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C2C Walking
Holiday Information
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.
Itinerary for your
C2C Walking 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.
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 walk 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)
Accommodation – located in the area of Borrowdale between Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite
A shorter stage today, but the ascent to the day’s only peak, Greenup Edge, is steep and demanding. The view from here is another iconic picture of the unique and beautiful landscape of the Lake District.
Overnight in pretty Grasmere where there is lots to explore including the Wordsworth Museum and the poet’s former residence, Dove Cottage.
Accommodation – located in Grasmere
All walkers climb up to Grisedale Hause with gorgeous views back towards Grasmere. From here, you have the option to go even higher and up the famous Helvellyn Peak with far reaching views across the Lake District before coming down Glendridding Common into Patterdale. Alternatively, take the direct route down Grisedale to the village OR another high option via Fairfield and St Sunday Crag.
Accommodation – located in Patterdale and nearby Glenridding
The day starts with another climb and 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 Walk, 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.
End the day in peaceful Keld, a former lead-mining village, with the Viking name.
Accommodation – located in the village
Today you will take the classic route over the upper a remote landscape of grouse moors, dotted with ruins from the lead-mining era; the guided route then deviates from the main C2C route to take you direct to the wonderful CB Inn.
Accommodation – The CB Inn in Langthwaite
Today’s more leisurely stage takes you across verdant meadows and through pretty villages. Take time to explore Marrick Priory, a 12th century Benedictine nuns’ monastery, abandoned during the 16th-century religious wars. Overnight in the pretty market town of Richmond, with its quaint cobbled streets and imposing Norman Castle.
Accommodation – located in Richmond centre
An easier, flatter walk again today, taking you across the Vale of Mowbray, through fertile farmland and along quiet country lanes, via Bolton-on-Swale and its 14th century St. Mary’s Church. Your final destination is Danby Wiske, a cluster of pretty houses huddled around the village green.
Accommodation – located in the village
Continue your approach towards the North York Moors National Park – and its hills! – along flat footpaths and farm tracks, passing brightly coloured rapeseed fields and sleepy livestock.
Accommodation – located in the villages
Walk through woodland then head uphill for superb views back to Richmond and ahead towards the North Sea. You are finally in the North York Moors National Park with its wide expanses of heather covered moorland, contrasting with the distinctive rocky crags of the Wain Stones. It feels like you are on a high fell, but the North York Moors is only 4-500m above sea level. Today’s stretch brings you across the plateau, 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.
Accommodation – located in the town
Start the day with a steep road climb up 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, walk 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 crossed England!
As you finish on a Saturday when accommodation in RHB stipulate a 2 night Stay, we opérate a minibús dedicated to the guided group to return you to Kirkby Stephen
Accommodation – in Kirkby Stephen
EXCELLENTVerified Excellent and well organised C2C A very well organised trip, Hayley and the team were very responsive and the accommodations chosen were all good, some excellent. The bag pick up and drop went very efficiently and overall I had a great time and would highly recommend Packhorse.Posted onVerified Lifetime experience. In August 2025 we did the C2C. Just wonderful: great walk, Packhorse/Hayley very professional, service minded and personal. All in all highly recommended! We thoroughly enjoyed this lifetime experience. Thanks Hayley, Packhorse team and all others involved.Posted onVerified Memorable Walking Holiday in an Extremely Beautiful Area This was a spectacular experience to celebrate our retirements. It was our first walking holiday but hopefully not the last. All the accommodations were really lovely with excellent breakfasts, the scenery was stunning, the people from around the world were so interesting and friendly, and Coast to Coast Packhorse did an outstanding job of providing support, especially during Storm Floris. I’m glad we booked with the local experts. Our bags were always waiting for us once we arrived at our lodging. Hayley was very helpful answering questions and setting us up with the gpx files. John, who shuttled us over to St. Bee's from Kirby Stephen, was a great driver and easy to talk to. Thank you to everyone for making this such a special vacation.Posted onVerified A brilliant experience with excellent support from C2C Packhorse that made everything manageable. We undertook this challenge as a 'Daddy-Daughter' adventure. We were joined by two other members of the family for 2 days/ 3 nights. We had an amazing time with great highs, some difficulties and a range of weathers but never had a cross word and we are so much closer as a result and both have a huge sense of achievement. The people, scenery, food and drink were wonderful and each part of the country has its own distinctive character.We would not have been able to do it without C2C Packhorse: they took the pressure off booking accommodation that was appropriate and actually had more 'nice touches' and little luxuries than I was expecting - we were really impressed. We met others walking who were unsupported and our days and journey distances were all in our control which was really important on the longer, tougher days: not everyone had this luxury. Transporting bags was really easy - as was pick up - a huge plus for us. More than this, on the days we were moving very slowly we had phone calls and welfare checks to make sure that all was ok and that we arrived safely. Support pre-booking and over the event was prompt and much appreciated. Huge thanks to Hayley and Kate for this and for working around our specific requirements: with my busy job I could not have put this trip together without them: the personal visit in Kirkby Stephen was a nice touch too. A highly recommended challenge made possible by a company with the right values.Posted onVerified Well organised adventure Just completed my Coast to Coast adventure. Originally, I approached Packhorse to just organise my baggage transfers and I was going to organise my own accommodation. I had tried with several companies but they wanted, what I considered, a ridiculous amount of money for a single supplement for a sole traveller. When I explained this to the Packhorse team they said their single supplement was no where near what I had been quoted by others. Packhorse quoted and I accepted. Accommodation, baggage transfers, maps and notes provided. The entire experience was fantastic from start to finish. A faultless display from Hayley and the Packhorse team. 10/10Posted onVerified A Beautifully Organised and Truly Memorable Coast to Coast Walk We had an absolutely fantastic experience walking the Coast to Coast, and we’re so grateful to Coast to Coast Packhorse for the excellent planning and support throughout.Walking across three stunning national parks on foot was a unique and unforgettable experience. Every day offered something new — beautiful landscapes, varied walking terrain, and welcoming places to stay.The accommodation was especially well chosen: a lovely mix of pubs, inns, lodges, and the occasional B&B — all either directly on the route or very close by. Arriving at a pub in the afternoon, settling in, and becoming part of village life, even just for a short while, was one of the highlights.We were constantly met with kindness, helpfulness, and genuine interest from hosts and locals — both where we stayed and on the trail itself.It’s also clear that the route is well maintained and appreciated. We walked 320 km and climbed around 9,000 metres, so a decent level of fitness is definitely helpful — but we enjoyed every step.Huge thanks to the team at Packhorse for organising such a smooth and memorable journey. Highly recommendedPosted onVerified Excellent Excellent service, great accomodation booked. Bags delivered as promised. Hayley was very friendly and helpful. I recommend Packhorse unreservedly.Posted onVerified Third Time with Packhorse and Highly Recommend! This is the third time I have walked the Wainwright Coast to Coast and have used Packhorse every time. The entire staff have always done so well for us both in communication and execution. On my most recent trip this month I had left a t-shirt behind at our hotel in Reeth that had some sentimental value. A quick message to Hayley in the Packhorse office and it was found and delivered to my next day's stay. Brilliant! All of the accommodation Packhorse booked for use were excellent and made for a wonderful end to a long day's hike. Oh and my son LOVED the C2C bandana! Highly recommend!!!!!Posted onVerified Packhorse is on top of everything Five stars all the way for Packhorse and the support they gave my group of five on the Coast to Coast in May/June. Hayley somehow managed to keep track of our custom itinerary, 19 days, 15 different b&bs, one of us only walking half the route, some of us sharing rooms and some not, etc etc. Lots of detail to track and I fully expected some minor bumps along the way, but she was 100% and so upbeat and positive. We even had to be booked into a couple different b&bs last minute and that was no problem. The luggage gentleman (Ian) was on top of it. Because my husband was driving the route, I occasionally didn't leave my bag with the others to be picked up in the a.m. - my bad on that, because it throws off the count, of course. But Ian would always follow up with the inn owner to figure it out and make sure he wasn't leaving something behind. The price was incredibly reasonable, given all the service they provide. They did a nice job of mixing in some very nice places along with the more moderate. I believe all provided bag lunches for a small fee, which made it very easy, as there weren't many places to stop on the routes we took. Hayley even visited the B&B in Kirkby Stephen to say hello, and brought her son along, as they were planning to hike a part of the route that day. Lovely surprise. We didn't use the map book or online maps they provided, as we had worked out our routes well before we went (as everyone should - there are many options). We loved the Packhorse buffs they gifted us, though. Would absolutely use them again. As for the Coast to Coast itself, it's a forever memory now. Among the most meaningful adventures of my life. The Lake District is certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth, although my favorite for pure serenity would be the windswept North York Moors. Here were my faves among the B&Bs, in case that's helpful.Glaramara Hotel, SeatollerOld Water View, PenrithKeld Lodge, KeldWillance Guest House, RichmondAshfield House, Danby WiskeLion Inn, Blakey RidgeLee-Side, Robin Hoods BayVerified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
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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