Hiking the Coast to Coast - Trail Guide
A Guide Written from the trail
Created from first-hand experience of walking the Coast to Coast three times in different seasons, this guide combines detailed route directions with hundreds of original colour photographs, mapping and research into the landscapes, history and places encountered along the way.
The photographs draw upon all three crossings, capturing the changing character of the route at different times of year. Woven through the practical guide is the story of the author’s first Coast to Coast journey with his wife, Carol, providing a personal thread through the landscape and revealing something of what it actually feels like to cross England on foot.
Carol resting beside the monumental cairn on Thornthwaite Crag — a quiet moment during our third Coast to Coast crossing.
Following the Route
High on Hartley Moor, the Coast to Coast crosses open blanket bog where the best line across this particular section can vary with the season and ground conditions. Here, a signpost directs walkers along three local alternatives — each of which the author has walked and photographed. The guide follows the Coast to Coast stage by stage, drawing on first-hand experience of the route, its local variations and the landscapes through which it passes.
Walking the Route on the Ground
Step by Step
Each stage is described as a continuous journey, with detailed directions through the places where decisions have to be made as well as the easier stretches between them. Junctions, changes of direction and significant landmarks help the walker relate the written route to the landscape unfolding around them.
Three Routes Across Hartley Moor
On Hartley Moor, the Coast to Coast passes through an extensive area of blanket bog. Three colour-coded routes — red, blue and green — are indicated across the moor to help spread footfall and reduce erosion and disturbance. Each follows a different line for around 3–4 miles before the routes come together again at Ravenseat in Whitsundale.
Following the Landscape
The Coast to Coast follows the southern shore of Ennerdale Water, where the narrow path threads between the lake and the steep ground rising towards the surrounding fells. Across the water, the Red Pike and High Stile ridge forms part of the mountain skyline as the route leads deeper into Ennerdale. Throughout the guide, photographs accompany the written directions, helping to place each stage within the wider landscape through which the walker is travelling.
More than Directions
The Landscape Around the Path
The Coast to Coast passes through landscapes shaped by geology, farming, industry and centuries of human occupation. The guide looks beyond the line of the path to identify the mountains, valleys, rivers, settlements and other features that give each stage its particular character.
History Along the Way
Research within the guide explores many of the places and features encountered along the route, from prehistoric monuments and historic buildings to mining remains, old tracks and nature reserves. These articles provide the background to places that might otherwise be passed without their stories being known.
Stories in the Landscape
The High Bride Stones stand among the heather of the North York Moors, close to the Coast to Coast route. Like many features encountered along the trail, they are easily seen but their history and significance are less immediately apparent. The guide looks beyond the path to explore such places, drawing together research into archaeology, history and the changing landscape so that walkers can understand more of what they encounter along the way.
Mapping and Online Companion
Mapping the Journey
Mapping accompanies the route descriptions throughout the guide, providing a visual reference for each stage and helping the walker relate the written directions to the wider landscape. The mapping works alongside the photographs and route text rather than replacing the detailed directions.
Beyond the Book
The guide is supported by coasttocoast.uk, an expanding online companion containing detailed articles, original photography and additional material from along and around the route. It allows subjects introduced in the book to be explored in greater depth before, during or after the walk.
Take the Coast to Coast Guide With You
Available on Apple Books — £12.99
Hiking the Coast to Coast combines step-by-step route directions, interactive mapping, hundreds of original photographs and information about the landscapes, history and places encountered along the route.
© 2026 Roy McKee · Coast to Coast
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