NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Autumn ramble through wilds of Great Britain

By Jill Hocking
NZ Herald·
16 Apr, 2009 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

he River Swale from Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire. Photo / British Tourist Authority

he River Swale from Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire. Photo / British Tourist Authority

Enter our competition to win a
magical travel experience

Jill Hocking celebrates the joys of following writer Alf Wainwright from coast to coast

It is when we take a breather by the rocky shores of Innominate Tarn that we feel the spirit of walking writer Alf Wainwright most keenly.

Mossy rocks, heather and tussocky grass fringe the scoop of still water under the summit of Haystacks; wide green valleys, their fields stitched
together with stone walls, rise to rumpled fells splashed with fox-red bracken.

We are in the Lake District, on Wainwright's walk across the north of England from coast to coast.

Innominate Tarn was one of Wainwright's favourite spots. The Lancastrian Borough treasurer spent every spare minute tramping Lakeland, enthralled with its craggy heights and sylvan valleys. He then returned home to meticulously reproduce the landscape in pen and ink.

His Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, maps, drawings and text in minute, perfect script, have sold two million copies.

Wainwright's Coast to Coast path stretches 320km from the Cumbrian village of St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea.

The fell-walking cartographer avoided towns and laced together three of England's most celebrated national parks - the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors - using mainly public footpaths and bridleways.

Wainwright's pictorial guidebook, A Coast to Coast Walk was first published in 1973.

We choose October for our hike, and the weather gods are on our side with little rain.

This is England's most popular long-distance ramble. It is not the Himalayas but neither is it a cakewalk, so for three months beforehand we ratchet up our fitness. We hike for 18 days, averaging around 20km each day.

Accommodation options are as numerous as the walkers silhouetted along Lakeland's mountain ridges. There are plentiful hotels, B&Bs, youth hostels and camping fields. We organise our own itinerary and lodgings and choose Brigantes Walking Holidays to carry our luggage.

Every morning a driver collects our bags and ferries them to our next stop. With our heavy luggage taken care of, we carry light day packs holding wet weather gear, water, first-aid kit, food and cameras.

Wainwright bequeathed certain rituals for his walk: you wet your boots in the Irish Sea, pluck a stone from the beach, carry it across England and hurl it into the North Sea at Robin Hood's Bay.

On a breezy October day, gulls wheeling around us, with light hearts and a couple of pebbles in our backpacks, we climb the red sea cliffs at St Bees Head. Six hours, 15km and many stiles later we are sipping tea at Chapel Nook B&B in Cleator.

Lakeland's Borrowdale, Wainwright's "heaven on earth", is a deep green quilt of fields, enfolded by fells. Humpback bridges span skipping streams and black-faced sheep graze in stone-walled fields.

In the Yorkshire Dales the autumn trees are turning; bracken lights up the hills in a palette of yellow, gold and carmine. On the North York Moors, there's a freedom and sense of wide open space.

The accommodation is marvellous. We stay in chintzy B&Bs with wonky ceilings and mind-your-head doorways, and pubs where we down meals both gastronomic and greasy spoon. Breakfasts are hearty trekking fuel.

Hiking the Coast to Coast can be as solitary or social as you choose. Near Black Sail we meet a young Nebraskan archaeologist who hives off the track to spend the night alone camping in the fells. "I like to be close to nature," he says.

We catch glimpses of the North Sea from the moors but it's several days before our final sweep down the cliff path to the old smugglers' village, Robin Hood's Bay.

We high-five on the beach, and follow Wainwright's lead and dip our boots into the North Sea and hurl our pebbles into the brine. Then it's off to Wainwright's Bar where we raise a glass to a long walk across England.

CHECKLIST

Coast to coast walk: Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk is described as challenging, walkable by those of moderate fitness who are adequately prepared. The main walking season is from spring to autumn. The path can be crowded in summer.

Organised walks: Brigantes Walking holidays will carry your luggage for $13 per bag per day.

Further information: See coasttocoastguides.co.uk; ramblers.org.uk; or wainwright.org.uk.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

TravelUpdated

'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Travel

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM
Travel

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

'Covered with bites': Bedbug complaint leads to cleansing order for Auckland hostel

'Covered with bites': Bedbug complaint leads to cleansing order for Auckland hostel

04 Jul 05:00 PM

An enforcement officer confirmed the presence of bedbugs at the accommodation.

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM
Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM
The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

03 Jul 05:31 AM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP