I Walked the 200-mile Coast to Coast Trail in England—Crossing 3 National Parks in 2 Weeks

Walk across England? The idea intrigued my wife, Ann, and I. We had recently wrapped up our careers and long-distance scenic hiking was becoming a satisfying retirement activity. We accepted the challenge, packed our bags, and flew to London.

The trail, called the Coast to Coast Walk, is an established national pathway that stretches from Saint Bees, a village on the western seaboard, to Robin Hood’s Bay, on the east coast. The 190-mile trail traverses three national parks and is one of the most popular long-distance hikes in England.

The itinerary we researched online laid out our path in sections, all but one ending at a village with accommodations and a pub. We gave ourselves two weeks to cover the distance.

Our trek began at Saint Bees, surrounded by green pastures, rocky beaches, and light brown bluffs. Ann and I walked along the beach as the waves of the Irish Sea lapped alongside us. In keeping with a tradition associated with the walk, I picked up a beach pebble and put it in my pocket, intending to carry it cross-country and depositing it on the shore of the North Sea.

We climbed Saint Bees Head, following a reddish-brown footpath, and were rewarded with a commanding view of the coast before proceeding to make our way to the Lake District.

Lake District National Park

The Coast to Coast Walk offers varied scenery and routes: dirt trails through the forest, gravel pathways, stone walkways, lakeside footpaths, and, occasionally, a country road.

I was struck by how lush the countryside was: green meadows, forests, and hillsides.

We walked beside ancient stone walls separating pastureland, some of the walls traversing hills and valleys, sometimes forming a patchwork. I imagined the work involved in building these rock walls, as my eye followed them over one hill, then another, then another.

We hiked along Ennerdale Water, the westernmost lake in the district. Climbing above Ennerdale’s rocky shoreline, we were in the land of writer Beatrix Potter, and it felt magical. We continued to gain altitude and could see the ribbon-like trail rising ahead of us and crossing the next hill, and the next. The climbing felt gradual, but when we stopped and looked back, we were struck by the view,  spotting picturesque upland lakes tucked in between hills, turning 360 degrees to take it all in.

I understood why the Lake District is one of the most popular destinations for Brits when they want an in-country holiday. We skirted more mountain lakes and began our descent toward the Dales.

Yorkshire Dales National Park

My mind’s eye picture of rural England is shaped by movies such as “Pride & Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.” I imagined expansive emerald landscapes rising and falling in the distance, and that’s exactly what Yorkshire Dales presented: rolling green hills with pastoral dales in between.

The national park is characterized by gently rising hills with low-growing vegetation, as well as forested areas where stone bridges arch over small rivers. The trail meandered along creeks and the occasional waterfall. We saw more farmland, the view in the distance appearing like a quilt with different shades of green.

Ann and I crossed a number of sheep pastures, opening wooden gates or scaling low stone walls to the sound of an ewe calling after her baby sheep.

The Coast to Coast Walk avoids cities, and the villages we did encounter felt quaint, complete with postcard-worthy homes featuring stone walls and slate roofs. The transition would take me by surprise. One moment Ann and I were hiking through a forest or meadow, then suddenly navigating a paved street. It was civilization, but on a small scale.

The terrain began to flatten, allowing us to see even further into the distance: We were entering the Moors.

North York Moors National Park

The low-growing vegetation characteristic of the Moors is gray-green, rust-brown, and even purple in places. There are grasses, mosses, and different types of heather: plants that do well in peat soil, alternating with forested areas.

Our lodgings on the trail tended to be small country inns, homes offering bed-and-breakfasts, or pubs with upstairs rooms, which made it easy to meet other travelers—some from Britain, others from abroad. After a day of hiking, Ann and I would enjoy a pint in a neighborhood pub, seated among locals whom we would invariably meet. These pubs were friendly, low-lit places typically sporting signs that read, “Families and four-legged friends welcome.”

Staying at a bed-and-breakfast often meant spending the night in someone’s home, so the experience—the way we were greeted, how we were looked after—felt more intimate and personal than staying at a hotel in London. Another down-home feature was the option of buying a packed hiker’s lunch the next morning before we started.

Experiencing the English countryside also means sampling a full English breakfast, known as a fry-up. The full breakfast typically included eggs, toast, tea, an assortment of meat, and sides of baked beans, stewed or fried tomatoes, and mushrooms. I was impressed, but with a full day of hiking ahead of us, we tended to cut back a bit on the breakfasts.

Ann and I continued hiking eastward until, off in the distance, we spotted the North Sea. With feelings of relief and triumph, I reached into my pocket and felt the stone. We hiked along steep, magnificent cliffs, which angled down to the seashore, approaching Robin Hood’s Bay, the end of our journey. We did it.

Looking back, we experienced a wonderful variety of landscapes crossing the width of northern England and, upon reaching the east coast, felt a real sense of accomplishment while gazing out over the North Sea.