C2C Cycling
Holiday Information

The Coast to Coast cycle stretches from the beach at St Bees on the Irish Sea coast to the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea. It is the classic long-distance off-road ride in the UK.

 

This ride is 180 miles long. It is a fantastic way to see northern England and how the landscape changes sometimes abruptly, and then more gently as you cycle along.

 

There is so much to see, the Cumbrian Lakes and Fells, the beautiful Dales, the expansive heather-clad Moors and the picture-postcard villages. Along the way you should find plenty of time to visit tea shops, pubs and interesting historical and industrial sites. There are some big hills as well, but the rewards are immense! The weather of course can do anything, but you will generally be pedaling with the wind at your back.

 

The Coast to Coast is a special route and the enjoyment of it can be further enhanced by careful planning to fit your own unique requirements, aims, fitness, experience, and any time constraints.

 

We will help you draw up the itinerary that is right for you with the flexibility to book on any date throughout our season (from 1st April- 20th October 2024).

From £592 – The price is per person and based on twin sharing rooms.

 

Optional Extras

The below optional extras incur a supplement:

  • Pre-start accommodation in St Bees or Kirkby Stephen
  • Post-finish accommodation in Robin Hoods Bay or Kirkby Stephen
  • Single occupancy rooms – single supplement of £45 per night
  • Bike Hire – We have good relationship with Dales Cycle Centre and Eden E-Motion and can facilitate your hiring of a bike – electric, mountain-bike, hybrid or road. We shall collect and return the bike on your behalf.
  • Additional rest days – Adding an extra night will change the price to that for the new total number of nights in the package. For example, from 14 to 15.

We specialise in coast to coast tours, and that means we can deliver a deluxe experience.

 

High Quality Accommodation
We have an unrivalled working knowledge of all the accommodations along the Coast to Coast. We only use those which provide a high quality experience, not just in terms of facilities, décor and food but also their service and understanding of the requirements of long distance cyclists. The places we use are a mixture of small country hotels, inns, guest houses & farmhouse B & B) that are located on or close to the route (we do not place our customers a distance away from the route). We also look at the entirety of your trip so you can experience the different styles of high quality places and find no two nights are the same.

 

Car Parking in Kirkby Stephen
We have a secure (locked) car-park at our operating base in Kirkby Stephen, where you can leave your car for the whole duration of your trip. We will then transport you to the start in St Bees and bring you back from Robin Hood’s Bay. You can also access your car when you pass through Kirkby Stephen.

 

Passenger Transport

  • Kirkby Stephen to St. Bees
  • Robin Hood’s Bay to Kirkby Stephen
  • Back up passenger transport to the next route location where required
  • PSV registered and fully insured vehicles driven by our fully qualified, safe and courteous drivers.

 

Maps & Guide Books
We include the GPX (for Garmin / smartphone devices) and google earth files of the various route options. We can also supply other guide books and maps at cost (with an additional post and packing charge current at time of order). These include the Harvey Maps.

 

Assistance Pre & Post Trip
If you need assistance or advice on anything related to your trip then we will happily help and can arrange for you. For example, finding train tickets from the airport, hotels in Manchester, and taxis from Robin Hood’s Bay (purchases are all additional expenses).

 

Detailed Information Pack
We have written and produced a comprehensive guide to your Coast to Coast Holiday covering all the things you should need to know to prepare and pack for your trip. It also includes details of what to expect and look out for along the way and the services to be found in each village (such as cash points, banks, shops etc), as well as the times to expect your bag(s) to be picked up and delivered each day. Alongside the Pack is a full colour guide and location map for the accommodations so you can easily find them and read our suggestions on places to eat in the evening. You also receive your own bespoke Personal Itinerary setting out all the details of where you are staying, daily distances, and any other specific arrangements for you. These are all emailed to you several weeks in advance of your trip in PDF format so you can carry on your tablet or smartphone (we advise this over paper versions).

 

Support From Us
We’re available 7 days a week and not just in office hours to help you with any query or request either prior to or during your wonderful trip. Don’t forget we are the only local and the only specialist Coast to Coast holiday provider. Meaning we can freely give you any insights into the route, we will meet you as you pass through, we can even look outside our window to tell you exactly what the ground conditions are like and what the weather is doing.

Our packages covers all of the things you will need, with just your lunch, bike hire, evening meal and travel insurance for you to choose and pay direct.

 

Cycle Hire
We have good relationship with Dales Cycle Centre and can facilitate your hiring of a bike – electric, mountain-bike, hybrid or road. We can also collect the hire bikes and return them afterwards on your behalf if you hire through us.

 

Evening Meals
Tasty options throughout the walk including country pubs, restaurants, bistros, and local takeaways (look for our suggestions in your Info Pack). Allow around £20 – £25 per person for a two-course meal.

