Follow Alfred Wainwright’s classic Coast to Coast trail, hiking from the Irish Sea at St Bees to the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay, crossing three spectacular National Parks: the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North York Moors. From wild fells and high passes to rolling moors and charming English villages, this is one of the world’s great long-distance walks.

In 2026, the Coast to Coast was designated a National Trail in England. Recent work across the route has focused on improving paths, enhancing safety and introducing consistent waymarking. Walkers can now follow the trail more easily than ever, with new signage marked by Wainwright’s distinctive initials: AW.

With over 50 years’ experience running walking holidays along the legendary Coast to Coast, Walkers’ Britain & Europe offers the most trusted and rewarding ways to complete this iconic route. Our long-standing relationships with local hosts, guesthouses, and suppliers mean you’ll enjoy smooth logistics, warm welcomes, and expert local knowledge every step of the way.

Choose between a guided walking holiday, led by experienced leaders who bring the trail to life, or a self-guided Coast to Coast hike, with navigational app, luggage transfers, and accommodations all arranged by our expert team.

Walk the entire route in one epic journey, or split the trail into two manageable halves. Itineraries range from 8 to 18 days, with flexible daily distances to suit your walking style. Along the way, enjoy stays in cosy inns and B&Bs we know personally and trust.

Don’t forget to take part in the Coast to Coast Passport scheme. Collect stamps at pubs, cafés and accommodations for a memorable keepsake that supports local businesses and celebrates your achievement.

Let our decades of experience and excellent local partnerships make your Coast to Coast walking holiday truly unforgettable.

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Find your Coast to Coast trip

GALLERY

We did it! Robin Hood's Bay Coast to Coast | Jon Millen
We did it! Robin Hood's Bay Coast to Coast | Jon Millen Group Shot! Robin Hood's Bay - Coast to Coast | Jon Millen Hiking the Coast to Coast from Borrowdale to Grasmere | Fiona Marshall Meeting the local B&B owners, Coast to Coast A Taste of the Cake District (the Lake District) | Tegan Pereira A happy group on the Coast to Coast | Fiona Marshall Hotel in Cleator Celebrating the walk English Breakfast Swaledale sheep Finish at Robin Hood's Bay Pulling a pint in Keld

Coast to Coast highlights

 
 

Why travel with us

Local Knowledge of the Coast to Coast

We place great emphasis on researching, planning and crafting the best itineraries of the Coast to Coast trail to ensure you get the very best experience out of your trip. We believe relationships are important and have been working with our accommodation owners and local suppliers for years. This means that they know exactly what our travellers expect.

Great Value & Quality Coast to Coast Trips

Our active holidays along the Coast to Coast are well priced offering great value for money. Included in your package are comprehensive route notes, maps & guide books along with bag transfers and locally run accommodation. When you book, your walking or cycling trip will be fully organised by a dedicated member of our in-house team, so you will always know who you are dealing with. We take the stress out of organising your Coast to Coast trip.

Coast to Coast Walking Specialists

We have have been operating active self guided and small group walking holidays for over 45 years. We handle all the necessary logistics so that you can relax and explore England's Coast to Coast trail.

Guided Coast to Coast Walking Specialists

Walker's Britain has a number of highly trained and experienced walking guides that look after you on a selection of guided Coast to Coast walking holidays. Each of our carefully selected and licensed guides bring diverse experience in mountain/expedition guiding, adventuring and all things outdoors. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of Wainwright's famous trail bring to life the flora, fauna and history of the regions you walk through and they are also on hand to tailor the trip to your interests and ensure your holiday runs smoothly.

Responsible travel

 

Supporting Local

In the regions that we travel tourism is the main source of income for many local people. We support them by only working with local family run hotels and suppliers so your money supports the community that hosts you.

Paddock to Plate

The paddock to plate across the UK and Europe is one we encourage by choosing to work with accommodations that source produce from local farms. This provides you with fresher meals and ensures your money directly assists local economies.

Accommodation

Hotels

Often family run, these charming hotels range from 2 to 4 stars and provide access to local living thanks to your hosts. The hospitality is generous and their local knowledge is invaluable. Where possible, we choose locations that add to your experience.

Bed & breakfasts (B&Bs)

Simple yet rich in local character, the B&Bs chosen along the Coast to Coast route are clean, comfortable and run by hosts that help add to your experience.

Guesthouses

Similar to bed & breakfasts, these family-owned accommodations are clean and comfortable. Rooms with en suites generally have a shower but no bath due to space. There may be a separate room with a bath tub.

Country inns

Enjoy the cosy English country setting and convenience of staying in a comfortable place that is attached to a restaurant or pub, usually on the ground floor with the rooms above.

Leaders in the field

Mark Watson

Mark has travelled all his life. As a teenager he would go to the French and Swiss Alps, climbing and walking the high passes with friends. "I summitted Mont Blanc at 18." In recent years, he has worked as a guide travelling to destinations in Europe and beyond.

