ACCOMMODATION

The trail guide (Part 4) lists a fairly comprehensive selection of places to stay along the full length of the trail. You have three main options: camping, staying in hostels/bunkhouses, or using B&Bs/hotels. Few people stick to just one of these options the whole way, preferring, for example, to camp most of the time but spend every third night in a hostel, or perhaps take a hostel where possible but splash out on a B&B every once in a while.

The village facilities table on pp24-5 provides a quick snapshot of what type of accommodation is available in each of the towns and villages along the way, while the tables on pp29-31 provide some suggested itineraries. The following is a brief introduction to what to expect from each type of accommodation.

Camping
It's possible to camp all along the Coast to Coast path, though few people do so every night. You're almost bound to get at least one night where the rain falls relentlessly, soaking equipment and sapping morale, and it is then that most campers opt to spend the next night drying out in a hostel or B&B somewhere. There are, however, many advantages with camping. It's more economical, for a start, with most campsites charging somewhere between £2 and £5. There's rarely any need to book either, except possibly in the very high season, and even then you'll be highly unlucky not to find somewhere. There's also the freedom that carrying your accommodation with you brings, allowing you to stop for the night pretty much where and when you like.

The campsites vary. Some are just the back gardens of B&Bs or pubs; others are full-blown caravan sites with a few spaces put aside for tents. Showers are usually available, occasionally for a fee though more often than not for free. Note that few if any youth hostels on the Coast to Coast path now accept campers. Note, too, that some of the bigger towns such as Richmond and Grasmere do not have recognized campsites, with the nearest being around three miles away.

Wild camping (ie camping outside of a regular campsite) is also possible along the route but please do not make camp in a field without first gaining permission from the landowner. The three best wild campsites are said to be Grisedale Tarn (between Grasmere and Patterdale), Innominate Tarn (by the Hay Stacks on the high route between Ennerdale Bridge and Borrowdale) and Angle Tarn (between Patterdale and Shap).

Remember that camping is not an easy option; the route is wearying enough without carrying your accommodation around with you. Should you decide to camp, therefore, we advise you to look into employing one of the baggage-carrying companies mentioned on p21 (though this does, of course, mean that it will cost more and that you lose a certain amount of freedom, as you'll have to agree at least a day before with the company your destination for the night – and stick to it – so that you and your bag can be reunited every evening.)

Bunkhouses
The term ‘bunkhouse' can mean many different things. In some cases it's nothing more than a drafty old barn in a farmer's field with a couple of wooden benches to sleep on. In at least one exceptional case, however, it can also mean a room at the back of a pub that's identical to regular B&B accommodation except that there is a bunk-bed rather than a double bed in the room. Most, however, are nearer in style to the former and sleeping bags are necessary in these places. While not exactly the lap of luxury, a night in a bunkhouse is probably the nearest non-campers will get to sleeping outside, while at the same time providing campers with a shelter from the elements should the weather look like taking a turn for the worse. Some of the better bunkhouses, especially those maintained by the YHA, provide a shower and simple kitchen with running water and perhaps a kettle, though little in the way of pots, pans, cutlery or crockery.

Hostels
Youth hostels are plentiful along the Coast to Coast path and if you haven't visited one recently – and thus the words ‘youth' and ‘hostel' still conjure up images of cold, crowded dorms, uncomfortable beds, lousy food and strict staff who take a sadistic pleasure in treating you like schoolchildren – we advise you to take a second look. The YHA (Youth Hostel Association) has in fact got some of the most interesting accommodation on the route, from two pretty country houses at Grasmere to a converted chapel at Kirkby Stephen and a former shepherd's bothy at Black Sail, the most isolated accommodation on the route. Each hostel comes equipped with a whole range of facilities, too, from drying rooms to washing machines, televisions to pool tables and fully-equipped kitchens for guests to use. Many also have a shop selling emergency groceries, snacks and souvenirs and some are even connected to the internet. All offer breakfast and/or dinner, some offer a packed lunch, and a couple even have a licence to sell alcohol. They are also good places to meet fellow walkers, swap stories and compare blisters.