 

Lunches
Your appetite may change along the route as you adapt to the challenges and you may have special requirements, which is why we avoid choosing your lunches for you. As with evening meals, there are often many great local options to choose from and in any case your accommodations can provide a packed lunch (which you simply order on arrival). Allow around £5-£7pp for a full packed lunch including sandwich, snacks and drink.

 

Travel Insurance
We have developed a partnership with the leading travel insurance company Citybond – part of the TIF plc group. They provide a comprehensive range of travel insurance offering high levels of cover for medical emergency, repatriation, personal baggage, cancellation and much more. This partnership grants you 10% discount on their policies when you give the unique referral code C2CP10. To see more please click here.

Planning your Arrival / Departure

Bus links – Train Links

 

Which airport is closest to route?
The closest ones to the start and finish (and hence easiest to travel to/from) are Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

 

How to get to St Bees from Airport (applies whether London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow)
Train to Carlisle then local service to St Bees

 

Stay up to date with the latest route conditions, closures and diversions

 

Travel Advice to St Bees, Kirkby Stephen and from Robin Hood’s Bay
We recommend that you have suitable and adequate travel insurance that includes cover should you have to cancel your holiday/booking or abandon after you have started.

 

The Start

  • If you are travelling from overseas you might find travelling by rail directly out to St Bees and back from Robin Hood’s Bay your easiest option. In this case your first night will be at St Bees rather than Kirkby Stephen. Manchester is the nearest international airport and there are rail stations at Whitehaven and St Bees on the west coast.
  • If you are travelling by car, your easiest option is to drive up to Kirkby Stephen, centrally situated just off J38 of the M6. Here you can spend your first night before parking your car in our secure pound in the morning and taking the Packhorse Minibus out to St Bees to start your Coast to Coast journey.
  • If you live close to Kirkby Stephen and can get to us by 8.00am – you could drive directly to us, leave your car and catch the minibus departing at 8.20am prompt.

 

The Finish

  • Cycling across the country from the Irish Sea to the North Sea in a few days is a major achievement and one we recommend you savour at the end, rather than rushing off home. Robin Hood’s Bay and the surrounding area is a lovely place to relax in (or keep active if you desire). From having a cold beer or two overlooking the beautiful bay, wandering around the village or sitting on the beach to being a bit more active and walking the coastal path 8 miles to Whitby (and bus back). For a bit more riding (of a more genteel nature) take the Cinder Track – a converted 21 mile old railway line from Whitby to Scarborough through Robin Hood’s Bay – traffic free and never more than a mile from the sea.
  • If you want to come straight back to Kirkby when you finish your trip, bear in mind that the Packhorse bus departs at 4pm latest from Robin Hood’s Bay. To catch it therefore we suggest you cycle from no further away than Osmotherley on your last day.
  • You will need to decide whether you want another night in Kirkby Stephen before setting off home, or whether you want to jump straight into the car and head off at 6.15pm when the minibus gets back.
  • If you are travelling from overseas, Manchester is the nearest international airport and Scarborough (East Coast Mainline) the nearest rail station on the east coast.

After an exhilarating day walkingcycling or running along the Coast to Coast, the right accommodation is essential. Welcomed into a friendly, clean, comfortable and characterful accommodation to stay is an absolute must. We are very demanding in the standards we expect for our customers.

 

Our accommodation hosts are our trusted and valued partners in ensuring you have a special trip. From 400-year-old cottages and farmhouses, through family-owned country inns and colourful guesthouses, there are over 130 places we use and visit frequently.

 

We look at your overall trip and curate it so the places you stay give you a full flavour of the styles and characters to be found on the Way. No two consecutive nights may be the same as far as the physical surroundings go, though the warmth of the welcome, quality of the lodging & food and facilities to dry your kit are a constant.

 

With over 130 places, it’s a little hard to list without some key omissions! We take your nights and mornings seriously, and so do our accommodation choices.

The below optional extras incur a supplement:

  • Pre-start accommodation in St Bees or Kirkby Stephen
  • Post-finish accommodation in Robin Hoods Bay or Kirkby Stephen
  • Single occupancy rooms – single supplement of £45 per night
  • Bike Hire – We have good relationship with Dales Cycle Centre and Eden E-Motion and can facilitate your hiring of a bike – electric, mountain-bike, hybrid or road. We shall collect and return the bike on your behalf.
  • Additional rest days – Adding an extra night will change the price to that for the new total number of nights in the package. For example, from 14 to 15.

Book Your Coast to Coast Adventure

Secure your booking with just a £100 deposit today.

Want a more bespoke Coast to Coast trip? Create your own adventure here.

