From Tarnflatt Hall, newly worked green fields rise towards the coastal ridge, where St Bees Lighthouse appears above the farmhouse roof. Beyond, across the Irish Sea, the distant Manx peaks of Snaefell and Beinn-y-Phott break the horizon — a last look west towards the coast as the Coast to Coast begins its journey east across England.

From the mountains and lakes of the Lake District, the Coast to Coast enters the limestone valleys and open uplands of the Yorkshire Dales before reaching the great heather moors of the North York Moors. Three National Parks, each with its own character, are joined by a single trail across northern England — a landscape that changes almost continuously from one coast to the other.

The Coast to Coast is more than the line beneath your feet. From the high ground of High Street, the view falls into the Riggindale Valley beneath the crags, with Harter Fell and Branstree rising beyond. Throughout this website, the main route and related circular walks explore these surrounding mountains, valleys and ridges from different perspectives — revealing the wider landscape through which the Coast to Coast makes its journey.

The Coast to Coast threads through Whitcliffe Wood on its approach to Richmond, beneath a canopy touched by autumn colour. Sunlight filters between the trees and dapples the woodland floor, while below, glimpsed through the foliage, the River Swale winds quietly through the valley.