A car-free jaunt to the Lake District to hike a stretch of the coast-to-coast trail

Great public transport in the Lakes means easy access to the famous trail – and handy alternatives to walking when the rain comes down

Alfred Wainwright’s coast-to-coast trail through Cumbria and North Yorkshire over mountains and moorland is one of the UK’s most popular long-distance walks, with an estimated 6,000 people completing the whole 197 miles each year, and lots more walking shorter sections. In August 2022 the government announced it would become England’s newest national trail. About the same time, the Borrowdale Royal Oak hotel in Rosthwaite, near Derwentwater and right on the route, reopened after a £1.3m refurbishment with a sustainable focus (and free cake).

The Lake District has excellent public transport compared with most of rural England so I head to Rosthwaite and back by train, bus, boat and foot. The eight miles of the trail between Borrowdale and Grasmere are considered a scenic highlight. Wainwright, a celebrated writer and fell walker in the postwar period, describes one stretch nearby as “a walk in heaven”.