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C2C Running
Holiday Information

An internationally renowned running trail and one of the most beautiful coast to coast ways in the world!

 

The iconic Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route offers everything you’ll ever want to experience in the Great Outdoors – from mesmerising views, tranquillity and connecting to nature to soaking up the sun and savouring this once-in-a-lifetime journey – you can have it all!

 

If you’re looking to break free from the indoors or the rat-race, or just want a true experiential holiday this is one for you!

 

We specialise in the Alfred Wainwright coast to coast route, and, with an Owner who’s been a lifelong fell-runner, we have all the expertise to put together the best running holidays. 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).

 

This running holiday allows you to fully explore and savour the experiences of discovering unspoilt hamlets along the way, (re)connecting to nature, explore the stunning British landscapes at your own pace, capturing breath-taking surroundings and truly living in the moment!

From £976 – 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
  • 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.

 

Free Runners Pack
All our running holiday customers also receive a free runners pack, including nutrition gels and bars, emergency bag and a pair of fell socks along with 10% discount for online purchases at Pete Bland Sports.

 

High Quality Accommodation
You will be staying in our personally selected and high quality, friendly accommodations. We curate a great range of country inns, guest houses, farmhouses and small family-run hotels for your trip, each visited by our team to ensure excellence. Delicious filling breakfasts are included with your stay.

 

Daily Luggage Transfers & Store
Our drivers travel the route each day on a consistent and reliable schedule moving your bag with care and professionalism from accommodation to accommodation, always ensuring it is there by 4pm (and often much earlier depending on location along the route). If you are coming to England as part of a longer holiday and have items you do not need for the Coast to Coast, we can store them safely and securely in our office for the duration of your trip and then drop off at your final accommodation.

 

Passenger Transfers
If you are unfortunately unable to walk on certain days due to injury or illness, our knowledgeable and friendly drivers will be there to pick you up with your bags and drop you off at your next accommodation, providing local insight along the driven route.

 

Secure Car Parking & Transport to the Start & Back from Finish
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.

 

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. 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).

 

Map Booklet
The Coast to Coast Map Booklet is the full route on Ordnance Survey Mapping at 1:25000 scale in an ideal booklet form. It fits perfectly into your hand whilst walking or running and is what we use when on the route! We also supply you with the GPX file of the route if you have an appropriate navigation device.

 

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, evening meal and travel insurance for you to choose and pay direct.

 

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.

 

St Bees – 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. Approximate rail journey time from Manchester to St Bees is between 4 – 4.5hrs depending on connections. It is always best to buy your rail ticket in advance – see www.nationalrail.co.uk or traveline.info

 

Kirkby Stephen – 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 by 8.15am prompt. You can also travel to Kirkby Stephen by train – it is on the famous Settle-Carlisle railway line.

 

Robin Hood’s Bay / The End of your Trip – If you want to come straight back to Kirkby Stephen when you finish your trip, bear in mind that the Packhorse bus departs at 4pm latest from Robin Hood’s Bay. You will need to decide whether you want another night at 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 major international airport. Travel there by bus or taxi to Scarborough station (we can arrange the taxi on your behalf) and then by train. Total journey time is approximately 3.5 – 4hrs. If your onward travel is heading north then you may find train from Whitby station to be the best option. This is approx. 20min by bus or taxi from Robin Hood’s Bay. See www.nationalrail.co.uk or traveline.info

After an exhilarating day walking, cycling 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
  • 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: £976

Days: 8

Type: Non-Guided

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C2C Holiday

Itinerary for your
C2C Running 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.

Arrival in St. Bees via train – routes available from all major airports.

St Bees includes St Bees Head, the most westerly point of Cumbria, on the coastal strip between the Lakeland fells and the Irish Sea. It has a history going back over 1,000 years and has been a popular holiday destination for over 150 years.

Accommodation – available in the town.

OR Arrival in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
This option is recommended if you are driving and from more than 90minutes away.

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. Attractive local walks to loosen your legs after your journey.

Accommodation – a good selection in the town.

If you opt for staying in Kirkby Stephen then you will take our minibus departing at 08:00 from our secure car-park. This arrives in St Bees by 10:00.

Before setting off this morning, follow the tradition of all coast to coast walkers, and collect a stone from the beach in St. Bees, which you will carry to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea.

Set off along the coast before turning inland towards the village of Sandwith. Once you’ve passed through the sleepy villages of Moor Row and Cleator, you reach the first climb of the trip – Dent Fell – before descending into the delightful Nannycatch valley before arriving at the small village of Ennerdale Bridge.

Accommodation – available in the village

You are now in the Lake District National Park and the day starts with a run along Ennerdale Water with superb views of the approaching fells.

From here, you have a choice: either go high up to Red Pike and over High Stile onto the iconic Haystacks and past Inominate Tarn (where Wainwright’s ashes were scattered) or follow a gentler route up to Black Sail Youth Hostel and then up Loft Beck. Both routes take you to Honister Slate mine – the last working slate mine in England – before a descent into the village of Rosthwaite followed by Stonethwaite (both located in the Borrowdale Valley)

Then it’s the seocond major ascent of the day up to Greenup Edge. This is a steep and demanding climb. The view from here is another iconic picture of the unique and beautiful landscape of the Lake District. Then it’s an initially technical and steep descent into Easedale before the gradiente eases and you run down into pretty Grasmere. Plenty to explore including the Wordsworth Museum and the poet’s former residence Dove Cottage, if you’ve the energy and time remaining.

