The next adventure begins …

While the last couple of years have been more local adventures (so a little quiet here on Running for the Gate), that is all changing folks! In just 36 sleeps my bloggy blog friends, I am off to England to walk the Coast to Coast Path.

What is the Coast to Coast Path you ask?

Oh, you are in for a treat on this one – and I hope, as the person walking this sucker, I am too. The Coast to Coast Path is just over 300kms of glorious, rugged England landscape. You literally start the walk with your toes in the West coast (St. Bees) and meander a shot jaunt across the country in a straight-ish line to dip them in the East coast (Robin Hood’s Bay). On the journey, we will walk through 3 National Parks: Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. I think we even dabble just a wee bit in the Pennines National Park as well. It is going to be amazing!

If you are rambler, a fellwalker, a hill walker, a long-distance path walker, a hiker, a thru hiker, a weekend warrior of the hills, adventurer of landscapes, you get where I am going here … you have likely heard of the legend Alfred Wainright. This man is a fellwalking superstar. He walked up and down and around all of the Lake District and more England, all the while creating pictorial guides of his routes for others to give this amazing hobby a go. The Coast to Coast Path is his creation. We will be walking in the steps of ole A.W. for this one and cannot thank him enough for forging the way.

When, Who, Where of the Coast to Coast Path?

Well, this is where excitement about walking this Path and giddiness of the company I will be with combines into the most amazing of combos. This is a father and daughters’ adventure! We are celebrating a 70th (Daddio) and a 50th (my sister Shar, a name you have seen on Running for the Gate many times) with this walk. My sister Hailey (another name you would have seen in the Kilimanjaro hiking blogs) and I tagging along to ensure the right level of shenanigans and tom foolery.

The four of us kick off our adventure in just 36 sleeps. On June 12 we will make our way from Canada to London via plane, London to St Bees via train, St Bees to Robin’s Hood Bay via hiking boot, Robin Hood’s Bay to Londa via bus and plan, then back to Canada in the air for July 3. In there somewhere we will visit Kendal (the birthplace of Wainright himself), walk 16 days and visit York. So excited!

As we make our way to departure and while on our adventure, I will be sure to post highlights here. For videos, check out @runningforthegate on Instagram. I do a little morning ‘this is what our day looks like’ and an evening ‘this is actually what the day felt like’ video and sometimes a few in between. 

For now I will leave you with this most amazing quite from our Path founder …

“Oh, how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this; the scenes that delight the eyes, the blessed peace of mind, the sheer exuberance which fills your soul as you tread the firm turf? This is something to be lived, not read about. On these breezy heights, a transformation is wondrously wrought within you. Your thoughts are simple, in tune with your surroundings; the complicated problems you brought with you from the town are smoothed away.” A.W.

Yes to ALL of that A.W. – there is just nothing like walking up and away from it all to free the mind and soar the soul.

Brande aka Doctor Boots