Additional Tour Options Per Person: Discount rail tickets to St Bees and from Kirkby Stephen. REMEMBER this Explore Britain Walking tour is an independent self-guided tour where we are happy to alter the number of nights to fit your schedule. Please contact Explore Britain. We can offer a bag transfer service along this walking route (if you have booked your own accommodation). The price is £35 a day for up to 4 bags. This Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen holiday vacation can be booked by individuals but is very suitable for family groups or friends wanting to share a new experience together. TOUR DETAILS:
A seven centre inn to inn, self-guided hike on the western section of Wainwrights coast to coast trail through Cumbria in England. St. Bees on the west coast to Kirkby Stephen in the centre of England. 7 nights bed and breakfast, 6 days hiking, luggage transfer, guide book and maps. Due to problems of obtaining one night stays over weekends in the Lake District, we suggest starting on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.
This tour follows the western half of Wainwrights Coast to Coast hike, crossing the Lake District National Park. You start at St Bees on the west coast on the Irish sea and gradually work your way over the mountains and through the passes of the Lake District National Park. You pass through rugged Borrowdale, pretty Grasmere over striding edge to Patterdale before departing the park at Shap. Now you cross the Pennine Hills, the backbone of England to finish half way across England at Kirkby Stephen. Catch the myriad of wild flowers in May and June or hillsides purple with heather in August or September. Moving on from inn to inn, each with its own character, gives you the chance to experience the varied gastronomic delights available in the different areas, from Cumberland sausage to Yorkshire lamb. Your luggage is transported between accommodation so it is only necessary to carry a small rucksack, but this is the most strenuous section of the coast to coast hike, so you must be very fit. You stop in country hotels, guesthouses, farmhouses and inns along the way, where accommodation is available in twin, double or single rooms, most but not all with private facilities. 7 nights bed and breakfast accommodation and luggage transfer between the overnight stays is included in the tour price. You will be issued with Wainwrights guide book and high scale Ordnance Survey maps (topo maps) suitable for remote travel.
This walking tour is operated by Explore Britain based in County Durham in England.
Bookmark Explore Britain Tours: DAILY and OVERNIGHT SCHEDULE of the 7 Nights Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen tour: These are the usual booked overnight stays, walks or rides, we occasionally may have to make a late change, if so, you will be advised ahead of time or at your first guesthouse. The guided tours may be adjusted at the leaders discretion, due to weather and groups ability.
START: St Bees on the western side of Britain (near Carlisle). FINISH: Kirkby Stephen in the centre of England.
DAY ONE: Arrival at St Bees. You may arrive anytime after 3pm. Dinner is usually served in the local pubs between 7pm - 9pm (not included in tour price). Overnight St Bees, Cumbria, England.
DAY TWO: Hike from St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge. 14.5 miles (23 km) and 1,200 feet of ascent. You hike across small hills from the IRISH SEA at St Bees Head to the edge of the Lake District National Park. Dinner can be taken at the nearby Inn (not included in tour price). Overnight Ennerdale Bridge, Cumbria, England.
DAY THREE: Hike from Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale. 16.5 miles (23 km) and 2,000 feet of ascent. The first real day in the Lake District National Park, with the steep ascent up from Ennerdale Water to Black Sail Pass and the high fells. You then descend into the craggy Borrowdale. Dinner can be taken at the nearby inn (not included in tour price). Overnight Rosthwaite, Cumbria, England.
DAY FOUR: Hike from Borrowdale to Grasmere. 8.5 miles (15 km) and 1,800 feet of ascent. You again ascend through the Lake District summits and finally descend into Grasmere, where once Wordsworth spent his time at Dove Cottage. Dinner can be taken at any of the nearby inns (not included in tour price). Overnight Grasmere, Cumbria, England.
DAY FIVE: Hike from Grasmere to Patterdale. 9.5 miles (13.6 km) and 2,000 feet of ascent. Weather permitting you will hike along Striding Edge from the summit of Helvellyn at 3,116 feet, the highest point of the hike. You descend to Glenridding and Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater. Dinner can be taken at the nearby inn or hotels (not included in tour price). Overnight Patterdale, Cumbria, England.
DAY SIX: Hike from Patterdale to Shap. 16 miles (26 km) and 3,000 feet of
ascent. This is one of your toughest days, but undoubtedly the grandest. You ascend onto the 2,700-foot high ridge known as High Street, once used as a road by the Romans. Then its up and down a couple of minor summits to descend at the end of the day to Shap. Dinner can be taken at the nearby Inn (not included in tour price). Overnight Shap, Cumbria, England.
DAY SEVEN: Hike from Shap to Kirkby Stephen. 20.5 miles (32 km) and 1,500 feet of
ascent. You leave the Lake District National Park behind now and start to cross the Vale of Eden. You may even have time to stop at a pub around midday and sneak into a home-made chocolate factory. Dinner can be taken at any of the nearby inns (not included in tour price). Overnight Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England.
DAY EIGHT: Departure. The tour finishes from Kirkby Stephen after breakfast.
USEFUL TRAVEL INFORMATION: TRAVEL BY TRAIN FROM EUROPE: There is a fast frequent Eurostar rail service to the new Eurostar Terminal at London St Pancras (next to Kings Cross and Euston) from Paris, Bruxelles and Lille. These stations are linked with the rest of mainland europe (France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy). Check Eurostar and TGV across Europe Tickets times and fares by the fast convenient Eurostar. Book your ticket in advance, turn up at the rail station and go! In the time you are waiting at an airport you can be at your destination with much less stress - travel by train. You could even bring your car with you.
RAIL TRAVEL from LONDON to ST BEES (NOT included in tour price): St Bees is the nearest rail station. Trains run every hour from Carlisle to St Bees. Carlisle is served by hourly trains from London Euston. Presently the 08:07am train from London Kings Cross arrives St Bees at 14:56pm.
RAIL TRAVEL from KIRKBY STEPHEN to LONDON (NOT included in tour price): Kirkby Stephen is the nearest rail station, which is served by infrequent trains every two hours to London (Euston). Presently the 11:00am from Kirkby Stephen arrives London at 16:43pm.
ARRIVING and DEPARTING by EUROLINES or NATIONAL EXPRESS COACH: This is by far the cheapest option for long-distance travel in England, Scotland, and Wales. There are very convenient buses from each major airport. National Express carries over 16 million passengers to 1000 different places in the UK every year, and thousands more from destinations across Europe and Ireland. You can purchase an e-Ticket where you print your travel ticket online in a matter of minutes OR you can obtain an m-Ticket and have your travel ticket sent to your mobile phone - no paper ticket required. You then present this to the driver on arrival.
GRADE and CLOTHING INFORMATION: This Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen is Grade B. You can check the tour grade is suitable for you by viewing our Tour Grade page.
This tour is a 7 night tour Grade B which is between 8.5 - 20.5 miles a day. Strong waterproof hiking boots are desirable. You will start hiking about 9:30am and finish at approx. 6pm. This tour goes through some areas of remote habitation, and high mountains. You MUST be very fit to achieve your goal to go Coast to Coast. You MUST also have good map reading skills because the route is not waymarked or, at times, very visible on the ground. The mountains can be shrouded in mist or rain, and you MUST be prepared for this. For safety reasons, you must be extremely proficient if you intend to hike alone. We strongly suggest against this. Ask yourself can you hike for hours, in driving rain and low visibility, confident in your map reading skills and morale boosting abilities? A friend in need is almost essential.
The grades are for guidance only. For any grade, depending on weather conditions, it may at times be damp underfoot, so waterproof boots are preferable.
INSURANCE (MEDICAL and TRAVEL): We think it is essential for clients to take out their own personal accident and travel insurance before they arrive. This can be booked on-line using the links from our pages or contact your own local insurance broker.
GENERAL ENQUIRIES For additional information about this walking, cycling or biking tour contact .
BOOK A PLACE ON THIS Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen tour 7 Nights currency in UK Pounds Sterling £
If you wish to make a provisional booking please read the Terms & Conditions regarding booking and cancelling this holiday and then complete and send the form below. We will then contact you by email. Most tours start in the evening (you start walking, biking or cycling the next day) and finish after breakfast on the final morning (check the DAILY and OVERNIGHT SCHEDULE above for this tours details). Items in bold must be completed. We do not store any credit card information sent to us on our computers. We manually process the transactions required and then shred all personal details.
PAYMENT currency in UK Pounds Sterling £: We will require a deposit of 50% of the quoted tour price. The balance will be due two months before your tour starts. We will send you a receipt for the deposit (and final payment when due).
You can pay for your Explore Britain walking or cycling vacation by using your credit card. We can quote, and accept payment, in Pound Sterling, American Dollar, Australian Dollar, Euro, New Zealand Dollar, Swiss France, Norwegian Krone, Swedish Krona, Danish Krone, Polish Zloty, Hungarian Forint, Czech Koruna, Singapore Dollar, Japanese Yen and Hong Kong Dollar.
Payment can also be made by personal cheque, currency in UK Pounds Sterling £, made payable to "Explore Britain", or by direct transfer to our Explore Britain Clients Trust Account (ask for details). Payment should be mailed to 6 George Street, FERRYHILL, County Durham, DL17 0DT, England. The balance must reach us 2 months before the start of the holiday; otherwise we cannot guarantee to hold your booking. Where bookings are made less than 2 months before the start day of the tour, the full amount is payable at the time of booking. No booking has been made, without us making a quotation and receiving a deposit. Please contact us by telephone +44 1740 650900 if you do not hear back from us within 2 days.
Upon receipt of your confirmation and deposit, I will confirm with the accommodation immediately and normally have a trip fully booked within a week. This will include a Trip Information Sheet specific to your tour; with overnight names, addresses and telephone numbers (similar to the draft trip information sheet on the website). You would need to take out Travel Insurance within 14 days to be fully covered.
Upon receipt of final payment, which is due 2 months before the tour starts, I will air mail you the maps, notes and a further copy of your trip information sheet. If we do not receive the final payment we will presume you have decided NOT to go-ahead with the tour, and we will therefore cancel the booking. On some tours the tour package will be available on arrival at your first night's accommodation.
SUGGESTED READING BOOKS and MAPS:
The following books and maps will help you enjoy your Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen.
TOUR DETAILS:
DAILY and OVERNIGHT SCHEDULE of the 7 Nights Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen tour:
TRAVEL BY TRAIN FROM EUROPE: There is a fast frequent Eurostar rail service to the new Eurostar Terminal at London St Pancras (next to Kings Cross and Euston) from Paris, Bruxelles and Lille. These stations are linked with the rest of mainland europe (France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy). Check 
GRADE and CLOTHING INFORMATION:
INSURANCE (MEDICAL and TRAVEL):
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
BOOK A PLACE ON THIS Hike across England from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen tour 7 Nights currency in UK Pounds Sterling £
SUGGESTED READING BOOKS and MAPS:
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