Planning a self-guided C2C involves three main decisions: your route and stopping points, your lodging, and whether to use a luggage transfer service. There’s no wrong way to plan, as long as you do it —these are tiny towns with very few rooms, so you can’t expect to show up and a find place to stay. You might get away with it in the offseason, but even then I’d recommend bringing a tent and sleeping bag just in case.
Tour Companies
There are lots and lots of companies offering C2C packages, both self-guided and guided (which seem less common) journeys of basically any length. They will book all your accommodations, as well as transport of your luggage from place to place. Most provide physical and digital maps as well as assistance should anything go wrong. There are also many, many reviews on travel websites praising these companies and their services. This seems like a perfectly viable, seamless way of planning your trip.
This is not the approach I took. I wanted to have complete control of my route, stopping points, and lodging (shocking, I know). Booking everything myself required me to deeply research the towns where I might stop and the lodging, points of interest, and services in each. Immersing myself in this planning has helped me to feel like I know better what to expect and feel like this is really ‘my’ journey, rather than simply following along someone else’s plan.
In terms of cost, it seems like I paid about the same for my lodging as the per-person rate for a package if there were two travelers. However, I’m just one traveler and many of the single supplements were significant (+50%) and weren’t substantiated by what the B&Bs actually charged. Of course I don’t have the provided physical/digital maps (there are tons of resources available online) or the help number if something goes wrong (I’m confident I’m capable of handling issues), but those don’t justify the additional cost for me.
Research & Planning
To get started on the plan, I pored through all the resources here, as well as the pages of the various travel companies. I looked through the websites for all the B&Bs (for those that had them) and reviews on various travel websites. Some of these towns are very small, with a population of a couple hundred and a small handful of places to stay, so this wasn’t as big a task as it sounds.
Then I started compiling this data into a spreadsheet, first figuring out my route and stopping points, then preferred lodging. Since I’m going in August — peak vacation season — it was also important that I start my trip on a day that allows me to avoid in the most lodging-constrained locations on the weekends when some of them have 2-night minimums.
Lodging
Once I felt like I had a plan together, I started booking B&Bs. Many had online forms, but most communication was via email or phone call. I had to wire deposits or full payment for a few, or provide a credit card to hold other reservations. Wiring money to strangers in small English villages felt oddly charming. My bank found it slightly alarming.
I kept copies of all confirmations, receipts, and emails confirming booking and I will call each place about a month before to confirm my reservation. I also made note of check in/out times and how payment can be made (some take cash only, or a check from a UK bank account which I don’t have).
Since I was booking well in advance (September 2025 for an August 2026 trip) most of my preferred B&Bs were available, except for one that was rented out for a large group and another that was planning to be on holiday (fair enough). Some proprietors seemed surprised I was booking so early, and I got the feeling booking 6 months in advance would have been fine (or even fewer if you’re not going in July/August or aren’t particular about where you stay).
Note: Many people choose to camp rather than stay in B&Bs. While wild camping isn’t technically allowed (although some do it), it seems like there are campgrounds that can be booked along the entire route and luggage transfer (mentioned below) can still be booked.
Luggage Transfer
One great thing about the C2C is that there are companies that will move your luggage — one bag, up to 20 kg (44 lbs) — between B&Bs for a very reasonable price. I will absolutely be taking advantage of this service. I want this trip to be challenging, but not ridiculously so.
I reached out to C2C Packhorse a few months ago and they suggested waiting until just before my trip to book with them in case there are any lodging changes. They also assured me there is no such thing as ‘fully booked’ so there is no risk to waiting. I plan to book with them after I’ve called to confirm all my reservations.
Joanna On The Trail 