Joanna On The Trail

Monday, August 3, 2026

💡PRO TIP: In addition to luggage transfer, C2C Packhorse offers a luggage storage service (I couldn’t find it on their website, but learned about it from another walker). They’ll pick up a bag in St Bees and store it, then deliver it to you in Robin Hood’s Bay. Hugely helpful, especially if you’re traveling on after the walk. I wish I’d known about this before trying to cram 2 weeks of C2C gear plus 1 week of post-hike travel into the strict 20kg weight limit for luggage transfer (I left things at home I wish I hadn’t).

13.2 miles / 2,376 ft elevation gain

I wasn’t ready to leave St Bees, or Stone House Farm. Breakfast was at 7am, but it wasn’t until 8:50 that I actually set out (partially due to one last visit with the dogs). I also wanted see the coast one last time so I went back to the beach instead of heading for the trail. It was low tide again, and as I walked back from dipping my toes in the water again, I measured the distance from the water to the rocks: 0.25 mile! On the way back I stopped at Beach Road Bakehouse again, this time for a decaf Dirty Chai Latte. While using the toilet there, I discovered my room key was still in my pocket, which meant one more stop at Stone House before actually leaving. Carole thanked me for coming back and teased that I just didn’t want to go.

Back to the Detour

Past the priory and St Bees School, I picked up the detour on Wood Lane (a lane at first, but mostly a footpath), the same route I’d walked back into town yesterday. Today I actually spotted the two ponies referenced on the gate signs. I think I was more excited to see them than they were to see me.

At 3.9 miles in, I finally turned onto the traditional C2C path, blazing new (to me) trail. Ahead of the turn I noticed a woman and two men who I’d catch up with a few miles later. She was section hiking with her brothers, relatively local to the area, and mentioned she’s considering retiring; I hope hearing about my experience inspired her. After that came a lot of sheep fields before joining a disused railway line, now paved and open to walkers, riders, and cyclists. The official route now bypasses Moor Row entirely, staying on the old railway line, but still passes through Cleator.

Climbing Dent

Just past Cleator, about 3 hours in, the climb up Dent began. Dent is the first fell encountered on the C2C, and (at least that early in the walk) feels like an intense one. 750 ft over a single mile, with a couple of false summits to keep your hopes up (and then crush them). It starts on a loose gravel logging road, with caution signs about active forestry work (cutting down trees, mostly), before turning left into pasture. Before that turn I took my first real rest of the day, pack off, sitting on a pile of logs, and once the other walkers had passed, took the opportunity to pee (it’s really hard to find spots, especially if you squat to pee). A little while after restarting the climb, I realized my poles would be a lot more useful if I didn’t keep them strapped to my pack the whole time.

At the top, the woman I’d met earlier had just finished lunch with her brothers. They pointed out the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, all visible across the Irish Sea, along with Scafell Pike, England’s tallest mountain, before heading off. I took a long break at the summit, eating a cheese and pickle sandwich from my packed lunch (“pickle” in England is Branston pickle or similar, not a pickled cucumber) and drinking what might be the best carton of apple juice I’ve ever had, though that may say more about how tired I was than the juice itself. The lunch Carole had packed for me included two sandwiches, a flapjack (oat bar), banana, crisps (chips), and apple juice. Way more than I can eat, even with all this walking!

The Descent to Nannycatch

Eventually it was time to head down, through what’s supposedly the steepest section of the entire C2C (actually, later the book says the same thing about the descent from Kidsty Pike). The path cut through pine forest, popular with mountain bikers. I saw several of them ride up the trail I was on, then barrel down even steeper, narrower side paths, before doing it all again. Lower down, the ground leveled out along Nannycatch Beck, with frequent stream crossings through narrow valleys full of, unsurprisingly, more sheep. Passing through Nannycatch Gate, I officially entered the Lake District, the first national park on the C2C.

The final stretch into Ennerdale Bridge follows a one-lane but two-way road, where I nearly got run over by cars swerving around an oncoming van with apparently zero regard for the fact that pedestrians have the right of way. Along that same stretch I got to chat with Lee, just waking up to start his day back home.

Arriving in Ennerdale Bridge

The first thing I saw in the village was The Gather, where I’d been planning to get ice cream or a milkshake if I could make it there before closing at 4pm. My goal has been ice cream every single day here, and so far I’d failed completely. I went with a single scoop of toffee fudge (real restraint, for me) and a decaf mocha. Possibly one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had, though walking 13 miles first probably didn’t hurt.

From there it was a 500 ft walk to check in at Fox & Hounds, one of only two places to stay in the village. Checking in was as simple as walking into the pub and telling the woman behind the bar I had a reservation. “Are you Joanna?” “Yes!” She led me up the stairs at the back of the pub to Room 2, top left window when you’re looking at the building from outside, my bag already waiting inside. She asked what time I wanted dinner (6pm) and whether 8:15 worked for breakfast (it did). I would have preferred an earlier breakfast, but this gives me a good excuse to stop back at The Gather for coffee on my way out tomorrow, since they open at 9am.

Vegetarian options at dinner were limited. I ordered a Moving Mountains (similar to Impossible or Beyond in the US, but tastes better) burger with cheese, which arrived without the cheese, alongside a side salad with no dressing and chips (fries). I asked for ketchup and she brought two packets so I asked for more, just in case my accent hadn’t already given me away as American. Not the best meal of the trip, but it was nice to just walk downstairs to eat it.

Early night tonight. My room has a tub, and I’m planning a long, hot soak to soothe my muscles.