Weighed against these advantages is the fact that beds are still arranged in dormitories, some of them quite large, thereby increasing your chances of sharing your night with a heavy snorer. The curfew (usually 11pm) is annoying, too. A couple of the hostels also suffer from a shortfall in adequate washing facilities, with only one or two showers to be shared between 15 or 20 people. Nor is it possible to stay in hostels every night, for there are some areas where hostels don't exist and when they do they are occasionally at least a mile or two off the path. If you are travelling in April/May or September, at the beginning or end of the walking season, you may find many shut for two or three days per week, or that they have been taken over by school groups and walkers are shut out. (Try to pick up the YHA's annual brochure, or visit their website, to find out the exact opening dates of each of the hostels.) Even in high season most are not staffed during the day and walkers have to wait until 5pm before checking in. Furthermore, it is rumoured that most youth hostels will save your booked bed only until 6pm – though to be fair, I never came across this rule on the route and if it does exist it doesn't seem to be rigidly enforced. And finally, the cost of staying in a hostel, once breakfast has been added on, is in most instances not that much cheaper (around £13-16 for members) than staying in a B&B.

Booking a hostel Despite the name, anybody of any age can join the YHA. This can be done at any hostel, or by contacting the Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales (tel 0870 870 8808, website www.yha.org.uk). The cost of a year's membership is £13.50. Having secured your membership, youth hostels are easy to book, either online or by ringing each individual hostel separately. The hostels also offer a booking service and will reserve your bed at the next stop on the path for you. The hostels in the Lake District also have their own booking service on tel 015394 31117.

Bed and breakfast
Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) are a Great British institution and many of those along the Coast to Coast are absolutely charming, with buildings often three or four hundred years old. There's nothing mysterious about a B&B; as the name suggests, they provide you with a bed in a private room, and a breakfast – a hearty, British-style cooked one unless you specify otherwise beforehand – though they range in style enormously. Most B&Bs have both en suite rooms and those with shared facilities, though even with the latter the bathroom is never more than a few feet away. These rooms usually contain either a double bed (known as a double room), or two single beds (known as a twin room). Family rooms are for three or more people. Solo trekkers should take note: single rooms are not so easy to find, and solo trekkers will often end up occupying a double room, for which they'll have to pay a single supplement.

An evening meal (usually around £10-12) is often provided too, at least if you book in advance. If not, there's nearly always a pub or restaurant nearby or, if it's far, the B&B owner will usually give you a lift to and from the nearest place with food.

B&B prices B&Bs in this guide start at around £18 per person for the most basic accommodation to over £40 for the most luxurious en suite places in a popular tourist haunt like Grasmere. Most charge around £20-25 per person. A typical single supplement is between £5 and £10. Always let the owner know if you have to cancel your booking so they can offer the bed to someone else.

Guesthouses, hotels, pubs and inns
The difference between a B&B and a guesthouse is very minimal, though some of the better guesthouses are more like hotels, offering evening meals and a lounge for guests. Pubs and inns also offer bed and breakfast accommodation, and prices are no more than in a regular B&B. Hotels do usually cost more, however, and some might be a little incensed with a bunch of smelly trekkers turning up and treading mud into their carpet. Most on the Coast to Coast walk, however, are used to seeing trekkers and welcome them warmly. Prices in hotels start at around £35 per person.

Others
In addition to the accommodation types listed above there are also holiday cottages, stationary caravans and even one or two adventure centres along the route, though these tend to cater more to people staying for at least a few days rather than just one night.


When to go

SEASONS

Britain is a notoriously wet country and the north of England is an infamously damp part of it. Rare indeed are the trekkers who have managed to walk the Coast to Coast path without suffering at least one downpour on the way; three or four per trek are more likely, even in summer. That said, it's equally unlikely that you'll spend a fortnight in the area and not see any sun at all, and even the most cynical of walkers will have to admit that, during the walking season at least, there are more sunny days than showery ones. That walking season, by the way, starts at Easter and builds to a crescendo in August, before steadily tailing off in September. By the end of September few indeed are the trekkers on the trail, and in October many places close down for the winter.

