Lakes.
It is very noticeable in the change of the scenery today. You still have the views over to the Lakes and appreciate where you have come from, but you now find yourself in a more rolling moorland setting. With the hum of the motorway in the distance and the odd military jet buzzing by, we soon found ourselves close to the village of Orton in no time.
We ambled our way down the hill, which all seemed to time itself well as the weather was changing and wet weather was on its way. As we weren’t able to check into our accommodation for a few more hours, we struck lucky and found ourselves on a little afternoon excursion to Kendal, which again, despite now living in the Lakes for three years, neither of us had ever had chance to visit. So we spent a couple of hours wandering before catching the bus back to Orton.
Orton to Kirkby Stephen
So the final day was upon us, and we were feeling excited but also a touch of sadness that we were on our last day and wishing we were able to carry on to the end in Robin Hood’s Bay.
It was a bit of a drizzly day to start, and as we worked our way out of Orton and made our way through farmland, fields and out into the open moorland, all the time knowing that there were some amazing views out there but sadly we weren’t able to see them, but it also made up in peacefulness as we wandered through nature reserves and Sunbiggin Tarn and out on to Ravenstonedale Moor. We enjoyed another excellent picnic lunch, sat under a drystone wall, resting our legs and avoiding the drizzle.
We got a glimpse of Smardale Gill Viaduct, which added a change to the landscape, and the sun was starting to come out. Kirkby Stephen wasn’t a million miles away. The path now takes you downhill through meadows and under the railway. You soon find yourself on the outskirts of Kirkby Stephen and the end of our amazing Coast to Coast adventure.
As we made our way into the town, we had a celebratory picture and maybe a celebratory drink. We freshened up and got ready for our last meal of the week. We chose a local Indian restaurant, which I’d read lots of great things about in our client feedback, and by pure chance, when we arrived it appeared that there had been a mix up with the table time and they’d given our table away.
But all’s well, as they’d given it to two ladies who we’d started this adventure with back in St Bees and didn’t think we’d see them again before they carried on all the way to Robin Hood’s Bay. So we joined them and celebrated our finish and the next part of their adventure, and overall it was the best way we could have finished this trip.
So, after swapping numbers and saying goodbyes, we went back to our accommodation for our final night and to reflect on what an amazing week it had been.
So overall, we had an amazing week and are incredibly thankful to Mickledore for letting us get to experience this walk. After the initial nerves we had before we started over what lay ahead, this trip has opened so many locations along the way that we are looking forward to going back and re-exploring and finding new bits of it too.
We are both super excited to hopefully be able to carry on and walk the second half, hopefully in 2026, and drop our stones on the beach in Robin Hood’s Bay that we picked up at the start in St Bees. It truly was an amazing week, very much helped by the amazing scenery but also all the amazing people – both clients of Mickledore’s, accommodation hosts, and other fellow Coast to Coast walkers from all over the world.
For further information on the Coast to Coast and to book your 2025 adventure email us [email protected] or call us on 017687 72335 to speak with one of our walking holiday experts.
