Coast to Coast (St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - Ultra / Adventure racing

caterpillar girl

30/04/2010 at 14:00

It has been a bit of a tough year so far. I've already lost one friend to cancer with another currently in a hospice and one having a mastectomy today. All of them very young.

I wanted to do something positive for them so myself and a friend are going to run the Wainwright Coast to Coast route in August to raise as much money as possible.

Is there anyone on the forum who has run or walked the route previously and would be willing to share their knowledge and insights with us? We will be camping each night and have worked out a provisional itinerary but aren't sure if it is doable.

Also, any thoughts on training for this event would be helpful. We are both seasoned runners with lots of fell running and marathons under our belt.

Nick L

30/04/2010 at 14:05

I was looking at doing this over Easter, but there was 4ft of snow on the side of hellvellyn - so i didnt.

Get the Herveys maps - can get them on Amazon and ebay.

Look here....

http://www.coast2coast.co.uk/faq.php
and particularly here....

http://www.walkingenglishman.com/coast2coast.htm

PLenty of places to 'wild camp' although across the lakes there are hostels too, which can often be quite a nice bit of comfort.

When you get to Robin Hoods, there are bus services to Whitby (goto Magpie Cafe for rgeat food)...or catch the bus to Scarborough....where you can then get more transport links.

STU -

30/04/2010 at 14:10

The Magpie is absolutely brilliant

Hey -good luck CG If you need any training to a stint for us (we are taking the long way 'round) www.coastersgb.co.uk

Good luck

Stu

Nick L

30/04/2010 at 14:13

I would add that carrying a load (i ended up running on the Thames path) will give your feet more punishment. So perhaps fell shoes might not be best...somethig with a little more cuchioning perhaps...some trail shoes. There are some fair road bits in some sections.

I had worked on doing 30mi/day - so 20 should be fine.....use a run/walk strategy and stick to it.

caterpillar girl

30/04/2010 at 14:18

Hoose - That is absolutely amazing.

Nick - Thanks for information. Hope you are able to reschedule at some point.

Nick L

30/04/2010 at 14:24

Im sure I will CG - the hervey maps are really really good with regards to transport links, services in villages etc.

Travel as light as you can though..it will make a huge difference. I would say PM me if there is anything you would like to know, but as I havent done it little I can offer in terms of advice. I had booked train tickets and everything, but bailed the day before as the weather was awful.

Good luck and I hope you raise lots - I had a message from someone this morning whose mother has just had a tumour re-appear after a really successful treatment and is being operated on as I type. Its shit it really is.

cheryl craven

30/04/2010 at 14:31

I started doing this last year but had to start due to injury - wasn't running but walking. I had booked all accomodation along the way and had a bag carrier so only had to carry my day sack.

Be warned wild camping only allowed in the lake district area if you are caught in north yorkshire you will be asked to leave the area and they will wait until your packed up (rangers and farmers) you could ask farmers for permission along the route. Remember there isn't many stopps for food so if you are going to wild camp remember you have to carry your provisions with you along with tent, waterproof clothing.

Alot of the YH were full along the route, I started planning this in the Feb/Mar ready to walk beginning of June. So remember you might have to go the extra few miles to get somewhere to sleep.

My husband and I also did the LyKe Walk over 2 days and carrying our ultra lite weight tent and supplies it was still hard going especially when the weather turned nasty.

Have a back up plan for injuries. When I got injured I still had to deal with a grumpy accomodation owner. Flag a taxi down to take me to the nearest major train station (no mobile reception in area and the nearest phonebox was half a mile away) just so I could get back home in Yorkshire. I couldn't walk more than 50metres.

I know it sound abit gloomy. I would do it again because meeting all the people along the way were friendly and helpful.

PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!

STU -

30/04/2010 at 14:38

thank CG and what you are doing is amazing too

. A challenge and an 1/2 I would say. Quite rough in parts but enjoy it

Nick L

30/04/2010 at 14:42

most YHAs will allow you to camp in their garden if you ask nicely.

cheryl craven

30/04/2010 at 14:53

Not when they are full of school children! Alot of the YHAs were full in the lakes with school parties on outward bound courses.

