Hill Walking in England’s Lake District and Yorkshire Dales
Western Half, Coast to Coast Path
May 21-31, 2007
Thanks for your interest in our UK adventure. Please
read the information carefully, and then contact us if
you have specific questions about this trip: John Lisker
at 617-244-1636, john.lisker@juno.com; or Sam Jamke
at 603-472-2536, samjamke@verizon.net.
Location
Alfred Wainwright conceived the idea of a coast to
coast path across England after walking and writing
about the Pennine Way—his goal was to create a trek across northern England over “kinder”
terrain. The ~190-mile walk has been somewhat modified from the original, but it still begins in St.
Bees on the Irish Sea and ends in Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea. In between, lie three national
parks of distinct individual beauty: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York
Moors. Our route will take us through the entire Lake District and end in the Dales at Kirkby
Stephen. We will traverse what most walkers feel is the most glorious section of the Coast to Coast
Walk, covering about 82 miles of the Walk, over some of the more challenging terrain the walk has
to offer. We will have three days of walking, a rest day in the bustling town of Grasmere, and four
more days of walking. We will climb from sea level to elevations over 2500 feet many times. The
Brits, in their understated way, call what we are doing hill-walking, not hiking, not climbing. Trust
us—it is hiking as we know it.
Typical Participants
This is a trip for experienced hikers who enjoy an active vacation. You should be fit enough to
walk 10-15 miles per day with a pack weighing 25+ pounds. Elevations gains will average about
2000 feet per day. Our accommodations will be comfortable, not luxurious. Because the route of
the C2C walk is quite rural in certain sections, there may be villages in which no single B&B is big
enough to accommodate our entire group, so we may be split between two or even three.
What to Expect
Our pace will be moderate so that we may enjoy the scenery, visit historic sites and gain an
appreciation for the country and people from which we Americans trace our heritage. We will see
stone circles, ancient churches, mountain tarns and spend time in the village of Grasmere, home of
poet William Wordsworth. We will stay in comfortable B&B’s en route, with full English breakfast
included each morning. We will be able to order packed lunches from most of the B&B’s we stay
at, buy food in local shops or stop at pubs along the way. Dinners may be on your own or in
groups. We will carry most of our gear and clothing with us each day, but each of us can leave up
to 10 pounds of clothing or gear in group duffels for transport to our rest day in Grasmere. After
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our day in Grasmere we can send excess clothing and gear to Kirkby Stephen where we will meet
up with it at our trip’s end. For those who plan to extend their stay and have additional baggage
they will not need during the walk, transport and storage at Kirkby Stephen can be arranged for a
fee.
Elevation gains shown in the itinerary below are estimates only. We may elect to deviate from
Wainwright’s precise route in order to climb a few additional summits. Mileages may also,
therefore, vary slightly.
Itinerary
May 21: Travel by air to England; arriving early the following morning. We haven’t yet identified
our preferred gateway airport; the most likely possibilities are Glasgow, Manchester, and London.
May 22: We will make our way by train from our
selected airports to St. Bees, where we will spend the
afternoon and evening getting acquainted and planning
final details for our walk. This historic little town dates
back to the year 650, when St. Bega, an Irish princess,
established a nunnery here. It was later destroyed by
Viking raids, but in 1120, Benedictine monks established
a priory nearby. A 400-year-old grammar school and
150-year-old railway link help to establish the character
of the town.
May 23: Perhaps we will follow the tradition of
dipping our boots in the Irish Sea before departing St.
Bees. The Isle of Man may just visible on the
horizon. The walk continues four miles along the
sandstone cliffs of St. Bees Head, where puffins,
kittiwakes, and guillemots can sometimes be seen.
Turning inland, we pass through a former coal and
iron ore industrial area before reaching the small
village of Cleator,
with its well-kept
cricket ground. The
mountain panorama of the Lakeland fells begins to open up, with
views across to the Scafell Massif, at 3208 feet England’s highest
range, only 11 miles away. A steep descent leads to Nannycatch
Gate, then a delightful valley walk and down the road into Ennerdale
Bridge, an unspoiled village where we’ll end today’s hike. (14
miles; 2500 feet of ascent.).
