Coast to Coast Path: West Cumbria

Sunday 23rd August 2026

In May this year I did a walk across the West Highlands of Scotland on a trail that I had devised myself in an attempt to do something that evoked the same feelings I had after doing the Cambrian Way across Wales last year. I failed. If I had been looking in England for a trail that has similarities to the Cambrian Way then I would have quickly thought of the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast Walk, which both also take a predominantly higher level route across the country. I have done both before, in stages, but the Coast to Coast was made an official national trail this year, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to do the whole trail, if only to see what changes have been made to bring the path up to national trail status. So, I set off for the Cumbrian coast and the village of St Bees and, after spending the night there, I made my way to the start of what is now officially named the Coast to Coast Path, however, when it was originally devised in 1973 by Alfred Wainwright it was called “A Coast to Coast Walk”. He started the trail from the sea wall at St Bees and forty years later a large marker wall was built near the sea wall to clearly show the starting point of the trail, however, the national trail technically starts further inland at the entrance to the car park, near a bus stop. The trail initially follows the coast around St Bees Head, but last winter part of the coastal path was washed away and so now, at the starter wall, a sign points you in the opposite direction to Wainwright’s route and back towards St Bees.

Before starting the trail I headed onto the beach to allow my boots to be ceremonially washed by seawater, while taking in the view on this sunny morning until finally I set off along the national trail. It is frustrating that I wasn’t able to follow the proper route for the first few miles, so I actually considered headed off along roads to the coast north of the closed path so I could do as much of the trail as possible, but eventually I came to my senses and followed the diversion past St Bees School and through the valley of Pow Beck until I reached the Coast to Coast Path near Stanley, which is already six miles into the trail, so this diversion is actually a great time saver! I am often guilty of pushing myself too far, when the most important thing for me to do is to simply enjoy myself, being outdoors and not rushing. The path descended to cross the railway line, under a bridge, which was not how Wainwright originally devised the Coast to Coast Walk. I am fascinated by all the changes that have been made to the trail over the years and originally it crossed the line by a level crossing until Wainwright received an angry letter from British Rail in 1990 demanding that this was not a right-of-way. Beyond there, after crossing several fields of rough pasture I reached a disused railway line where the national trail turns onto what is now a cyclepath. When Wainwright devised the Coast to Coast Walk the railway was still active, so he took the trail through the village of Moor Row, but this is now bypassed.

The cyclepath was lovely to walk upon being lined with tall trees and avoids the roads until eventually I came off, which was well signposted by the national trail, back onto the original route, following Wainwright’s footsteps past a cricket ground and into Cleator. After crossing the River Ehen an enclosed path brought me to Black How Farm and, after crossing a road, onto a forestry track up the only hill on this stage of the trail: Dent. I had been enjoying the effortless walking on the flat, but soon the benefit of ascending revealed itself in the views back across West Cumbria to the coast while I slowly toiled up the track. The national trail has moved the Coast to Coast Path back onto Wainwright’s original route, sticking to the track, before crossing a fence, to move away from the trees, slowly climbing all the way up to the cairn that is usually considered as the summit of Dent. There, with others also resting at the top, I had my lunch while looking at the view ahead of me towards the Lake District, even though it was spoilt by clouds. The descent was moved in the revised edition to Wainwright’s guidebook onto the southern slopes of Dent before the later, second edition moved it back to Wainwright’s route down the eastern ridge, but now the national trail has adopted the revised edition route so that is how I descended, down steep forestry paths until I reached a quiet valley with a pretty, little stream running through it: the Nannycatch Beck. After the effort of climbing Dent this was a welcome respite for me and a lovely walk followed, crossing many well-built bridges, probably thanks to the national trail.

Eventually I reached a road where a path beside led me safely into the village of Ennerdale Bridge where Wainwright ended the first stage of his Coast to Coast Walk, however, I was not done and on the other side I encountered a new path, built thanks to national trail status that led me to the shore of Ennerdale Water. There the national trail offered me a choice of going around the northern shore of the lake, or to take the much rougher, southern shore, which was Wainwright’s route so that was where I went. I was now in the familiar territory of the Lake District with the awesome high fells that line the valley further ahead, so, despite being very tired, I eagerly set off along the path. I had not done much walking over the summer due to the hot weather, which is not the best preparation for a long distance trail, but I was enthralled with this great, little path that runs beside the lake, which even includes a shot of scrambling over Robin Hood’s Chair. It took me a long time to walk the whole length of Ennerdale Water and then I had just a short distance left to finally take me to the Ennerdale Youth Hostel. I was surprised by how tough I found this first day on the Coast to Coast Path, possibly because of my lack of lengthy walking over the summer, but I was glad to have now done this first stage of the trail as I had not previously been through West Cumbria, though it is frustrating to have not been able to walk around St Bees Head.