Wainwright's Walk – Across England
Starting in Cumbria, on the Irish Sea coast, you set out from the huge red sandstone cliffs of St. Bees head – a remarkable sight unto itself. Your walk takes you through three National Parks, as you head towards Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea, in the North York Moors. This classic landscape beckons your imagination, as you hearken back to days of olde – a romantic land of knights and quaint villages.This English classic walk is based on a route described by A. Wainwright, author of many Lake District walking guides.Tradition has it that you dip your boots in the Irish Sea and take a pebble to deposit in the North Sea at the end of your walk.
The first few days take you over some of the most rugged, beautiful terrain of the Lake District, by way of the idyllic lakeland valleys of Borrowdale, Grasmere (Wordsworth lived here) and Patterdale, close to Ullswater Lake. You pass Helvellyn, England's most popular mountain, and the mountain oddly named High Street, along which the Roman Legions marched on their way to Hadrian's Wall.
After leaving the LakeDistrict you cross a gentler landscape round Shap and Orton. Beyond the quaint market town of Kirkby Stephen you enter the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Two days are then spent walking through the long valley of Swaledale, with its dry stone walls and unspoilt villages. You reach the historic town of Richmond with its cobbled streets, market square and famous castle perched above the River Swale.
Beyond the Vale of York, you ascend on to the heather moorlands of the North York Moors, a region of long vistas and easy walking. After crossing the wooded valley of Eskdale you reach the dramatic cliffs of the North Sea Coast. The last few miles follow the scenic clifftop path to the red-roofed village of Robin Hood's Bay. With an extra night here, you can relax on the beach or visit nearby Whitby with its ruined abbey (associated with the Dracula legend) and its Captain Cook Museum.
ACCOMMODATION & MEALS: Bed and breakfast basis throughout. Most provide ensuite facilities. Extremely varied: at many nightstops there are few choices of accommodation. We use a mix of farms, inns, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts.
ARRIVALS: Most convenient major city and international airport is Manchester, 4 hours by rail via Carlisle to St Bees. The first hotel is 5 minutes walk from the station. From London take the train from London Euston via Carlisle.
END OF TOUR: In Robin Hood's Bay after breakfast on day 15. Take a bus/taxi to Scarborough where trains are available back to Manchester or London.
Self Guided Inn to Inn 15 days
TOURCODE: SWW
GRADE:
* This tour is also available as an ESCORTED DEPARTURE
CODE: SWWE
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