Does anyone know if it is possible to hike across the British Isles? I thought it would make an interesting through hike. I am sure there are many pubs and little towns to re-supply at.
brown bear
Europe Hiking - Appalachian Trail
system
#4
The short answer is yes. Try Googling “Coast to Coast Walk”. Or follow this link: www.coasttocoastguides.co.uk.
I know nothing about the Coast to Coast hike other than what I read in an article in Smithsonian magazine in the Sept. 2003 issue, but it is in my Future Hikes file.
Enjoy!
Snowbird
system
#5
The Coast to Coast Walk is one way of doing it, but there are many other possibilities. The UK is absolutely veined and capillaried with public-access hiking paths. You can buy maps in most outdoor stores and/or bookstores that show the paths. The paths lead from town to town, so you can pick where you want to start and finish, and there will be a way to get there on foot. These ancient footpaths are kept open to the public as long as someone walks them at least once a year. The Ramblers club makes sure that happens. If you want to do things the easy way, there are all sorts of services available to make the normal long-distance paths easy to hike–booking services which will arrange your lodging along the way, and van services which let you slackpack the whole thing. It’s not at all like backpacking in the US–normally you have to stay in a campground you have to pay for, or even stay in a country house hotel. It’s not hard to eat most of your meals in pubs, tea houses, and restaurants. Wonderful, but it’s not cheap.
Marta