Any changes to the route since the Route Guide
was published are shown here.
Coast to Coast gets National Trail Status (Aug 2022)
On 12 August 2022 The government announced that Alfred
Wainwright's popular Coast to Coast Walk is to be made a National
Trail.
The announcement last week followed several years of campaigning
the Wainwright Society. The 197-mile trail will now undergo £5.6
million of upgrades to bring it to National Trail standards, with an
expected official "opening" in 2025.
Wainwright's route has undergone several changes over the years,
as some of it followed paths which were not Rights of Way. The
"upgrades" will include creating a further 9.7 miles of new public
footpath, 9 miles of new public bridleway and 5 miles of
"re-alignment" of existing rights of way.
Many stiles will also be replaced by gates, and other stretches
of path strengthened. It is estimated that over 6,000 walkers cross
the entire route each year, bringing around £7 million into local
economies.
Lord Benyon, Minister for Rural Affairs, said: "The Coast to
Coast route passes through some of our most spectacular countryside,
villages and natural habitats so I’m delighted to approve these
plans and deliver on our manifesto commitment to develop the route
into a new National Trail."
Section 7:
Keld to Reeth. Page 47. Map 29. Keld to Gunnerside Moor.(Oct 2017. - 1st Edtn.)
The tricky climb up beside Swinner Gill has been
flagged, courtesy of volunteers working with the Yorkshire Dales
National Park. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said the
steepness of the gill and its designation as a site of special
scientific interest meant that access to the path was difficult and any
work needed to done in a limited time.
After a day-and-a-half of airlifting flags by helicopter, rangers and
volunteers laid 432 flags, built three large stone flag bridges, created
two flights of steps with 19 steps in each, and constructed 12 cross
channels.
Work started on 9 August and finished on 7 September. During the
project 16 volunteers put in the equivalent of 68 days’ work.
Section 6:
Kirkby Stephen to Keld. Page 43. Map 27. Nine Standards Rigg to
Whitsundale.(March 2017. - 1st Edtn.)
The notorious boggy quagmaire just beyond Nine
Standards Rigg, where the Blue and Red seasonal routes split, has at
last been tamed. Almost 400 metres of stone flagging has been laid to
cross the worst sections. This work by rangers from the North Pennines
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was officially opened in March 2017
when supporters and sponsers (including, we're proud to say, Skyware
Press) gathered on a bright sunny day. The total cost of over £30,000
was raised through a crowdfunding scheme with generous donations from the
British Mountaineering Council, HF Holidays, Tescos and the Wainwright Society,
amongst others.
The notorious boggy quagmire beyond Nine Standards Rigg in the good old days...
The fingerpost at the parting of seasonal routes is now safely flagged
Supporters gather round the fingerpost at the official unveiling
Approaching the head of Backstone Beck, formally the worst boggy section, now safely crossed by stone flags
Section 6:
Kirkby Stephen to Keld. Page 41. Map 25. Kirkby Stephen to Hartley Fell.(Sept 2016. - 1st Edtn.)
Some Coast to Coast walkers are getting
confused following the route through Hartley. Kirkby Stephen Walkers
Are Welcome have produced a helpful guidesheet based on our map.
You can download it here
as a pdf document.
The new extensions to the Yorkshire Dales and
Lake District National Parks came into effect on August 1st 2016. This
means almost the entire Section 5 of the walk between Shap and Kirkby
Stephen - about 19 miles - now falls within the boundaries of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Section 12: Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay.
Map 53. Little Beck Lane to B1416 (Feb 2014. - 1st Edtn.)
Box
4: A new section of boardwalk has been installed over a muddy
section alongside May Beck, just beyond Midge Hall and Falling Foss.
This does not change the route.
Box
4: A new section of boardwalk has been installed over a muddy
section alongside May Beck, just beyond Midge Hall and Falling Foss.
This does not change the route.