Our Coast to Coast Walk 2014: Day 1 St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge (25.6Km, total ascent 884m)

Day 1 St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge (25.6Km, total ascent 884m)

When we awoke, it was cloudy and threatening rain, but by the time we had packed and eaten a good breakfast, the weather had cleared and we had a beautiful blue sky for the start of our walk.

The route

We each had a photo beside the sign marking the official sign for the start of the Coast to Coast although by now we had already clocked our first kilometre from our B&B.

Gary at the official start of the Coast to Coast.

Then it was off to climb the path up to St Bees Heads, looking so much prettier today in the glorious weather.

The route first takes us north up and along the Heads, clocking up more kilometres but not gaining any ground in terms of our easterly path across England. The scenery is beautiful in this weather and we saw many seabirds nesting along the coastal cliffs.

St Bees Heads

Beyond Fleshwick Bay, St Bees Lighthouse appears in the distance.

I pop down to Fleshwick Bay which divides the South and North Heads and get a photo of my boots in the Irish sea for the last time.

And admire the unusual erosion of the rocks on the pebbly beach.

There are dozens of guillemots nestled on the rocky cliffs.

Then it is up onto the North Head to continue to St Bees Lighthouse

We continue north along the coast before turning east, past a Rhea farm.

As we head east, the hill climb for the day is seen ahead, Dent Fell at the edge of Lakeland.

We passed under the continuation of the railway line that brought us to St Bees and through rather muddy fields of sheep, past Stanley Pond.

And under an old railway line which is now a cycleway and offers an alternative, more pleasant walk into or around the town of Moor Row..

But we decided to continue on the original route into the town of Moor Row, with a brief glimpse back to St Bees, which looks closer than it really is in this photo.

On the outskirts of town there is a sculpture dedicated to the Coast to Coast.

And the bald top of Dent Hill looms closer.

Soon an unofficial sign points us down the correct path.

At Cleator we nip into the local store to grab two of the last lukewarm potato pies for lunch and head to the base of Dent Hill where we find a spot to sit and have lunch.

Then it is time for the climb up Dent Hill. Not high at 352 metres but still a stiff climb at this stage of the days walk The path up through Blackhow Wood is very boggy (much boggier than it looks below) and intermittently we dodge into the trees to escape the boggiest areas.

The path up through Blackhow Wood

The views from the top are great and we can see Longlands Lake in the foreground and all the way back to St Bees Heads where we started today's walk.

And ahead we see the fells of the Lake District, through which we will walk for the next few days.

Another helpful sign along the way. The directional signs have disappeared but a couple of painted arrows point the way. One can only assume they are for the Coast to Coast??

A little further on we use a high stile over a deer fence (No deer to be seen though).

And as we descend to Nannycatch Gate we have another great vista.

There is time for a rest along Nannycatch Beck.

As we near Ennerdale Bridge we pass the Blakeley Raise or Kinnerside Stone Circle, reconstructed in 1925. 11 stones in a circle 18m diameter. There are more than 50 stone circles in Cumbria.

Kinnerside Stone Circle.

And shortly after, the town of Ennerdale bridge comes into view. The feet are getting pretty tired by now.

And as we descend into Ennerdale Bridge we get a glimpse of the start of tomorrow's walk along Ennerdale water which we can see in the distance. Beyond it, from left to right, are Great Borne, Bowness Knott, Starling Dodd, Red Pike and High Stile. On the right peeping just above the trees is Angler's Crag.