Alternative Coast to Coast

199 mile cross-country walk from Walnet Island to Holy Island

The Alternative Coast to Coast starts on the west coast on Walney Island near Barrow-in-Furness and finishes at ancient Holy Island, or Lindisfarne as it was once known, on the east coast. The walk climbs several Lakeland hills and the full length of Ullswater is walked. The route crosses the Northern Pennines and negotiates Hadrian’s Wall before crossing Northumberland and the North Sea (tides permitting) to reach its destination.

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Holiday Packages

All our Standard Itineraries include:

Hand-picked accommodation in B&Bs / guest houses / inns / small hotels
En-suite facilities where available
Breakfast
Daily baggage transfers from our own team of local drivers
All booking fees

We will also endeavour to include all these in any custom itinerary you wish to build for this walk.

2022 Holiday prices will be available shortly

Itin A: 14D / 15N £1520 pp *

Day 1: Barrow in Furness (no accommodation on Walney Island) to Broughton in Furness (14.6m)
Day 2: Broughton in Furness to Coniston (11.9m)
Day 3: Coniston to Grasmere (15.8m)
Day 4: Grasmere to Pooley Bridge (16.6m)
Day 5: Pooley Bridge to Langwathby (10.4m)
Day 6: Langwathby to Alston (16.1m)
Day 7: Alston to Allendale (12.2m)
Day 8: Allendale to Hexham (10.7m)
Day 9: Hexham to Wark (13.6m)
Day 10: Wark to Elsdon (14.5m)
Day 11: Elsdon to Alwinton (16m)
Day 12: Alwinton to Wooler (24m)
Day 13: Wooler to Fenwick (12.6m)
Day 14: Fenwick to Lindisfarne (5.8m)

£1,715 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£1,520 per person (based on two sharing)
£1,400 per person (based on group of 3)
£1,325 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

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Itin B: 10D / 11N £1150 pp *

Day 1: Barrow in Furness (no accommodation on Walney Island) to Broughton in Furness (14.6m)
Day 2: Broughton in Furness to Great Langdale (21.1m)
Day 3: Great Langdale to Patterdale (13.8m)
Day 4: Patterdale to Langwathby (19.8m)
Day 5: Langwathby to Ninebanks (22.5m)
Day 6: Ninebanks to Newbrough (22.7m)
Day 7: Newbrough to Elsdon (22.5m)
Day 8: Elsdon to Alwinton (16m)
Day 9: Alwinton to Wooler (24m)
Day 10: Wooler to Lindisfarne (18.4m)

£1,315 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£1,150 per person (based on two sharing)
£1,055 per person (based on group of 3)
£990 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

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Itin C: 11D / 12N £1245 pp *

Day 1: Barrow in Furness (no accommodation on Walney Island) to Broughton in Furness (14.6m)
Day 2: Broughton in Furness to Elterwater (18.1m)
Day 3: Elterwater to Patterdale (16.8m)
Day 4: Patterdale to Langwathby (19.8m)
Day 5: Langwathby to Alston (16.1m)
Day 6: Alston to Allendale (12.2m)
Day 7: Allendale to Carraw (18.8m)
Day 8: Carraw to Elsdon (20m)
Day 9: Elsdon to Alwinton (16m)
Day 10: Alwinton to Wooler (24m)
Day 11: Wooler to Lindisfarne (18.4m)

£1,420 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£1,245 per person (based on two sharing)
£1,145 per person (based on group of 3)
£1,075 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Get a Personal Quote

Itin D: 12D / 13N £1350 pp *

£1,495 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£1,350 per person (based on two sharing)
£1,275 per person (based on group of 3)
£1,235 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Get a Personal Quote

Itin E: 13D / 14N £1415 pp *

Day 1: Barrow in Furness (no accommodation on Walney Island) to Broughton in Furness (14.6m)
Day 2: Broughton in Furness to Elterwater (18.1m)
Day 3: Elterwater to Patterdale (16.8m)
Day 4: Patterdale to Langwathby (19.8m)
Day 5: Langwathby to Alston (16.1m)
Day 6: Alston to Allendale (12.2m)
Day 7: Allendale to Hexham (10.7m)
Day 8: Hexham to Wark (13.6m)
Day 9: Wark to Elsdon (14.5m)
Day 10: Elsdon to Alwinton (16m)
Day 11: Alwinton to Wooler (24m)
Day 12: Wooler to Fenwick (12.6m)
Day 13: Fenwick to Lindisfarne (5.8m)

£1,590 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£1,415 per person (based on two sharing)
£1,305 per person (based on group of 3)
£1,235 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Get a Personal Quote

* All headline holiday prices are shown per person, based on two people sharing.