May 24: A day of lakeshore, forest, and mountainside, beginning
with a splendid ramble along the southern shore of Ennerdale Water,
the Lake District’s most westerly lake. Following are enticing place
names like Black Sail Hut and Moses Trod, as we ascend into the
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Lake District proper. Looming above us are peaks with names like The Pillar, Haystacks, Green
Gable and Great Gable. Then a steep climb up the scree along Loft Beck, a stream that descends
from Dubs Bottom, and a high walk with views of Buttermere Valley and Buttermere Lake below,
followed by Honister Pass and the descent to Borrowdale through Seatoller to Rosthwaite. (14½
miles; 1,800 feet of ascent.)
May 25: The day begins with a gentle walk along Stonethwaite Beck, a mountain stream running
along the dominating profile of Eagle Crag, before pulling up to the 2,000-foot pass of Greenup
Edge. From here, the view is filled by the immense switchback of the Helvellyn range, the Lake
District’s second highest range of mountains. A short descent is followed by an ascent to Helm Crag
(1,328'), then another descent to the Vale of Grasmere. Though this is a somewhat a shorter day in
mileage, there is relatively more elevation gained and lost. Our extra clothing items will await us
upon our arrival in Grasmere. (9 miles; 2,200 feet of ascent.)
May 26: A well earned day of rest may be spent shopping, visiting Dove Cottage (now a museum)
or Rydal Mount, homes of Wordsworth. This is a
touristy town, so we may get to spend some money on
something other than food or drink. See
http://www.grasmere.com/index.html for ideas and
attractions. Alternatively, Grasmere is in the midst of
superb day hike opportunities.
May 27: Another relatively short day gives us time to
enjoy the beauty of the surrounding lakes and fells of
the Lake District. We’ll climb up from Grasmere over
Grisdale Hause (1,936'), offering splendid views over
Grisdale Tarn and the foreboding ridge walk of Striding Ridge leading to the Hellvelyn summit. We
descend to the picturesque Patterdale Valley, dominated by the enchanting reflections of Lake
Ullswater, the Lake District’s second largest lake. (8½ miles; 1,800 feet of ascent.)
May 28: Our last full day in the Lake District reaches up to the highest point of our coast-to-coast
journey. Leaving the Patterdale Valley and waters of Lake Ullswater, we ascend to the old Roman
road of High Street. High Street was the Romans’ highest road in the country, reaching 2,700 feet,
and links the fort at Brougham, near Penrith, with Ambleside on the shores of Lake Windermere.
The impressive massif of High Street takes its name from this ancient route. We cross the old
Roman road and continue up to Kidsty Pike, at 2,558 feet the highest point of our walk. Descend to
Haweswater, where we walk about four miles along the lakeshore to Burnbanks, our stop for the
night. (11 miles; 2500 feet of ascent).
May 29: We leave Burnbanks and head for Shap, a village
best known for the ruins of its 12th century abbey. Having
now left the lakes and fells of the Lake District, we cross a
limestone plateau interspersed with ancient stone circles,
burial mounds, and prehistoric settlements. We reach
through the charming Westmoreland village of Orton, with
its old houses, chapels, roadside stream (and chocolate
factory). (13 miles, 1000 feet of ascent, estimated).
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May 30: Leaving Orton we reach Gamelands stone circle. This ancient circle originally contained
over 40 granite boulders and is 130 feet in diameter. We then pass by Sunbiggin Tarn, where the
local birders are likely to be spotted, on our way to Smardale with its 16th century deer park. We
continue to Ravonstonedale, a delightful quintessential English village. Passing by the intriguing
Giants Graves and the Eden Valley, we now head for the Pennine Chain, a ridge of mountains and
hills that form a backbone down the length of England. The town of Kirkby Stephen, the end of our
journey for this year, has a market charter dating back to 1351! (12 miles, 1500 feet of ascent,
estimated).
Cost of the Trip
The trip will cost $1600; your airfare, which we currently estimate at about $700, is not included.
The leaders will be glad to provide information on suggested airports, airlines and transport from
airport to St. Bees and from Kirkby Stephen back to your airport. Our overnight accommodations
and full English breakfasts are included, as is train fare between our chosen preferred gateway
airport and the start and end points of the walk. (If you are coming from elsewhere, we will
reimburse you the amount of the train fare from and back to our chosen gateway.) Lunches and
dinners are not included in the trip price. This allows participants to experience a wider choice of
the region's hearty foods.
Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing some of the leaders’
costs, but not all of them. The trip fee also includes an AMC overhead charge to cover the
administrative expenses of offering Major Excursions. The trip fee includes emergency medical
and evacuation insurance coverage, which is required by the AMC. It does not include insurance
for travel delay, interruption, or cancellation, or for baggage loss.
Any unspent funds resulting from negotiating better rates for lodging or local transportation, or
from exchange rates actually being more favorable than our very conservative estimate of $2.20/£,
will be refunded to the participants. If the trip’s financial position is strong enough at the start, the
leaders may make partial refunds during the trip, in the form of payments toward some meals and/or
free time activities which will otherwise not be included.
Cancellation Policy
Our cancellation policy is based on several considerations. First, cancellation shall not raise the
cost to the other participants or to the leaders. Second, we will charge a canceling participant for the
expenses already incurred on his/her behalf and any unavoidable future expenses that will be
incurred as a result of his/her registration, unless they can be applied toward another acceptable
participant. Third, to discourage uncommitted people from applying for the trip, we have a
schedule of minimum cancellation penalties: zero before November 1, 2007, $150 from November
1, 2007 to January 31, 2008, $300 after January 31, 2008.
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Required and Essential Gear
● Passport at least six months away from expiration date at time of trip
● Backpack/large daypack.
● Broken-in hiking boots (preferably waterproof)
● Waterproof wind and rain gear (tops and bottoms)
● Nalgene bottles/Camelback (2 liters total capacity)
● Synthetic pile/fleece jacket
● Hat, and gloves or mittens
● Long pants and/or shorts – non-cotton
● At least 2-3 pairs of hiking socks with liners
● Polypropylene, Coolmax®, Bergelene® or other synthetic clothing
● Flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries
● Sunglasses
● Hat or bandanna
● Sunscreen and insect repellent
● Waterproof pack liner and/or pack cover
● Lunches and high-energy trail snacks (to be bought in England)
Recommended and Optional Gear
● Day or fanny pack (or adaptation of full pack) for in-town time.
● Tevas or sandals for evenings and time in towns
● Gaiters (for rain)
● Hiking poles
● Personal first aid kit & medications (leaders will have group first aid kits)
● Bathing suit
● Casual clothing
● Camera
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Trip Leaders
Trip Leader – John Lisker
John Lisker is a leader with the Hiking/Backpacking and INTRO
Committees of the AMC Boston Chapter. He is also the Chapter
Chair, and former Chapter Ombudsman. He has been leading
Boston Chapter hiking trips (about 5 per year, mostly day hikes)
since 1992. He has led six previous AMC Major Excursions: A
tramping trip to the South Island of New Zealand, four backpacks
(in the High Sierra in California, the Elk and San Juan ranges in
Colorado, and the Wind River Range in Wyoming) and a mixed
hiking and cultural trip in Crete.
Address:
Phone:
E-mail:
2390 Commonwealth Ave., Auburndale, MA 02466
617-244-1636
john.lisker@juno.com
Trip Co-Leader – Sam (Ruth) Jamke
Sam has been a member of the AMC since 1983 and has led numerous
day and weekend hiking trips. She is a Past Chair of the New
Hampshire Chapter and is presently a hike leader and workshop
instructor for the New Hampshire Chapter. She has completed
AMC’s Mountain Leadership School. She is a hike leader at AMC
August Camp and led the 8-day NH Chapter Presidential Range
Traverse in 2007. Sam has hiked the 115 Northeast 4,000 footers and
has hiked all of the New England Hundred Highest summits. Other of
Sam’s hiking venues include Mount Rainier National Park,
Washington’s North Cascades, California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains,
Newfoundland, Colorado’s Fourteeners and long distance paths in
Scotland, England and New Zealand.
Address:
Phone:
E-mail:
96 Jenkins Road, Bedford, NH 03110-5040
603-472-2536
samjamke@verizon.net
How to Proceed
To apply, you must request, complete, and submit the Application, Confidential Medical form,
and Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk and Release form, enclosing with the
submission a registration deposit of $500. You will not actually be accepted, and your check
will not be deposited, until the leaders have determined by telephone conversation with you that
you and the trip seem to be a good match. The rest of the trip fee will be due February 29, 2008,
some 82 days before our departure.
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