Joanna On The Trail

Sunday, August 2, 2026

💡PRO TIP: If you are planning to do the UK Coast to Coast before 2028, stay an extra night in St Bees. Keep reading to learn why…

11.2 miles / 906 ft elevation gain

After breakfast and a visit with the rambunctious puppies, I set off a little after 9am, stopping at Beach Road Bakehouse for a latte to take on my walk. There are so many dogs in Cumbria! On the way to the beach, I petted a cocker spaniel who’d just been for a swim and a 5-month-old red-colored dog named Bunny and had seen at least a dozen others. It seemed more unusual to see someone without a dog, rather than with one. Most establishments welcome dogs, including pubs and restaurants (inside!).

The Beach

At low tide, the beach stretches out for at least 200 yards, like the Irish Sea slowly melts away from the land. Walking all the way out, I dipped my boots in the shallow water, the first of three C2C traditions completed. The sand was soft, almost like Florida sand, but a rich brown color. A group of about 25 people ran out to beach, stripped down to bathing suits, and ran into the water together, seemingly doing some kind of polar plunge. They stayed in for a while, then came back, dried off, and put on giant, full length parkas. I checked the water temperature on my watch: 65°F, warmer than the Pacific at Aptos.

After exploring the tide pools, I headed back up to the rocks along the very top of the beach to collect my pebble, the second tradition, to be thrown into the North Sea when I finish the walk. I actually picked up two, so I’d have one to keep for myself as well. Not very Leave No Trace of me, but neither is the tradition itself. Completing the third tradition, I took a selfie at the “Start of Coast to Coast Walk” monument, where I also met a couple just starting their C2C walk with a young poodle.

It felt like I was leaving home, walking away from that beach, even though I’d only been there a few minutes. While I love the warm, white sand beaches in Florida, I feel at home at any beach.

Finding My Own Way

Officially, only the 3 km (<2 miles) stretch between St Bees Beach and Fleswick Bay is closed until 2028, due to landslips. But the official detour cuts off the first 5 miles of the route entirely, including the whole coastal walk, St Bees Head, the lighthouse, and meets the trail inland, to the east of Sandwith. It’s a shame to miss these sights which are so strongly associated with the C2C, so today’s plan was to see as much of the path west of the official detour as I could, then officially start my walk tomorrow along the detour without feeling like I’d missed out.

A huge fence blocks the usual start of the path. Using the map Carole provided, I found the gate to the footpath toward Rottington, following two guys with three terriers who were playing fetch as they walked. The path cut through several sheep fields before spitting me out onto a paved road, past Rottington which seems to be mostly comprised of a farm and a B&B. A little further on, a horse and rider passed by, coming from what looked like a path through the woods to my left. Another woman stopped to see if I needed help (people here are relentlessly, wonderfully helpful) and gave me directions toward the lighthouse, by way of the road to Sandwith (the same route as Carole’s map). She also mentioned there was a more scenic route through the woods, but she recommended the road instead, since I didn’t know the way. I thanked her, took a few steps up the road, then turned around and took the scenic route anyway.

It was a short but proper trail through the woods: muddy, narrow, and steep. On the other side I found a downed sign pointing toward a public path through the fields to the coast, snapped a photo of it for reference, and carried on through a series of fields and gates that felt barely used. At one point I climbed my first stile, a double one with an earthen berm between the two fences. That’s also when I caught my first glimpse of the Irish Sea again, and of St Bees Lighthouse in the distance.

A little further on I realized I was in the wrong field, and had to duck under barbed wire, climb over the berm, then duck under a second stretch of barbed wire to get back on track, taking my pack off to fit through.

Negotiating with Cows

The official C2C path was in sight, but a small herd of cows stood between me and the last gate, all lying down for a mid-morning rest. One of them right in front of the gate where I needed to pass. I approached slowly, talking to her softly. She stood up but kept her hindquarters blocking the gap, so I waited and kept talking. Eventually she turned toward me, walked over, and sniffed my hand curiously, like she was giving me permission to pass.

Back on the Official Path

Joining the official C2C just south of Fleswick Bay, I also ran into other people for the first time since Rottington. The trail drops steeply here and turns sharply inland along the narrow bay, with one small washed-out section that already had a path around it. A few people were hanging out on the rocky black beach, along with several others I passed who’d clearly come from the direction of the lighthouse; it seemed to be a popular local spot.

It’s hard to find the words for how beautiful the coast is here. Something like Big Sur, but with more foliage, calmer seas, and no highway. Red sandstone cliffs, clear water stretching out forever, overflowing with plants, purple and yellow flowers everywhere, and friendly bees and butterflies following me the whole way.

Eventually I reached the lighthouse and turned inland; the property itself is closed to visitors, so I took some photos and continued up the coast. The path was often quite narrow, presumably because so few people are walking it right now due to the detour, sometimes with foliage taller than me. Eventually I got my first look at Whitehaven, which turns out to be a fairly large town, and could make out what I think was the Isle of Man, plus an offshore wind farm, across the Irish Sea. About 6 miles in, I finally took my first real break, at a bench dedicated to the Curwens, and ate a protein bar (it was 12:30, and I was starving).

Sandwith and the Walk Back

At Birkhams Quarry (mining sandstone since the mid-18th century), I turned right, said goodbye to the sea, and headed inland. A series of narrow paved lanes, apparently just for walkers, eventually brought me into Sandwith. I made a beeline for the Dog & Partridge for a bathroom break, lunch (cauliflower soup and arancini), and enough WiFi to publish a blog post. My feet were grateful for the rest, but eventually I had to get moving again.

The walk back to St Bees followed the official detour route, the one I’ll actually take tomorrow, just in the opposite direction. Vast views opened up over the farms in the valley, with the fells in the distance. Lee called partway through, and we talked the rest of the way back, past the rather posh-looking St Bees School, until I stopped at the priory. I’d wanted to go inside (the sign says “open all day every day”), but either it was closed or I couldn’t figure out how the door worked.

Back to Stone House

I couldn’t resist stopping in to see the dogs again before cleaning up for dinner, and chatted with Carole for a while. I mentioned that the cocker spaniels here seem different from the ones back home; turns out these dogs go on shoots, and the puppies will start next year. It seems like most dogs here are still bred for their original jobs, rather than solely as pets. I asked about her horses too, and met Piglet, the only one currently on the farm, a Welsh pony who was named appropriately (Carole also warned me he nips so I kept my hands to myself). I spent a while petting Fergie, Oakley, and Zara outside, while the puppies, who’d hogged all the attention earlier, napped inside.

Dinner was at The Manor Inn. My 6pm reservation turned out to be a bit early since I’d eaten lunch at 2, but I wasn’t about to skip it. I started with what might be one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had (Mack & Collie), nursed it for almost an hour, then ordered vegetable lasagna, which came with garlic bread and a side salad dressed with a honey mustard that tasted remarkably like my mother-in-law’s homemade mustard. The lasagna itself was basically a boat of baked cheese with a few noodles and vegetables hiding somewhere inside. Not sure I walked enough today to have earned something so indulgent.

Tomorrow, my C2C walk officially begins.