Coast to Coast Day 0: Ready to Start after a fine visit to Ulverston.

We have made it to St. Bees! If you want to know why we are here, scroll down to where I explain this “Coast to Coast” adventure we are doing to walk across England, which starts here in St. Bees.

We left Houston on Friday evening, leaving our houses, pets, and plants under the watchful eyes of Ashlynn, Brooke, and Jett (with many thanks!) We were blessed with a journey that was as uneventful as possible with a 9-hour flight to London Heathrow and then a 4.5-hour taxi to Ulverston in northwest England. Ulverston is where we used to live on the edge of the Lake District and it was great to spend some time catching up with old friends. It was also a great opportunity to go up “Hoad Hill,” which is our favourite daily walk, and a chance for us all to try out our gear on a hill in the English weather, and the wind did not disappoint. After a fine lunch (thanks for everything Mark and Sarah!), we took a train along the coast for an hour to St. Bees. Having checked into The Manor Inn, the pub we are staying at, we headed to the starting point of the walk by the beach. Back at the hotel, we were lucky to catch a Sunday roast dinner before calling it a day and getting a good night’s rest before our 14-mile day tomorrow!

What is the Coast to Coast? It is a journey across England from the west to the east coast. It includes some of the most scenic areas in England as it passes through three national parks: The Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales, and the North Yorkshire Moors. Alfred Wainwright, a famous hillwalker, published a book describing the approximate 192-mile route, but he encouraged people to do the walk in their own way and to enjoy their time in the hills. While the fastest known time to complete the journey is under 40 hours, we are planning to enjoy the trip over 18 days including 2 rest days (in Grasmere and Richmond), which averages 12 miles of walking a day. The 19 hours of daylight give us plenty of time each day, but the weather will be unpredictable. It will be up to our guide (Peter!) to ensure we all complete each day intact. We are staying in small pubs or guest houses that are on the route which have an average of about 5 guestrooms. It is hillier at the beginning of the walk in the Lake District which will challenge us early, but the hills can also be more scenic.

We are looking forward to first leg tomorrow of 14.5 miles from St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge.

This page is linked to from my England’s Coast to Coast home page.

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