Coast to Coast Packhorse is part of PHSV Ltd. Your booking contract will therefore be with PHSV Ltd and your payment will be made to PHSV Ltd.

Key Information

Price from: £592

Days: 4

Type: Non-Guided

C2C Holiday

Itinerary for your
C2C Cycling Holiday

Dedicated to the Coast to Coast route devised by fell walker Alfred Wainwright, C2C Packhorse has served walkers and cyclists across this route for many years. Based at Kirkby Stephen, close to the trail’s halfway mark, the Packhorse provides a comprehensive range of services, thus creating a supportive backdrop to your self-guided trip.

Our minibús departs our secure car-park at 08:00 and will have you in St Bees by 10:00.

Having dipped your wheel in the sea, the ride rolls out gently for the first few miles on quiet lanes as you approach the Lake District with views over Ennerdale Water. You then then you pedal around Loweswater and into Buttermere before tackling the first big hill of the day over Honister Pass (330m) with cracking views to Dent Fell, Grey Knotts and Borrowdale. It is then a fast and undulating descent through Borrowdale into Keswick and then up out by Castle Rigg towards Thirlmere where you can take advantage of the lovely cycle-only lane beside the reservoir and down to Grasmere. (Maybe a quick divert in here to look around or have a café stop before the Sharp climbs and descent beside Loughrigg to Skelwith Bridge and into Ambleside. Then it’s the next epic climb up the Kirkstone Pass with The Struggle at the top. Amzing views from the top, then it’s a steep descent down towards Patterdale and your overnight stop.

Accommodation: In Patterdale or Glenridding

A continuation of stunning scenery and quiet lanes. Initially along the shores of beautiful Ullswater into Pooley Bridge. Then more quiet country lanes through the village of Askham (part of the Lowther Estate) and Bampton then into Shap (maybe with short detour to visit the historic Shap Abbey). The views of the imposing Howgill Fells come as you crest the divide between Lake District and Westmorland Fells dropping into the pretty village of Orton. More café and chocolate temptations here before the last section across Sunbiggin fell and through Soulby before entering Kirkby Stephen.

Kirkby Stephen is our home town and a place we are very proud to be in. It is a lovely traditional small market town with nice friendly cafes, small galleries, shops, cobbled yards and quaint corners, along with really good pubs.

Accommodation – a good selection in the town.

A day of contrasting terrains – the first half is very hilly, the second half almost completely flat. A start of choice between two equally beautiful though hilly routes, both converging in Reeth.

One option is via the villages of Winton and Barras before the long cloimb up to the famous Tan Hill – the highest pub in the UK. From here it’s a super rolling ride through Arkengathdale with the amazing views across the North Pennines and real sense of wilderness, before reaching Reeth.

The second option features an almost immediate climb up Tailbrigg to the watershed and county border into Birkdale, across the wild grouse moors before reaching Ravenseat and the start of the River Swale. Beautiful Swaledale is then your companion all the way to Reeth passing the traditional stone barns, walls and meadows this área is particularly famed for.

From Reeth the route rises up on a quiet lane through Marske and above Whitcliffe Scar before final descent into the pretty market town of Richmond, with its quaint cobbled streets and imposing Norman Castle. Out via Easby, with opportunity to visit the Abbey, and Brompton on Swale, onto the quiet and popular cycling lanes through the Vale of Mowbray passing villages also on the walk, like Streetlam, Danby Wiske and Osmotherley, the latter being the overnight location.

Accommodation: In Osmotherley

Start with a climb up past Cod Beck Reservoir before descending the village of Swainby. Quiet flat lines at the bottom of the Moors escarpement brings you into Great Broughton and more flat quiet lanes through to Kildale before you have a superb roller coaster through the National Park. Glorious descents and some steep climbs passing across the heather-clad moors and through the traditional and picture-postcard villages like Commondale, Castleton, Egton and Grosmont (the latter with the famous N York Moors Steam Railway, now also synonymous with Harry Potter as well as Tom Cruise). The last section towards Robin Hood’s Bay gives you both excellent views across to the North Sea and Whitby Abbey as well as a few more roller-coaster climbs and descents. The final one brings you right down into Robin Hood’s Bay and onto the beach to dip your wheel in the sea again!

Then it is a return to Kirkby Stephen on our minibus departing at 16:00

Accommodation – in Kirkby Stephen

Coast to Coast Packhorse is part of PHSV Ltd. Your booking contract will therefore be with PHSV Ltd and your payment will be made to PHSV Ltd.

Chat with our team

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“Oh, how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this; the scenes that delight the eyes, the blessed peace of mind, the sheer exuberance which fills your soul as you tread the firm turf? This is something to be lived, not read about…” Alfred Wainwright