England’s Coast to Coast path stretches from St. Bees on the Irish Sea in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea in North Yorkshire, a distance of about 190 miles. Conceived and first walked by Alfred Wainwright in the 1970s, it has become one of the most popular walking routes in a nation of walkers, despite the fact that it is not designated as an official national path. It crosses the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks and miles of public rights of way over private land on its way from sea to sea.  Last week the western portion — over the beautiful, rocky, sheep-infested, almost treeless and boggy mountains of the Lake District —was full of hikers from Britain and around the world, traipsing between hotels, b and b’s and youth hostels. Heading east, you eventually emerge into rolling farmland and moors, also full of sheep and a few cows and horses, also incredibly boggy in places. Purple heather and thorny yellow gorse were in bloom and the weather was excellent (for England in September). It only poured for parts of two days in a week. More photos and some logistics to come. More info about the route is here, and here.
(Map from Contours Walking Tours, UK)