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Itinerary/Days 1: Manchester, England / Irish Sea 2-7: Lake District National Park 8-9: Yorkshire Dales National Park 10-13: North York Moors 14-15: York Meeting / Departure Points Meeting Point: Manchester Departure Point: Manchester Lodging varies from fine hotels to more basic guesthouses Meals all breakfasts and dinners included Details 15-day moderate-to-rigorous hiking adventure From the Irish Sea to the North Sea, the best of England's Coast-to-Coast trail Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North York Moors National Parks Hiking 8-13 miles per day (6-8 hours), with some steep, rocky or boggy ground

The ultimate long-distance walk in England is the coast-to-coast ramble made famous by British walker Alfred Wainwright, who devised a hike that would make "an approximate beeline" straight across England by way of its most spectacular territory. Wainwright's route runs from St. Bees in Cumbria, on the Irish Sea, to Robin Hood's Bay, on the North Sea, and we walk its most scenic stretches, west to east, with the wind at our backs. We set out across the impossibly romantic Lake District, still as bucolic as it was when it provided inspiration for Wordsworth and Coleridge, traverse the Yorkshire Dales, and finally stride across the brooding heather moors of North York, a fitting climax to a superb journey. Along the way, we enjoy the good cheer of village inns and friendly rural pubs where we can relax with fellow hikers after a good day's walk.

Departure Dates   1: May 25 - Jun 8, 2003   2: Jul 5 - 19   3: Aug 2 - 16   4: Aug 24 - Sep 7 1: Manchester, England / Irish Sea We meet in Manchester and drive to the beach at St. Bees Head to christen our boots in the Irish Sea. 2 - 7: Lake District National Park Our walk begins in the elegant Lake District. On Day 6 we hike to Kirby Stephen through a limestone landscape of ancient stone circles. 8 - 9: Yorkshire Dales National Park We cross the Yorkshire Dales, the main watershed of England, ascending gentle limestone hills carpeted with wildflowers and descending over wild moorlands to the Yorkshire/Cumbria county boundary. We follow the River Swale to the lovely old town of Richmond. 10 - 13: North York Moors Skipping a flat section of the coast-to-coast trail, we resume our walk with a high traverse along wild moors of purple heather. On Day 13, with our adrenaline still flowing, we hike along blustery cliffs and down to the beach at Robin Hood's Bay to let the North Sea lap our boots and congratulate ourselves on a job well done, having walked about 115 scenic miles. 14 - 15: York We explore York, a medieval town wrapped in Roman walls and towered over by the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe, and depart via Manchester on Day 15.

COST Land Cost / per person dbl occ Cost 7 - 9 members 10 - 12 members   $3795 $3495 Single supplement: $550