Mark enjoys meeting new people who share the same passions or are from new cultures, and together experience first-hand varying landscapes, flora, fauna and history.

In his home country he has discovered the Coast to Coast walk, which spans the breadth of England. "This walk never stops fascinating me and is different every time I go. It brings together in one walk many diverse cultures, different scenery and is a favourite of mine."

Mark believes it's really important to stay fit for these trips and to prepare in advance as much as possible. "I am lucky as I can easily get out on the fells where I live in Cumbria. This keeps me hill fit." To be active travel ready, Mark suggests reading up on your itinerary and country. Understand a little local lingo and know what to expect about the food and lifestyle, so you don't get any surprises. Look at the terrain you will encounter, think about your personal strengths and weaknesses and do a little extra fitness work before going out.

Jon Millen

With over 25 years of experience in active adventures, John's travels have taken him to a multitude of countries including Tanzania, Belize, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Kenya, Russia and Botswana. Jon began leading Walkers' Britains' trips in 1991, resulting in a strong sense of the outdoor activities that Europe has to offer. He is energised by exploring different environments and physical challenges and spends much of his spare time on mountaineering trips, cycling and walking in the Yorkshire Dales.

Jon has hiked the Coast to Coast no less than 28 times with Walkers' Britain groups and is our resident expert on the intricacies of the trail! No one knows it, and the lovely people we work with along the way, better.

Daryl Cavanagh

Daryl has an active job, guiding various groups on walks and other activities which keeps him fit.<null /></p><p>Active and adventure travel has taken him to some amazing places. The experiences and memories can never be taken away, and these will remain with me for the rest of my life. Getting away from busy life helps me relax - the feeling of stillness being on the side of a hill or mountain, and just enjoying the view is priceless.<null /></p><p>Daryl thinks the Coast to Coast is a great walk, showing the best of, and the variety within, the British countryside.<null /></p><p>"No adventure completely goes to plan, that is the nature of adventures, so enjoy it all - even the bumps in the road. Take plenty of photos but also put the camera away and enjoy the environment - the memories will last."

Mike Simpson

Active travel fascinates Mike because there is always something new to see, feel, hear or smell. Yes, smell, he loves the smell of damp Lake District fells. He has done the Coast to Coast over 12 times now, and every time is different. You also meet different people with hugely different outlooks and everyone is brought together by a common urge to travel and explore.

Most of all, Mike thinks, active travel is life affirming and immensely good for you - the health benefits of simply walking are wonderful.

"I'm always mindful of how lucky I am to do what I do and to have travelled as much as I have in my life."

Malcolm Wade

Malcolm started his guiding career by leading overseas expeditions to third world countries combining travel with project work. He enjoyed it so much, that he now leads walking holidays in the UK with Walkers' Britain.

Malcolm's travel advice: "Take every day as it comes and reflect every evening on what you have learned about yourself and the area you are in. We are all here for a finite time, and reflection is sometimes forgotten. The other piece of well used advice is that there is no such thing as bad weather – just wrong clothing and even in the worst weather, there is always something to enjoy and remember."

Trip reviews

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Discover England's Coast to Coast with Walkers' Britain & Europe

Essential information

Currency

Pounds Sterling

International Dialing Code

+44

Electricity

Electricity in England is 230 Volts, at 50 hertz. The most common pin type is G (UK – 3 prong).

Visas

Nationalities that are visa-exempt, such as Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and US Passport holders who are travelling to the UK on or after 8 January 2025, will need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). For European passport holders this applies from 2 April 2025. The best way to do this is to download the app - UK ETA - from the App Store or Google Play. Ensure you download the correct app - it has a crown as its logo. There is also an option to apply online but this is not the preferred method. It costs £10 to apply. Everyone travelling needs to get an ETA, including babies and children. see https://www.walkersbritain.co.uk/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-uk-eta for further information.

Safety

Your safety is our number one concern. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine. Our leaders in the field are highly trained and have safety as their number one priority. Expert leaders, risk assessments, quality inclusions and your financial security all come standard when you travel with us. Please refer to our Travel Advisory page for updates on recent events, travel warnings and advice. We strongly recommend that all clients take out travel insurance at the time of booking to cover against sickness, accident, loss of baggage, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements and travel disruption, emergency evacuation, cancellations, etc. Insurance information is enclosed with your pre-departure information. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a quote for your trip duration. We suggest that you consult your doctor, local government inoculation centre or a travel medical specialist in order to get the most current advice regarding vaccination requirements. Money and valuables should always be stored safely when travelling. Keep your passport with you at all times and do not leave it in your main luggage. You will need it to change money and check into hotels. Where safety deposit boxes are available, we recommend that you use them. Keep jewellery and valuables to a minimum.