Coast to Coast 2016 - Thoughts in Conclusion
Here are a few thoughts that may help in the planning of a Coast to Coast walk. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the advice given is not exhaustive. The best form of research is other people’s blogs, guide books and using plain old common sense.
Planning and Accommodation
It is never too early to plan a long distance walk. We started about 9 months before Day 0, mainly to get a foot in the door with B&B bookings. Accommodation in some villages on the route is scarce therefore you need to be booking the likes of Keld, Shap, Ennerdale Bridge, Danby Wiske, Egton Bridge & Blakey Ridge sooner rather than later. We dealt in email or booking confirmation only - this meant we had proof of our booking and not just a telephone conversation should anything go wrong. Also make sure you call each B&B for confirmation about a month or so before start date. Some of them are not as good at administration as they think they are! With regard to eating out in the evening, it is probably best to make sure you can be fed and if in doubt make a booking.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition. Sure it was a bit more difficult to find accommodation but not too onerous. Most B&Bs make a charge of between £5 - £10 for a dog to stay and will insist that you bring your own bedding. We had Fudge's bedding in our main luggage that was transported by Packhorse.
As with 2012, the overall standard of B&B accommodation was high.
Kit & Medical
We used exactly the same rucksacks we had in 2012 - Berghaus 30L + 6 which was adequate. To keep snacks cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
Water
It is vitally important you carry enough water for a full days walking. Additionally, make a note of places on route where you can top up and do so at every opportunity.
Mapping
Whilst we bought every map to cover our journey and carried a compass, we never used them although we do know how to. We found that the Trailblazer Guide was a fantastic tool and was absolutely spot on. This, coupled with our Satmap Active 10 made navigation simple.
Baggage Transfer
As in 2012 we used Packhorse to transfer our baggage each day plus ourselves from Kirkby Stephen to the start and back to our car from Robin Hood's Bay. They are now under new management but still provide an extremely polished service. We never had any mishaps with our baggage and it was picked up and dropped off promptly.
People
All walkers we encountered were extremely friendly and we made some real friendships whilst on the Coast to Coast route. The people we met made this walk for us and it was a real pleasure meeting and walking with them.
Itinerary
We found 13 days was entirely manageable. Rest days are an option of course but having had them in 2012 we found that it put us out of routine and we lost momentum. On a longer walk like the South West Coast Path which is our next Long Distance Trail, we intend going back to having a break every so often as we are completing that walk over 8 weeks.
Charity
We managed to raise £2000 in total - £1500 for Spaniel Aid and £500 for The Bracken Trust Cancer Charity. We would like to thank everybody who donated to these wonderful and worthwhile causes.
Summary
For both of us this was another fantastic experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. We now move on to The South West Coast Path - 630 miles over 8 weeks starting in May 2017. Planning has already started in earnest and this will be our biggest logistical challenge yet!
Planning and Accommodation
It is never too early to plan a long distance walk. We started about 9 months before Day 0, mainly to get a foot in the door with B&B bookings. Accommodation in some villages on the route is scarce therefore you need to be booking the likes of Keld, Shap, Ennerdale Bridge, Danby Wiske, Egton Bridge & Blakey Ridge sooner rather than later. We dealt in email or booking confirmation only - this meant we had proof of our booking and not just a telephone conversation should anything go wrong. Also make sure you call each B&B for confirmation about a month or so before start date. Some of them are not as good at administration as they think they are! With regard to eating out in the evening, it is probably best to make sure you can be fed and if in doubt make a booking.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition. Sure it was a bit more difficult to find accommodation but not too onerous. Most B&Bs make a charge of between £5 - £10 for a dog to stay and will insist that you bring your own bedding. We had Fudge's bedding in our main luggage that was transported by Packhorse.
As with 2012, the overall standard of B&B accommodation was high.
Kit & Medical
We used exactly the same rucksacks we had in 2012 - Berghaus 30L + 6 which was adequate. To keep snacks cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
Water
It is vitally important you carry enough water for a full days walking. Additionally, make a note of places on route where you can top up and do so at every opportunity.
Mapping
Whilst we bought every map to cover our journey and carried a compass, we never used them although we do know how to. We found that the Trailblazer Guide was a fantastic tool and was absolutely spot on. This, coupled with our Satmap Active 10 made navigation simple.
Baggage Transfer
As in 2012 we used Packhorse to transfer our baggage each day plus ourselves from Kirkby Stephen to the start and back to our car from Robin Hood's Bay. They are now under new management but still provide an extremely polished service. We never had any mishaps with our baggage and it was picked up and dropped off promptly.
People
All walkers we encountered were extremely friendly and we made some real friendships whilst on the Coast to Coast route. The people we met made this walk for us and it was a real pleasure meeting and walking with them.
Itinerary
We found 13 days was entirely manageable. Rest days are an option of course but having had them in 2012 we found that it put us out of routine and we lost momentum. On a longer walk like the South West Coast Path which is our next Long Distance Trail, we intend going back to having a break every so often as we are completing that walk over 8 weeks.
Charity
We managed to raise £2000 in total - £1500 for Spaniel Aid and £500 for The Bracken Trust Cancer Charity. We would like to thank everybody who donated to these wonderful and worthwhile causes.
Summary
For both of us this was another fantastic experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. We now move on to The South West Coast Path - 630 miles over 8 weeks starting in May 2017. Planning has already started in earnest and this will be our biggest logistical challenge yet!