Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk - Sep 17, 2023 Day 1 St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge

Daily Information 

Distance:   25:0 Kms   [25.0 Kms]

Walking time:   5h 40m [5h 40m]

Avg walking speed:   4.4 Kms/hr  [4.4 Kms/hr]

Elevation G/L meters: 835:(738) 835:(738)]

Total Daily Steps: 35,275[36,275]

A very good day with mucho variety! Both Greg and I walked strongly however there were some tiring challenges along the way! Weather wise some light showers…no wind in the morning…lot of wind in the afternoon…could not be better!

I am writing this in the hallway of the Fox and Hounds where we are staying as there is no internet service in our room 🥲. I swiped a chair from somewhere…I expect I am a living and breathing fire 🔥 hazard…who knows how this blogpost ends up 😊.

Back to last evening and I got my fish and chips early…it was delicious!

This morning at breakfast we sat with Craig who is completing the C2C as a personal gift for his 50th. He has done some hiking but a long walk like this is a first.

Interesting fellow…former lawyer who 10+ years ago saw the light “this is boring” and became a writer. Not just any writer…he signed on with NBC and became their premier Baseball writer…as such covered a number of World Series and has authored two Baseball books for youth. Here is a link to one of them…the other is the 28 greatest current baseball players.

Legends of Baseball by Craig Calcaterra

Ross, given your deep interest in the game perhaps you know of this writer? Throughout the day our paths crossed…was fun!

Ok so the long standing tradition is that in St. Bees you dip your toe in the Irish Sea…take a stone…carry it to Robin Hoods Bay and throw it in. Sooo…tide was out so dipped in a small pool of water where the tide will cover later 😂 Close enough!!!

Ok that’s not really my stone 😂

The official start

The early part of the day was a carbon copy of yesterday however a few pictures…

Route finding continues to be a challenging exercise. I was following someone’s Wikilocs tracks…Greg the Mac’s Adventure tracks and we also had C2C dotted line on the downloaded UK maps on Wikilocs.

At various points ALL DIFFER…we decided that Mac’s Adventure tracks were the Gold Standard. We also had some kind help from a runner and a cyclist who stopped and pointed us in the right direction. 

Greg was following the Mac’s Adventure tracks so he had primary route finding responsibilities…he did a great job!

Lakeland countryside is really something…spectacular overall. The highlight and by far the toughest part of the day was the hike up Dent’s hill and the way down.

The climb was a traditional grind it out affair…keep moving at all costs…breathe in deep and slow breaths out. Typical situation where a series of false summits appear…it feels like one will never ever get there.

The climb down was long and one of the steepest I have ever done including the Canadian Rockies where at least switchbacks have been carved out. Here straight down!!! I think this is a sign of what we can expect going forward.

Best I can do to show what we hiked is the elevation profile of Dents Hill.

Well I may have worn out my hallway welcome so on to tomorrow where the choice is between a high and low route. 

Tomorrow’s weather forecast.

Widespread heavy rain in the morning, moving east & northeast. Showery conditions follow from the west, some frequent heavy bursts locally, risk of hail & thunder. Sudden gusts, strongest winds more sustained for England, Wales and southern Scotland. Feeling chilly across the mountains. Cloud capping tops.

🤔😂🥲 Easy choice…the weather will be shall we say…poor…high route is tricky in good weather. We are walking the low route and will enjoy the scenery looking up 😊

Many pictures from the day including a few interesting signs! Tomorrow’s pictures may be few and far between.

Great packed lunch!

Thank You 🙏 

Thank You again!!!