Nick L

30/04/2010 at 15:10

not sure i would want to be at a yha (again) if it is full of kids. I was once in langdale (high close), and it was bloody noisy

30/04/2010 at 18:25

We walked it last year - it was great (but very wet!!) We used a compnay called Packhorse Coast to Coast who booked everything for us and moved our bags. They were absolutely brillinat and even if you are camping they will just move your bags for you and deliver them to the campsite (if you have one! there are a few on the way and some pubs have camping in the back garden). A couple who were camping and carrying mega-packs contacted them after a few days and put one pack on the bus so they are flexible. There are some pretty steep climby bits to get over and I definitley wouldn't want to have been carrying very much weight. We did it in 13 days and the longest day was about 21 miles. Good luck

m..eface

pirate

06/05/2010 at 22:19

I may have done it once or twice, and some parts quite a bit more than that - didn't always have time to do all of it.

PM me your itinery, and whether you want to wild camp.

Is your game plan to stick to wainrights route - or just follow the rough plan.

In a hotel tonight so don't have all my notes.

1. You can make seatoller in a long day (26 miles), or wild camp not long after black sail hut.

2. Red Tarn (below St. sunday Crag) (missing out Grasmere by using the ridge)

3. Shap (Bulls Head Inn)

4. Kirby Stephen (Campsite)

5. Reeth (Campsite)

6. Danby Wiske (White Swan)

7. Blakey (Lion Inn)

8. Littlebeck/Hawsker

9. RHB

Would probably work quite well.

Dave

m..eface

pirate

06/05/2010 at 22:56

And wild camping isn't legal in the Lake District.

Nor is it strictly illegal, a civil matter rather than criminal, and unlikely to result in the police being called.

Quite a few pubs allow camping in the garden, there are quite a few campsites on route as well. Even some tea shops can be quite accomadating. There are loads of facilities on the Coast-2-Coast. Wait till you try a walk in remote country. The C-2-C goes through a village at least once or twice a day.

There are also numerous spots for wild camping (in the Lakes and Yorkshire) none of them are legal. However if you put your tent up late and leave early then I have never been asked to move. I have been known to have dinner in a pub, a few pints, clock up another 3 miles and then camp around 9-10pm. Depart around 6-7am. Leave no mess, have no fires, make no noise. Do not camp on the village green, the farmers best field or someones garden.

Dave

cragchick

06/06/2010 at 18:42

This sounds a great challenge for a great reason. I did the Dales Way a few years a go with a friend of mine, we were walking with backpacks and she was new to the concept, but she joined the Backpackers Club before we went and we found a load of farms listed that didn't take the usual suspects (often we were the only tent and the facilities were pretty basic), on one occasion we camped for free because we had arrived on foot, so that might be worth a thought. I've wild camped loads in the Lakes and never been asked to move, but then we have usually been quite high up and therefore way out of 'civilisation'. Although I do agree, it's not strictly legal.

Dustin

09/06/2010 at 12:04

Hi,
This is on the to do list, but did manage to walk the Pennine Way (N to S) last year in 10 days so have some idea what is entailed.
If you are carrying all your stuff then you need to travel light: as much as walking boots are better, I felt more comforatble in trail shoes. If you are using a baggage service then take both and alternate, certainly helps with wear and tear on the feet.
On wild camping - yeah its questionable as to leaglity, but saw a number of wild campers and like cragchick says if you're out the way you won't get noticed/moved on. Did stay a couple of nights in a YHA, and found it fine. Was so knackered I could have slept thru any amount of noise.
Planning is also the most important thing: we drew up a schedule and barring one day when we had to cut short by 4 miles (which made the next 4miles longer..) but add in contingency plans and 'get outs' if need be. We used offical guides , took the Wainwright books, a compass, and I like the Trailblazer series. Think they do have GPS signalling now, but to me thats cheating. You want to be on a mountain side with the o/s blowing away and trying to get a compass out the bags with soaked hands...

Training wise (I've done about 15 marathons) I just did loat of miles, trying to get out every day with back to back longer runs at the weekend, averaged about 50 miles a week I reckon.

Enjoy it!

caterpillar girl

09/06/2010 at 14:45

Thanks for info everyone.

We have planned out our route and have managed to get to campsites each day. We've got the Wainwright guide plus the Harvey's strip maps and we're having one big bag with most of our stuff delivered for us each day. I am running 10 miles most days plus 16 - 20 on Sunday so am hoping this will be enough.

Interesting point about walking boots as I hadn't considered them to be honest- I was going to take trail shoes for the Lake Distict and road shoes (dependant on how dry it is) for the rest.

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