How Wainwright's Coast-to-Coast walk has stood the test of time

Alfred Wainwright's guidebook Coast to Coast was published in 1973

Rising numbers of ramblers are believed to be embarking on a coast-to-coast walk which is marking its 50th year.

The 197-mile (318km) walk, from St Bees Head in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire, was devised in 1973 by author Alfred Wainwright.

David Claxton, from the Wainwright Society, suggested "heightened interest" was due to people using exercise to boost their mental health.

Natural England is carrying out a £5.6m upgrade of the route.

The Coast-to-Coast path runs from St Bee's Head, in Cumbria...

...to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire

The walk takes in the splendour of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

Chris Padmore, owner of Bank House Farm Hostel, about a mile off the route in the North Yorkshire hillside village of Glaisdale, said Julia Bradbury's 2009 series Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast had piqued interest.

He added: "We opened 12 years ago, and looking back, we were probably a bit late in seeing the potential in terms of the Coast-to-Coast walk.

"There's increased interest in the walk. The television series helped. About 10% of our business now comes from coast-to-coast walkers. Because we're a little bit off the route, we've started collecting walkers from the path - as well as the village pub."

Mr Padmore said the walk brought custom to the village which has a population of just over 1,000.

Accompanied by his two brothers, he completed the walk, faithfully following Wainwright's guidebook, about five years ago. He now enjoys trading stories of his adventures with his guests.

Beggar's Bridge, in Glaisdale, is near to the route

"We did it in sections," Mr Padmore recalled. "We started it in early spring when there was still snow on the top of some of the hills. We did the middle section in the autumn. It was very beautiful with the trees starting to turn.

"We did the final section, from Richmond to Robin Hood's Bay, in the summer because we wanted to see the heather on the moors."

Mr Padmore has also walked the Pennine Way, which cuts through the Yorkshire Dales.

Though enjoyable, he found that route "follows the same sort of terrain".

"The Coast to Coast is more varied," he added.

Mr Claxton, from the Wainwright Society, agreed the walk was becoming more popular, with latest surveys showing about 6,000 people complete it each year.

He said: "The Coast-to-Coast walk is one of, if not the most, popular long-distance walk in the UK. It continues to stand the test of time.

"It has certainly become more popular over the past few years as people see the link between exercise and improved health, both physical and mental.

"Increasingly so, the coast-to-coast walk has become a challenge for many people."

Last August, Natural England announced the route would become a government-designated National Trail, joining 16 others in England and Wales, which includes Hadrian's Wall Path, Glyndŵr's Way and the Pennine Way.

Natural England said the upgraded route, featuring improved signage and path structures, was expected to open in October 2025.

Mr Claxton said Wainwright's pictorial guidebooks remained unrivalled in quality.

"His pictorial guidebooks, including Coast to Coast, have stood the test of time and are the best descriptions of the fells," he said.

"To write in that much detail, you have to be pretty focussed and determined. And Alfred Wainwright certainly was."

A set of Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells books

Mr Claxton said the route was "reasonably signed" but added there were parts "where signage could be better".

"I am sure numbers completing the Coast-to-Coast will continue to go up once the route is improved," he said.

Mr Wainwright died in 1991 at the age of 84.

A Natural England spokesman said the project was still "in relatively early stages" but added some practical work had been completed by the Lake District National Park Authority, with further work expected at the end of summer.

Work is then expected to begin on improving the condition of the route.