Spring
Find a couple of dry weeks in springtime and you're in for a treat. The wild flowers are beginning to come into bloom, lambs and calves are skipping in the meadows, the grass is green and lush and the path is not yet badly eroded. Of course, finding a dry fortnight in spring (around the end of March to mid-June) is not easy but occasionally there's a mini-heatwave during this season. Another advantage with walking at this time is that trekkers will be few and finding accommodation relatively easy. Easter is the exception, the first major holiday in the year when people flock to the Lake District and other national parks.

Summer
Summer, on the other hand, can be a bit too busy and, in somewhere popular like the Lakes over a weekend in August, little short of insufferable. Still, the chances of a prolonged period of sunshine are of course higher at this time of year than any other, the days are much longer and the heather is in bloom at this time, too, turning the hills a fragrant purple. If you crave the company of other trekkers summer will provide you with the opportunity of meeting hundreds of them, though do remember that you must book your accommodation well in advance. Despite the higher than average chance of sunshine, take clothes for any eventuality – it will still rain at some point.

Autumn
September is a wonderful time to walk, when many of the tourists have returned home and the path is clear. I think that the weather is usually reliably sunny, too, at least at the beginning of September, though I'll admit I don't have any figures to back this claim. The B&Bs and hostels will still be open at this time, too, at least until the end of the month. By then the weather will begin to get a little wilder and the nights will start to draw in. The walking season is almost at an end.

Winter
There are a few people who trek the Coast to Coast in winter, putting up with the cold temperatures, damp conditions and short days for the chance to experience the trail without other tourists. Much of the accommodation will be closed too. But whilst it may also be a little more dangerous to walk at this time, particularly if taking one of the high-level routes through the Lakes, if you find yourself walking on one of those clear, crisp, wintry days it will all seem worth it.

RAINFALL

At some point on your walk, it will rain; if it doesn't, it's fair to say that you haven't really lived the full Coast to Coast experience properly.

The question, therefore, is not whether you will be rained on, but how often. But as long as you dress accordingly and take note of the safety advice given on p50, this shouldn't be a problem.

Do, however, think twice about tackling some of the high-level alternatives if the weather is very inclement, and don't do so on your own.

DAYLIGHT HOURS

If walking in autumn, winter and early spring, you must take account of how far you can walk in the available light. It won't be possible to cover as many miles as you would in summer. Remember, too, that you will get a further 30-45 minutes of usable light before and after sunrise and sunset depending on the weather. In June, because the path is in the far north of England, those coming from the south may be surprised that there's enough available light for walking until at least 10pm. Conversely, in winter you will be equally amazed how quickly the nights draw in. Bear this in mind if walking outside of summer.

ANNUAL EVENTS

Thanks largely to its popularity with tourists, Grasmere has over the past few years become something of a mecca for those interested in those peculiarly Lakeland sports such as fell running and Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling. The annual Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show , the origins of which date back around 300 years, takes place at the end of August, foot-and-mouth willing. Other sports featured include tug-of-war, hound-trailing and the new addition of mountain-biking. If you are in the Lakes at this time, don't miss the opportunity of witnessing this unique event.

As you'd probably expect, Grasmere also hosts an annual Art and Book Festival at one of Wordsworth's old houses, Dove Cottage. The festival usually takes place in January.

The villages of Swaledale, which includes Keld, Muker, Thwaite, Gunnersbury and Reeth, hold an annual music festival. The Swaledale Festival usually takes place at the end of May to early June. The festival has an annual theme running through it (eg stringed instruments), and in addition to the music there are all kinds of other activities from art exhibitions and guided walking trails to craft workshops; information can be found and tickets brought on the dedicated website website www.swaledale-festival.org.uk. Richmond Live is a pop music festival usually held in April. For details visit the website www.richmond.org.uk/richmondlive. Robin Hood's Bay hosts a folk music weekend , usually on the first weekend of June. For something a bit different, if you happen to be in the village in winter don't miss the Victorian weekend at the beginning of December, where the town turns out in 19th-century costume. It's all good fun, with quizzes, recitals, concerts and demonstrations, and it's all in aid of charity too.

In addition to the events outlined above, there are all kind of agricultural shows that take place annually in towns and villages on the Coast to Coast trail. These shows are an integral and traditional part of life all over rural England and particularly in the Lake District. Too numerous to list here, details of all the shows can be found by looking at the websites of the places concerned, of which you'll find a number on p13.