Lakes, Dales and Moors – Tim Woodcock’s Coast to Coast off-road route

You’ll have probably heard of the Coast to Coast road cycling challenge, or perhaps the mega hike, but what about an off-road equivalent? Taking in the hills of the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks, this 222 mile (357 km) epic is not one for the faint-hearted.

The creation of Tim Woodcock and documented in his 1994 guidebook, the route combines parts of Wainwright’s well-established walking route and adds more indirect chapters that make the adventure accessible by bike. Having said that, with some punishingly steep gradients and technical tracks to cover, there’ll certainly be some hike-a-bike too.

From the Irish Sea in the West, across the staggeringly beautiful mountains of the Lake District, into the green, rolling valleys of the Yorkshire Dales and across the high expansive heather landscape of the North York Moors, your journey to the east coast at Robin Hood’s Bay is one you’ll certainly remember for a good while.

Here I’ve proposed the route over 7 stages, which would be a good week’s jolly, but of course you can plan to go faster or more leisurely. What’s for certain is that there’s plenty to do and explore as you move your way across the country, with incredibly varied landscapes, rich history and friendly towns and villages awaiting you. As it stands, the current Individual Time Trial on this route is an incredible 23 hours and 16 minutes. Phew!

Due to potentially severe weather and boggy conditions under tyre, I’d recommend choosing the summer months over a winter attempt on the Coast to Coast route. There are several parts of this trail that pass over very high and remote ground, so make sure you have all the appropriate kit, first aid equipment and emergency procedure planning that you may need.

Bike-wise, you’ll certainly be glad of some chunky rubber and easy gearing on this route, with a lot of steep and technical climbs and lumpy descents! A mountain bike is certainly recommended, but if you choose to use a gravel bike, just be mindful that you may be walking a bit more of the way, or taking it much steadier.

Starting and finishing in two small coastal villages doesn’t make access totally straight forward, but it’s not far to local train stations. There’s a train station at the start in St Bees, and at the finish you can take the traffic-free Cinder Track along the coast to the south for 15.8 miles (25.5 km) to reach the train station in Scarborough.

Check out the hiking Coast to Coast Collection here: komoot.com/collection/888237/hike-the-width-of-england-in-13-stages-coast-to-coast