Coast to Coast: St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay

Stage routesUnited Kingdom

Coast to Coast: St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay

295 km across England sea to sea: Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors in two weeks.

On foot · Stage by stage · 295 km · 14 stages · 2 min read

What the Coast to Coast is like

It crosses northern England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay, through three national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is not waymarked end to end, so the GPS track matters more than on the Camino.

The first three stages, in the Lake District, hold much of the climbing and are where groups tend to split; the moors at the end are flatter and longer.

Key facts

TypeOn foot
Distance295 km
Total climbing8,041 m
Start and finishSt Bees → Robin Hood's Bay
On foot14 days, 21 km a day on average
By bike6 days, 49 km a day on average
When to goMay to September. In April and October the moors are boggy and daylight is short.
Pick your stages

From where to where?

The whole route is 14 stages. Pick where you start and finish: always in a stage town.

Usual: 14 days.

KEAGO MAP
ⓘ© MapTiler · © OpenStreetMap contributors
Route profile295 km · 14 stages
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Altitude of each stage town; each stage's climbing is in its details.

14 days, 294.6 km and 8,041 m of climbing: about 21 km a day and 13 nights on the way.

  1. St Bees → Ennerdale Bridge24 km · 815 m D+Eat: Pubs in Rosthwaite and Grasmere
  2. Ennerdale Bridge → Borrowdale24 km · 630 m D+
  3. Borrowdale → Patterdale23.5 km · 1160 m D+
  4. Patterdale → Shap24.5 km · 1105 m D+Eat: Bampton
  5. Shap → Kirkby Stephen31 km · 655 m D+
  6. Kirkby Stephen → Keld18 km · 630 m D+Eat: Muker
  7. Keld → Reeth18.8 km · 380 m D+
  8. Reeth → Richmond16.7 km · 375 m D+
  9. Richmond → Danby Wiske22.7 km · 173 m D+Eat: Farmland stretch: carry your lunch
  10. Danby Wiske → Ingleby Cross14.2 km · 100 m D+
  11. Ingleby Cross → Clay Bank18 km · 927 m D+Eat: Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge
  12. Clay Bank → Blakey Ridge14 km · 269 m D+
  13. Blakey Ridge → Grosmont21 km · 127 m D+
  14. Grosmont → Robin Hood's Bay24.2 km · 695 m D+

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How to plan it

It is about 295 km in 14 stages; with two rest days, sixteen. With mixed paces, start with short stages and go longer on the moors.

Beds are the bottleneck: in July and August B&Bs fill months ahead, so book them before travel. Bag transfers are booked stage by stage, and the way home is a bus to Whitby and a train from there.

Stages

  1. St Bees → Ennerdale Bridge24 km · +815 mEat: Pubs in Rosthwaite and Grasmere
  2. Ennerdale Bridge → Borrowdale24 km · +630 m
  3. Borrowdale → Patterdale23.5 km · +1,160 mUllswater and Helvellyn ridge
  4. Patterdale → Shap24.5 km · +1,105 mEat: Bampton, Orton (cheese and coffee)
  5. Shap → Kirkby Stephen31 km · +655 mLoki stone church and the river Eden
  6. Kirkby Stephen → Keld18 km · +630 mEat: Muker, Gunnerside
  7. Keld → Reeth18.8 km · +380 m
  8. Reeth → Richmond16.7 km · +375 mNorman castle and Georgian theatre
  9. Richmond → Danby Wiske22.7 km · +173 mEat: Farmland stretch: carry your lunch
  10. Danby Wiske → Ingleby Cross14.2 km · +100 mGateway to the North York Moors
  11. Ingleby Cross → Clay Bank18 km · +927 mEat: Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge, Littlebeck
  12. Clay Bank → Blakey Ridge14 km · +269 m
  13. Blakey Ridge → Grosmont21 km · +127 m
  14. Grosmont → Robin Hood's Bay24.2 km · +695 mAlleys down to the sea and fossils

One stage a day, town to town. Approximate distance and climbing: every GPX varies a little.

Frequently asked questions

How long is Coast to Coast: St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay?295 km in total, with around 8,041 m of climbing.
How many days does it take?14 days on foot (21 km average per stage); 6 days by bike (49 km average per stage).
Where do people usually sleep?The usual overnight points are Ennerdale Bridge, Borrowdale, Patterdale, Shap, Kirkby Stephen, Keld, Reeth, Richmond, Danby Wiske, Ingleby Cross. The stage table lists them section by section.
Where does Coast to Coast: St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay start and end?It starts in St Bees and ends in Robin Hood's Bay. You can start or finish at any stage end.
When is the best time to go?May to September. In April and October the moors are boggy and daylight is short.

In Keago this route becomes a plan: one card per stage with time and duration, the daily track, each night's accommodation with link and location, the meals, and both travel tickets where the whole group can see them. Everyone confirms and you know who is missing.

Create your account and keep building your Coast to Coast: St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay plan.

It is free and takes a minute.

  • Save the plan and pick up where you left off
  • Carry it on your phone, map and times included
  • Send it to your group with one link
  • Download the itinerary and the calendar
Create my accountI already have an account