Some Final Thoughts

Coast to Coast Observations (in no particular order)

Book your weather

·         The Coast to Coast is one of the great walks. Like the Parson’s egg, it is bad in parts, but aren’t most trails. It is not a formally marked trail, so it can be what you make of it.
·         Book your weather ahead of time. Alternatively arrange your schedule so that bad weather days can be spent tucked away somewhere dry.
·         Bad weather days are most likely to affect the best parts of the walk especially in the Lakes District e.g. Haystacks, Helvelyn, Striding Edge, and in the Yorkshire Moors e.g. Five Standards. Apart from not being able to see anything, as was our case, some parts would be positively dangerous.
·         The best weather was supposed to be in September, for us it was about as bad as it could be.
·         Try and do all the “best” bits, like those mentioned, however some are not for the faint hearted. Some like Striding Edge and Helvelyn are probably better done on a “rest day” and in that order. From what I have heard and read Striding Edge is better climbed up, rather than down.
·         Take the non-road options particularly through the Vale of Mowbray. There are many permissive footpaths that can be used and are shown on the various maps.
·         Harvey Maps are excellent and detailed. Use in conjunction with a guide book. We didn’t like Cicerone, others do.
·         Don’t buy any maps or guide books-we have them all.
·         Some places deserve a rest day like Richmond for browsing, others maybe for more walking on other walks or doing parts missed the previous days. Some of the highlights as mentioned above can be done as loop walks.
·         Try and stay on or as close to the trail as possible. Packhorse, the company that does baggage transfers and arrange accommodation, try and book all their clients on the trail. Some of our accommodation was too far from the trail.
·         B and B’s are variable so be prepared for cramped rooms, hot water systems that are contrary and generally overheated houses, though this does help to dry out wet gear. Also be prepared to climb stairs. Very few B and B’s have bedrooms on the ground floor.
·         Newspaper is an excellent method for helping dry out boots. Pack it in tightly and as much as you can. Putting them ON heaters is not!
·         You get sick of pub food. There’s not that much choice, even the curries come with chips.
·         The English don’t know how to make salads, or what we would call a salad. If you find a good one, go for it.
·         You may get to like English beer.
·         The full English breakfast isn’t eaten every day by the English, so why should we? Many B and B’s have good muesli and a good range of cereal. Weetabix are definitely NOT Weetbix!!

Some breakfasts don't need to be hot!

·         However the full English breakfast can be used to make a not so full English lunch if you don’t mind a cold bacon and egg sandwich.
·         Most B and B’s now serve plunger coffee which can be quite good, though is often a bit weak. Coffee can never be too strong, you can always add water. Coffee that is too weak can never be resurrected!
·         We arranged our trip through Contours on the recommendation of various friends. Would we use them again? Well maybe, maybe not. I had no huge issues with them, a view not shared by all our party.  I would certainly canvass other companies like Packhorse, Sherpa etc. And ask them questions like is the accommodation on the path, do they have good drying rooms etc.
·         Multiples of two work best. Accommodation handles couples or pairs best. We had five in our group which created hassles with accommodation and with transport. Only a few B and B’s had vehicles that could carry us all at one time.
·         This is not an exhaustive list, just some random thoughts that have emerged.
Offas Dyke Observations
·         A great walk, highly recommended, that is easy to follow, and requires minimal navigational skills.

The best finish

·         Offas Dyke has probably the best finish of any trail I have walked on, presuming you’re going south to north.
·         Harvey Maps are good, as with C2C, and we found we had little use of the guide books we bought.
·         Don’t buy any maps or guide books-we have them all.
·         Accommodation was generally good, varying from B and B to pubs. The pubs were more interesting as that’s where you meet the locals.
·         Accommodation is not always on the path, especially if you are part of a larger group. There is less accommodation on Offas Dyke than C2C so options are less.

Offas Dyke Information Centre, Knighton

·         Baggage transfer is by the B & B or pub owners, unlike the C2C. There are no commercial baggage transfer companies that we heard of, so if you plan to arrange your own accommodation, check about baggage etc.
·         The only place that has any Offas Dyke memorabilia, like T-shirts or pack badges, is in Knighton at the Offas Dyke Information Centre, naturally. There is nothing at Prestatyn, even though some maps suggest a centre there.
·         The local shop in Longtown has Vegemite!
·         The pub food in Wales/England is much the same as for C2C except they don’t have salmon.
·         Be prepared to deal with cattle, of all shapes and sizes, and some may not be all that friendly.

There is probably more, however, this is enough! Happy walking.