Alternative Coast to Coast Walk

This alternative to Wainwright's classic route offers a gentler way to walk across England from coast to coast. The route runs across the country from Arnside on the shores of Morecambe Bay to Saltburn-by-the-Sea on the North Sea coast. Between the two it passes through some wonderful scenery - the sheep-grazed limestone hills and ancient woodland of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the pastoral valleys and stone-built villages of the Yorkshire Dales and the purple heathery hills and green dales of the North York Moors.

From the genteel Victorian seaside resort of Arnside, the Alternative Coast to Coast Walk heads for the picturesque market town of Kirkby Lonsdale through a landscape of lush pastures, little wooded hills and sleepy, unspoilt villages. It meanders through the sheep-grazed valleys of the Yorkshire Dales visiting the attractive settlements of Ingleton, Hawes, Sedbusk, Askrigg, Aysgarth, Castle Bolton, Grinton and Reeth before reaching the historic town of Richmond , with its magnificent castle, vast cobbled market place, Georgian buildings and narrow wynds lined with stone cottages. Then it crosses the rich farmland of the Vale of Mowbray to the pretty village of Osmotherley on the edge of the North York Moors. From here the route follows the western edge of the moors to the sleepy seaside resort of Saltburn-by-the Sea past Mount Grace Priory, ancient wayside crosses and the superb viewpoints of Captain Cook's Monument and Roseberry Topping.

Breathtaking viewpoints, the 'Devil's Bridge', the majestic 24-arched viaduct at Ribblehead, ancient packhorse tracks, Roman 'roads', the home of Yorkshire's most famous cheese, the imposing fortress of Bolton Castle, the 'Cathedral of the Dales', the waterfalls of Wensleydale, the melancholy remains of Swaledale's lead mining industry, a Benedictine nunnery and England's oldest theatre add to the interest of this delightful walk.