Walking Wainwright's Coast to Coast with a dog?

Q. Hi.

I am thinking of taking my dog as company on my summer holiday to do the Coast to Coast walk.

Has anyone done this successfully and would anyone recommend it. She is quite agile and very well behaved.

I will be hoping to do a mixture of camping and B & B's (mostly camping!)

Thank you.

Dawn Cawthorne, Merseyside

A. I'm thinking of doing autumn 2023. Lots of good stories from other people. How long should we take? 192 miles two weeks would be about 14 miles a day. A lot for dog. What did others do? Thanks

Rowan Armstrong, Blackpool

A. We have just done it with a dog and he was brilliant and indefatigable, despite being nearly ten! We did it east to west to build up our endurance and he managed the rocky Lakes no problem.

Alex Hallatt, Dorset

A. Merlin, my 4 yr old Lab, and I did the C2C in Sept 2011. Highly recommended. Only real issue are the STILES. The farmers in Cumbria have almost uniformly dog-friendly stiles. Not so in Yorkshire. You may have real safety issues for your dog and your back in some places. Otherwise dog-friendly accommodation is available for the entire trip. Book REAL early. Keep your dog on a lead in farmyards. In the North York Moors they want you to keep your dog on a lead even on the very wide trails, which I don't accept, so long as your dog doesn't disturb the birds or go off the trail. The managers of the Moors should state that 'dogs should be on the trails at all times' rather than 'dogs should be on a lead at all times.' There are many places along the walk where farmers post signs stating your dog must be on a lead. If your dog chases livestock, then you need to do this. If your dog does not, then the countryside code states they should be under 'close supervision' and the farmers need to accept this. There is definitely pressure on dog owners these days. Be responsible. But the farmers need to have good reason to be Bolshi, which they sometimes are, and not lump all dogs and dog owners together.

Andrew Shacknove, Oxford

A. We managed the C-2-C [Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk] with 2 x Border Collies and camping all the way.

Graeme Hately, Nottinghamshire

A. Rufus, my Bearded Collie and I did the Coast to Coast walk two years ago, there are plenty of places to stay at either end of the walk, though its a good idea to book early, as the middle section, Keld, etc, accommodation is a bit harder to find. We enjoyed it so much, I've started planning this year's adventure already. Most dogs are much more sure-footed than us humans and just be sensible where there is livestock and keep Muttley on the lead. PS Rufus has a good appetite, so you don't want to be hauling dog food round, I used a baggage company to forward my large bag daily, though I have also spent a week walking round the Lakes and posted Rufus' food to each Inn I had booked into. Good luck

Camilla Hurst, Sevenoaks

A. I did East to West with a Labrador in Sept of this year, did both camping and also stayed in a couple of B&B's, all the following are dog friendly, Glaisdale, Hollins Farm. Lord Stones Cafe (grid 524030) facilities are awful. Ingleby Cross Pub Garden, Blue bell inn. Richmond, St Giles Farm excellant. Reeth, Orchard camping site, Keld Park house camping site (grid 887015) Kerby Stephen, Pennine View camping park. Hope this helps. Barney and Storm.

Barney Barnes, Lyneham

A. We managed to complete the C2C with 2 Boarder Collies in July. Camping all the way with a few nights wild camping.

Your problem will not be so much camping with dogs but the trouble with cows and horses! We had a couple of very close shaves.

Sore pads have been a problem in the past. It's good to have a day off somewhere to let your dog recover.

For more information on walking through cows see How to stay safe when walking and hiking through fields of cows, Ed

Graeme Hately, Awsworth

A. There shall be two of us doing the C2C this summer with 2 boarder collies. Can you remember where the dog friendly camp sights were?

Graeme Hately, Awsworth

A. It's perfectly possible to do the coast to coast with a dog. When I did it, one of our group had a dog with them. We did it camping all the way, but your options might be more limited if you want other accommodation. The YHA will not accept dogs for example. I think you need a pretty fit dog, used to lots of walking. Sore paws become a definite issue towards the end of the walk. You will get people accusing you of cruelty too!

James Carter

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