Baggage Transfer

Baggage Transfer is automatically included in the price of all our Walking Holiday packages.

These prices are for anyone planning their own holiday and just need bags moving from one stop to the next.

2022 Baggage Transfer prices will be available shortly

Itin A

£565 per person (single)
£370 per person (based on two people)
£250 per person (based on group of 3)
£175 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Max 17kg per bag

Itin B

£465 per person (single)
£300 per person (based on two people)
£205 per person (based on group of 3)
£140 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Max 17kg per bag

Itin C

£495 per person (single)
£320 per person (based on two people)
£220 per person (based on group of 3)
£150 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Max 17kg per bag

Itin D

£495 per person (single)
£350 per person (based on two people)
£275 per person (based on group of 3)
£155 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Max 17kg per bag

Itin E

£515 per person (single)
£340 per person (based on two people)
£230 per person (based on group of 3)
£160 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

Max 17kg per bag

Note: If you are booking accommodation in an Airbnb, you must ensure that there will either be someone available to take collection/delivery of your bags or that they have appropriate, secure storage in the event that the proprietor is absent.

Walk Information

Holiday Options
Walk Info
Maps & Guide Books

Rest Days
Rest days can be incorporated into any walking holiday package at an additional £55.00 per person per night

Solo Travellers
Solo travellers please contact us or use the booking form to send your proposed itinerary including dates, and we will price accordingly. Where possible, we take advantage of existing bookings from other clients to ensure you receive a cost effective service.

Alternative Itineraries
For alternative itineraries to those provided for this route, please contact us, or use the Booking Form to submit your proposed itinerary and number of participants and we will quote accordingly.

Walking Season Dates
Prices are based on the walk starting after 1st April and ending before 30th September. For walks outside those dates, please contact us. We provide a reduced out of season service, but still manage to meet the needs of most customers who contact us during this period.

Walk Information
The Alternative Coast to Coast begins on one island and finishes on another. It starts on the west coast at the Beachcomber Cafe on Walney Island near Barrow-in-Furness. After crossing the Irish Sea (tides permitting), the walk skirts the edge of Barrow, and on into the Lake District. Several Lakeland peaks are climbed, several delightful Lakeland villages are visited and the full length of Ullswater is walked.

Between Penrith and Hexham, the route crosses the Northern Pennines. Hadrian's Wall is then negotiated before crossing Northumberland with its Cheviot Hills and wilderness areas. The ACC finishes in a grand style by crossing the North Sea (again tides permitting) and finally arrives at ancient Holy Island, or Lindisfarne as it was once known, on the east coast.

OS Explorer Maps
OL5 - English Lakes - North-eastern area
OL6 - English Lakes - South-western area
OL7 - English Lakes - South-eastern area
OL16 - Cheviot Hills
OL31 - North Pennines
OL42 - Kielder Water & Forest
OL43 - Hadrian's Wall
340 - Holy Island & Bamburgh

Guide Books
"The Alternative Coast to Coast" by Denis Brook & Phil Hinchcliffe - ISBN: 978-1852842024 - No longer in publication, but second hand copies may be found on Amazon, eBay and other sites.

ViewRanger Digital Maps
Digital Maps can be viewed on a modern smartphone using an appropriate ‘app’, which is usually provided as part of any map purchase. Brigantes are happy to recommend ViewRanger for all your digital mapping and mobile navigation needs.

The ViewRanger Shop provides Ordnance Survey maps for all parts of the UK, as well as the National Trail and selected Long Distance Paths. Map segments can also be purchased ad-hoc, allowing you to cover any walk you plan to take.

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Walkers' Testimonials

Have you walked this route? Please leave a review and let others know what you think.

Use the comments form below to submit your testimonial for this walk. Rest assured, we won’t display or disclose your email address! It is only required to prevent spam – and to enable you to receive notifications of any responses to your review should you select the option to do so.

Holiday Packages

2022 Holiday prices will be available shortly

Baggage Transfer

2022 Baggage Transfer prices will be available shortly

Walk Information

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