Coast to Coasting #1: Starting out

Let’s walk across England from west to east in one go, starting at St Bees Head and ending at Robin Hood’s Bay - the Coast to Coast hike.
Getting to the start of the Coast to Coast (C2C) was cheap and seamless thanks to Virgin Trains and North-West Rail, booked through Trainline. Cheap at under 11 pounds because being over 60 qualifies me for a Senior Railcard @ 30 pounds a year. Almost too seamless because catching the train from St Helens, I had 5-minute windows for changes at Wigan and Carlisle and almost missed the St Bees train.

Hint: coming in to Carlisle, go to the front of the train so that you step straight on to the St Bees train. And listen really carefully to the instructions of the guard issued in almost incomprehensible Glaswegian. Lord knows how non-English speaking tourists fare.
After a scenic tootle down the coast through Whitehaven to St Bees station, we arrived in time for a late lunch, checked out the town and started the walk there and then.
Our first day’s walk started with us heading west. This isn’t as silly as it sounds because the first part of the walk takes you west to the beach and then round the bulgy coast up to St Bees Head before circling round and passing north of where you start. 
Traditionally, hikers pick up a pebble from St Bees beach and carry it with them to deposit at Robin Hood’s Bay (RHB) at the end. Make the most of this spot because you won’t see the sea again for another 2 weeks.

Spending time on St Bees Head is also worthwhile because the views are great and the sea cliffs are the only nesting spot of the black guillemot in England (you know when you are directly above the main breeding spot because it smells like a giant tin of seafood cocktail Whiskas that has been left out of the fridge too long.)
So we walked in a circle and slept the first night at St Bees.
Our first hike successfully completed, we got up early the next day, faffed around endlessly figuring out our day packs and getting our big bags ready for Packhorse to collect and take to our next B&B. We got much quicker at this as the hike went on but it takes practice.
Our second day we walked as far as Cleator (and ate our sandwiches in a lane called Wainwright Passage in honour of the great Alfred W who first walked and wrote about the C2C).
Up Dent Hill, across Raven Crag and down to Nannycatch (don’t you love these names?) before reaching Ennerdale Water and our second night.
Hint: take insect repellent; this part of the Lake District can be full of sandflies (“midges”) and the only way the English know how to deal with them is tell you to keep your window shut - in the hottest summer in 40 years!