Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Path

The Coast to Coast Path cuts across England from St. Bees on the Atlantic Ocean to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea, which also happens to include some of the most famous and scenic areas in the whole of England.

The trail is the brainchild of Alfred Wainwright in 1973, and since there are actually a few trails that stretch from one coast to another, this route is sometimes referred to as Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Path to distinguish it from the others, but this is the typical one most people think of when they hear about a coast-to-coast route.

The trail runs through three national parks: the Lake District National park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North York Moors National Park.

It is already one of the most popular long-distance trails in England given the scenic beauty of the moors, but it has been an unofficial and mostly unsignposted trail—at least until 2022 when it was announced that the Coast to Coast Path would become an official National Trail. They have been working to bring the trail up to National Trail standards with upgrades and signposting for an official opening date in 2025.

This hike covered the trail in 2024, the year before it officially becomes an National Trail. There are a few reroutes and new signage in place, but in this virtual walk, you can see what the trail looked like before its official introduction as the UK’s next National Trail.

There is one extra stage to this route—a bonus stage that is not part of the Coast to Coast Path. I decided to follow the Cleveland Way from the (official) end of the trail at Robin Hood’s Bay onward to Scarborough, enjoying the scenery and history found along the North Sea shore.

It might not be part of the official trail, but it should be if you ask me! Most walkers are content not to include the extra day of hiking, but of course, since I had the time and the weather was good, I had to push onward! I think you’ll be glad I did. =)

Hiking the Coast to Coast Path In Real Life?

For those of you interested in a real-life attempt at a Coast to Coast thru-hike, I’ve made the GPS tracks that I recorded during my hike available for free. Read more about how to download the Coast to Coast GPS tracks, and the caveats you should know about them.