The Coast to Coast walk is one of the most popular walking holidays in England.  Starting in St Bee’s and running 190 miles through to Robin Hood’s Bay it takes you right across the breadth of England, through a variety of changing landscapes.  Here at Macs Adventure we offer a number of itineraries on the walk and we can even tailor-make these to suit your needs, but one of the things that we are frequently asked is how to get to the start of the trip and home at the end.  With such a variety of starting and finishing points which can change dependant on your chosen itinerary, I thought I would share my wisdom on the best and quickest ways to get to the start and finish of the Coast to Coast Walk.

How do I get to/from St Bee’s?

St Bee’s is the starting point for most of our itineraries on the Coast to Coast and is easily accessible with public transport.

Looking down to Patterdale on the Coast to Coast

Travel by Air:  Manchester Airport is the easiest airport to reach St Bees from. It has flights from throughout the UK and Europe. (Many low cost and charter airlines.)  For information on airlines and transport to and from the airport please visit the Manchester Airport Website. It takes approx. 3 hours 30m to get to St Bees from Manchester via public transport. Newcastle airport is also very easy to access St Bees from and also has flights from throughout the UK and Europe. For information on airlines and transport to and from the airport please visit the Newcastle Airport website. It takes approx. 4.5 hours to get from Newcastle Airport to St Bees via public transport and does involve a couple of changes. London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted are probably the best options for those traveling from outside the UK. From the airport, travel to London Euston where trains leave approx. every hour to St Bees via Lancaster or Carlisle.

Travel by Rail/Bus:  From London Euston you can catch a train to St Bees via either Carlisle or Lancaster (approx 5hrs). From Manchester, you can catch the train via Carlisle (approx 3h 30m). From Newcastle, you can catch the train via Carlisle (approx 3h 30m). Timetables and prices can be found on the National Rail Website. Please note that the trains from Carlisle to St Bees do not operate on a Sunday, so in this case, you will need to get the train to Whitehaven and then a taxi from there to St Bees.

Travel by Car:  You may be able to leave your car at your accommodation in St Bees while you do the walk and you should arrange this directly with them. However, it is very difficult to get back to St Bees from Robin Hood’s Bay by public transport, so we generally recommend that you park your car in Kirkby Stephen. Journeys by public transport can be planned online at Traveline. It is better to book train travel in advance as this is substantially cheaper and you can do so at the Trainline or on the relevant train operator website.

How do I get to/from Kirkby Stephen?

Kirkby Stephen is the starting point for our East section on the Coast to Coast Walk and is easily accessible.

One of the many waymarks on the Coast to Coast

Travel by Air:  The closest airports to Kirkby Stephen are Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. It takes approx 2h 30 to reach Kirkby Stephen from Glasgow, and approx. 3-4h from Manchester and Newcastle.

Travel by Rail/Bus:  Kirkby Stephen is served by regular services via Leeds & Carlisle. Journey time from London to Kirkby Stephen is approx 3-4h, from Manchester and Newcastle approx 3-4h and from Glasgow approx 2h 30.

Travel by Car:  There is secure parking available at the Pennine View Campsite in Kirkby Stephen for a fixed rate and you can book this on 017683 71717. If you do decide to park your car in Kirkby Stephen then we can arrange for your first night’s accommodation to be in Kirkby Stephen instead of St Bees and you can then catch the Sherpa Bus back to St Bees the following day to start the walk that day.

Getting back to St Bees from Kirkby Stephen:  To get back to St Bees from Kirkby Stephen, you can catch the train via Carlisle which takes approx. 3 hours.  Alternatively, we can arrange to book a seat on the Sherpa Van bus which leaves daily from Kirkby Stephen at 8am and gets into St Bees at approx. 10am which will give you enough time to do the first day’s walk.

How do I get to/from Robin Hood’s Bay?

Robin Hood’s Bay is the final point of the Coast to Coast Walk, a combination of buses and trains is the easiest way to get yourself to your onward destination.

Travel by Air:  The closest airports to Robin Hood’s Bay are either Newcastle or Manchester which are both approx 4 hours away. Glasgow and London airports are between 5h and 5h 30 away from Robin Hoods Bay.

Travel by Rail/Bus:  There is no train station in Robin Hoods Bay. You must first of all catch a bus or taxi to Scarborough and then get the train from there. From Scarborough it is approx. 3h to London, 2h 30 to Manchester and Newcastle and 5h to Glasgow. Alternatively, Sherpa Van also run a daily bus to Darlington which leaves every day at 15:45.

Travel by Car:  There is very limited parking available in Robin Hood’s Bay so we do not recommend that you park your car here. We try our best to give you the most recent information, but timetables are subject to changes, sometimes without notice. Please check the local timetables upon arrival, or use the internet.  Train and bus timetables are normally released three months ahead so please recheck all planned travel arrangements a few weeks before your departure date. These details will give you everything you need in order to plan your walk on the Coast to Coast. 

However, if you need any further information about the Coast to Coast walk or Walking Holidays in England you can get in touch with our Coast to Coast walking holiday specialist, here at Macs Adventure.  

You can read more about the Coast to Coast on our handy guide or look at all of the itineraries that we offer.