How Difficult Can It Be?

 

My books and travel journal

I love hiking. Conquering the land on foot gives me an immense sense of achievement and pleasure. When I walk across flatlands, mountain ridges, river banks or lake shores, forests or clearings, I get a true sense of being close to Mother Nature. I also feel excitement because, every so often I experience what the Romantics referred to as The Sublime, a sense of awe and amazement at just how stunning and incredible the natural world really is…

St Bees Head, Cumbria

Back in the summer of 2013 I took my passion for the great outdoors to the extreme and decided to walk the path that owes its existence to one man: Alfred Wainwright. It was in 1972 that he completed the trek across the width of England along the path he devised all by himself. Since then it has become the most popular long distance path in England and I decided to conquer it, too.  

The Coast to Coast route in St Bees

So, how difficult is the trek? Well, in the 200-odd miles St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay you’ll have ascended the equivalent height of Mount Everest. But, every mile is walkable, and no mountaineering or climbing skills are necessary. I decided that two weeks would be enough to walk this famous path and I had booked all my accommodation ahead of time. I also took my dog, Lilly. She was a three-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel and very fit, despite her breed, which is known for being typical lapdogs. Lilly, however, came on my long distance training runs with me and did a lot of hiking in the Lake and Peak Districts with me, too.

Ennerdale

We (Lilly and I) set off on 17^th August, which was a Saturday. We took a train from my local train station to Carlisle, travelling First Class (they were trying to fill the First Class coaches, so the tickets were just a couple of pounds more expensive), and then to St Bees. I booked a B&B to stay there overnight, to make an early morning start on Sunday. I remember the changeover in Carlisle; at the train station there were so many people with different colour hair: blue, bright pink, green…I have only been in Carlisle once, so I don’t know if this is a true impression of the place, or maybe there was an alternative music festival there at the time, but I remember being very surprised by this…it seemed like I landed in Capitol, the main city of the dystopian Hunger Games, even though this was years before The Hunger Games was even published. Here is an extract from my travel journal at the time: ‘Got off at Carlisle, and the train station was total madness: football fans clapping and singing, people with bright coloured hair, a very large man with long, ginger hair, looking like Obelix from the French comic under the title ‘Asterix and Obelix’, a man wearing a white, doctor’s coat, looking like a mad scientist.’

Ennerdale

On Sunday morning, we set off. Our destination was Ennerdale, 14 hilly miles and nearly 5 hours away. I remember being pleasantly surprised by how relatively effortless the first day was. I fed the dog, had an Indian takeaway myself and got settled in for the night, reading over the next day’s itinerary and planning the walk to Borrowdale.

On Monday morning, off we go! The sun was shining and I decided to take the high route through Scarth Gap, Hay Stacks (597 m), Innominate Tarn and Blackbeck Tarn. The landscape and views were subliminal and 18 miles later, we reached our destination. I had purposely booked a room with a bath, so I could soak my tired muscles. Unfortunately, there was no bath for dogs…I was tired, Lilly, with her four little legs, was exhausted. I fed her and had dinner at the hotel and we went to sleep.

Briaithwaite

The next day, the weather turned. We woke up to a bleak, misty morning. I panicked, as navigation would be impossible without a proper walking app and devices. The Coast to Coast path is difficult to navigate: it isn’t an official National Trail and therefore it’s not signposted. On top of the inclement weather, Lilly walked out of the room on four legs, which refused to bend at the knees. She hadn’t recovered from the 14 miles she did the day before and I knew she wouldn’t be able to carry on, unless I carried her, which was impossible, too.  

I had to make a decision. It wasn’t really that difficult to work out what to do for the best…I made a few calls, cancelling the accommodation I had booked ahead of the hike. I managed to find a train connection back home and we were both soon back on the train. Disappointment? Yes…I wish I had completed this epic route then, in 2013. I wish I had completed it with Lilly. I can still walk the 200-odd miles in the future and I would like to do that. Unfortunately, I lost Lilly in October 2019 to a heart murmur, so I will never be able to do it with her again.

My Lilly

I love hiking. Conquering the land on foot gives me an immense sense of achievement and pleasure. Hiking on your own (or with your dog), gives me something else…therapy, self-reflection, tranquillity. Is two weeks too long for that? Possibly. After a couple of days of just me, the dog and nature, I missed human company, I missed conversation. Don’t get me wrong, you meet people on your way, you meet people in the places you stay, but sometimes it’s not about talking. I missed just walking along somebody else and I needed someone to ‘pick me up’ when the spirit was low. Humans, at the end of the day, are pack creatures.

How difficult is it to walk from one coast of England to another? It all depends on the circumstances. For me, back in 2013, it was impossible. I have unfinished business from Borrowdale to Robin Hood’s Bay.