Another day of two major passes. The first comes almost immediately up to Grisedale Hause. Gorgeous views back across Grasmere and surrounding fells. From Grisedale Hause, you will probably want to take the most direct route down Grisedale into Patterdale. You do though also have the option to go even higher and up the famous Helvellyn peak or St Sunday Crag – with far reaching views as far as Ullswater – before coming down into Patterdale.

Then it’s the second major climb of the day leading to impressive panoramic views across to Fairfield, Helvellyn, Hartsop and Kirkstone Pass. You continue beside Angle Tarn, across the old Roman path of High St and onto Kidsty Pike – at 780m, the highest point on the Coast to Coast, from where there are amazing views down to Haweswater and Riggindale. Descend to Haweswater – formed in the 1930’s to provide water to the cities of the North West – for an undulating onward walk through the charming village of Bampton and continuing past Shap Abbey, the ruins of a monastery founded in the 13th century. The monks abandoned it to Henry V111 in 1540 and since then it has served as a memory of a bygone era. A short distance to the village of Shap.

Accommodation – located in Shap village

The route from Shap crosses into the Westmorland Fells in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From here, the vistas change from dramatic granite rocks to an open limestone landscape as you continue past the tiny village of Orton. Continue through open countryside with occasional villages, remote houses and secluded farms – and a wide panorama towards the distinctive Howgills and the distant Pennines (tomorrow’s challenge!). Pass Smardale Bridge, a stunning piece of Victorian architecture from a long-gone railway. Then it’s on into our home town of Kirkby Stephen, with its welcoming pubs, cafes and restaurants, in the heart of the lovely Eden Valley.

Accommodation – located in Kirkby Stephen town

Leave Kirkby Stephen via the picture postcard village of Hartley, then the route gets hillier once again as you climb up and over the Nine Standards – a very distinctive feature on the fell, where Cumbria crosses into Yorkshire and the watershed between the Irish Sea and the North Sea meets. Then past Ravenseat, which has become well known as the home of the Shepherdess Amanda Owens, and onto peaceful Keld, a former lead-mining village, with the Viking name.

From here the route initally follows the river Swale and through stunning Swaledale, with its traditional stone barns and drystone walls. After Guinnerside there is a climb up onto the moor before a long descent to Healaugh and final flat run beside the Swale again into Reeth, another quintessential Dales village with cosy pubs.

Accommodation – located in Reeth town

A day of two halves – first is still in the Dales with nice climbs and descents across verdant Meadows, through pretty villages and woods, the second is completely flat across the Vale of Mowbray. In between is the pretty market town of Richmond, with its quaint cobbled streets and imposing Norman Castle.

Then through fertile farmland and along quiet country lanes, via Bolton-on-Swale and its 14th century St. Mary’s Church. Into Danby Wiske – a cluster of pretty houses huddled around the village green.

Accommodation – located in the village

More flat running across fields for the first few miles. Then into the North York Moors National Park with its wide expanses of heather covered moorland, contrasting with the distinctive rocky crags of the Wain Stones. Quiet a bit of up and down, even if you never go above 500m above sea level. Today’s stretch ends with 9mile along the route of an abandoned mine railway above Farndale to The Lion Inn pub. Originally a 16th-century hunting lodge, it’s the third highest pub in England and the only building for miles around.

Accommodation – at The Lion Inn or a short transfer to others in the surrounding area.

The finale is an epic. Leaving Blakey Ridge across across ruged Danby High Moor, around Great Fryup Dale and into Glaisdale. Into an ancient woodland to get up and down into the pretty village Egton Bridge. Take the chance to cross the stream by the old millpond using the distinctive stepping stones, through the Egton Estate into attractive and peaceful Grosmont (pronounced ‘Growmont’), one of the stops on the famous North York Moors steam railway.

Further climbing onto the moor before descending into beautiful Littlebeck – but not before catching a glimpse of the sea and the breathtaking Whitby Abbey! Through Falling Foss woods with its hidden follies, run over the last section of the Moors. The final stretch takes you from High Hawsker along the top of the Jurassic cliffs – with stunning coastal scenery and the sight of a dolphin if you’re lucky. There are gorgeous vistas of Robin Hood’s Bay as you descend to this beautiful old fishing village. On arrival, don’t forget to throw your St Bees’ stone into the North Sea. Congratulations – you’ve run across England!

Accommodation – located in Robin Hoods Bay town

Depending on your Travel arrangements, you will either make your own way (bus or taxi) to Scarborough Station for trains OR enjoy a day at leisure in Robin Hood’s Bay or Whitby before catching our minibús back to Kirkby Stephen at 16:00. This usually arrives back at around 18:00 and so you may wish to consider adding an extra night in Kirkby Stephen if you have a long way to drive home.

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C2C Run

Chat with our team

Are you dreaming of booking one of our amazing walking holidays along the coast to coast and have some questions for our team? We’d love to have a chat about our hiking staycations and help to plan a totally bespoke journey for you. Fill in the form below and our team will be in touch as soon as possible. Thank you.

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“This is something to be lived, not read about. On these breezy heights, a transformation is wondrously wrought within you. Your thoughts are simple, in tune with your surroundings; the complicated problems you brought with you from the town are smoothed away.” Alfred Wainwright