When to walk the Coast to Coast
The season, month by month, and the one stage whose route changes with the calendar.
April to October is the practical season, and May, June and September are the pick of it: long daylight, firmer ground and settled weather without the peak-summer competition for beds. Expect rain in any month — this is the wettest corner of England — and note that stage 8 over Nine Standards Rigg has three routes that rotate by season to protect the peat.
Month by month
| Month | Season | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| April | Shoulder | Daylight lengthening, fells still wet from winter, high passes can hold snow. Quiet, and beds are easy. |
| May | Prime | Often the driest month in the Lakes. Long days, wildflowers, seabirds on St Bees Head. The Nine Standards red route opens. |
| June | Prime | The longest daylight of the year — up to 17 hours — and generally firm going. Busy, so book beds well ahead. |
| July | Peak | Warm and busy. Midges and horseflies on the moors; accommodation at its tightest and priciest. |
| August | Peak | Heather comes into flower on the North York Moors, which is worth timing for. Still busy. Nine Standards switches to the blue route. |
| September | Prime | Many walkers' favourite: settled weather, thinning crowds, heather still out early in the month, 12-13 hours of daylight. |
| October | Shoulder | Autumn colour and quiet paths, but short days and the first real storms. Some seasonal buses stop running. |
| November – March | Off-season | Short days, saturated ground, and many B&Bs and some inns closed. The Nine Standards green route runs December to April, avoiding the summit bogs. Experienced walkers only. |
Daylight is the real constraint
Several days on this walk take seven hours or more of moving time before you stop for anything. In June you have up to 17 hours of daylight to spend; by late September, 12 to 13; in December, under eight. That is what pushes the season rather than temperature — the walk stays possible in cold weather, but the long days stop fitting into short ones.
The seasonal routes on Nine Standards Rigg
Stage 8 from Kirkby Stephen to Keld crosses deep blanket peat on Hartley Fell, and the crossing rotates between three lines so the ground can recover:
- Red route — May to July, over the summit.
- Blue route — August to November.
- Green route — December to April, lower and avoiding the most fragile summit bogs.
Follow the seasonal waymark posts on the moor. Stage 8 in full →
What each stage says about season
| Stage | Walk | Seasonal note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Bees → Ennerdale Bridge | April to October is the practical window. Spring (April–May) is prime for the seabird colony, including the black guillemots, and for clearer coastal views. |
| 3 | Rosthwaite → Grasmere | Best walked late spring to early autumn (April–October). May–June and September give the longest daylight and firmest going; after prolonged rain Greenup Edge and Brownrigg Moss become very wet and the becks rise quickly. |
| 4 | Grasmere → Patterdale | Best walked May–September for the longest daylight and most settled conditions; the standard valley route is feasible April–October. Grisedale Hause and the upper valley hold cloud, wind and late snow into spring — the high pass is fully exposed. |
| 5 | Patterdale → Shap | Best walked May to September, when the high ground is driest and daylight is longest - important given the 15.5-mile length and big climb. Even in summer the tops are exposed and weather can turn quickly; the ridge and the descent off Kidsty Pike are bleak and rough in mist. |
| 6 | Shap → Orton | One of the easiest stages on the walk and good in almost any month, late April to October is ideal: limestone wildflowers and breeding birds peak in May-June, and the long days suit the gentle mileage. The pavement and turf drain well, so this is far less boggy than the Nine Standards moor to come, but the open fell offers no shelter from wind or driving rain, and clag can make the featureless moorland navigation trickier. |
| 7 | Orton → Kirkby Stephen | Best walked April-October. Late spring brings bluebells and orchids to Smardale Gill and breeding birds to Sunbiggin Tarn; mid-to-late summer (roughly late July-August) is the window for the Scotch argus butterfly. |
| 8 | Kirkby Stephen → Keld | The route over the moor is dictated by the calendar to protect the peat: Red route (this page) May–Jul; Blue route Aug–Nov; and the lower-level Green route Dec–Apr, which avoids the fragile summit bogs. Whatever the official colour, the moor is wet year-round and the high crossing should not be attempted in poor visibility without navigation skills. |
| 9 | Keld → Reeth | Best walked May to September. The flower meadows of the low route are at their height in June. |
| 10 | Reeth → Richmond | A good stage in any walking month, April to October. Late May and June are the peak for the hay meadows and the most colourful; the flowers are cut by high summer. |
| 11 | Richmond → Danby Wiske | Walkable spring to autumn (April-October). Late spring and early summer give the driest field paths and longest daylight; after wet spells the low-lying paths beside the Wiske and the field sections become genuinely muddy. |
| 12 | Danby Wiske → Osmotherley | Best walked April–October. The Vale of Mowbray field paths are notoriously muddy/claggy after rain — late spring and summer are easiest underfoot. |
| 13 | Osmotherley → Clay Bank Top | Best walked late spring to early autumn (April-October). The flagstones make the going feasible year-round, but between them the moor is boggy after rain, and the exposed crest takes the full force of wind and low cloud. |
| 14 | Clay Bank Top → Blakey Ridge | Best walked late spring to early autumn (April–October). Spring brings the Farndale daffodils (usually mid-March to mid-April); late August brings full heather bloom but also the grouse-shooting season (the moors are working shoots from 12 August). |
| 15 | Blakey Ridge → Grosmont | Late summer (August–September) is the showpiece, when the moor turns purple with flowering heather; this is also when Glaisdale Moor is actively keepered for grouse. Spring brings bluebells to East Arncliffe Wood. |
| 16 | Grosmont → Robin Hood's Bay | Walkable roughly April to October. Spring brings bluebells to Little Beck Wood and drier moor; late summer (August) sets the moors purple with heather but the Graystone Hills can be at their boggiest after wet spells. |
Common questions
What is the best month to walk the Coast to Coast?
May, June or September. May and June give the longest daylight and the firmest ground — June has up to 17 hours of light against 12 to 13 in September — while September trades some daylight for thinner crowds and often settled weather. July and August are warmest but busiest, and beds book out furthest ahead.
Can you walk the Coast to Coast in winter?
It is walked in winter, but it is a different undertaking: eight hours of daylight, saturated ground, high passes that hold snow, and a good share of B&Bs and some inns closed. Stage 8 uses the green route from December to April, which avoids the fragile summit bogs on Nine Standards Rigg. Treat it as a winter hill walk, not a long-distance path.
How much rain should I expect on the Coast to Coast?
Enough to plan for in every month. The route crosses the Lake District, the wettest part of England, in its first five stages. Assume at least one wet day and probably several, carry full waterproofs whatever the forecast, and remember that becks on the moorland stages rise fast after rain.
What are the Nine Standards Rigg seasonal routes?
Stage 8, Kirkby Stephen to Keld, crosses deep blanket peat, and the crossing rotates between three lines to let the ground recover: the red route from May to July, the blue from August to November, and the lower-level green route from December to April. Walk the one that is in season — the waymark posts on the moor show which.
When is the heather out on the North York Moors?
Late August into early September, on the moorland stages between Clay Bank Top and Grosmont. It is the single best reason to walk the second half of the route late in the season.
How early should I book accommodation?
For June to September, months ahead — and start with the scarce nights. Keld, Blakey Ridge and Clay Bank Top have very few beds between them, and they fill first. Book those, then fit the rest of the schedule around what you got.
