St Bees and Egremont
St Bees is the tried and trusted start to the Coast to Coast walk, famously founded by Alfred Wainwright in 1973. It is also a lovely coastal setting and a splendid but smaller alternative to the bustling charms of Whitehaven and Workington.
The Egremont area has been mining iron ore and quarrying for more than 800 years and it is home to Florence Mine, the last deep Iron Ore mine in Western Europe.
There is plenty of eager and competitive accommodation in Egremont, plus numerous hostelries and eateries in the area. Indeed, huge efforts are being put into the regeneration of this former weaving and dyeing town. Egremont's hidden gems include the Norman Castle with its literary connection to Wordsworth's Ballad of the Horn of Egremont; Hartley's ice cream factory and shop; Lowes Court Gallery and Tourist Information Centre (01946 820693) with exhibitions of Cumbrian artists and local crafts.
As a 'Fairtrade Town' Egremont has a number of shops selling locally produced and sourced foods and holds a Farmers Market on the third Friday of every month in the Market Hall.
The main street has a variety of facilities, shops, pubs and takeaways catering for visitor needs.
During the annual Crab Fair, which in September 2007 celebrates its 840th anniversary, the greasy pole climbing and gurning (face pulling) events draw large crowds of locals and visitors. Indeed, the town is synonymous with that time honoured English tradition of gurning.
This year will see further improvements to the town and its facilities, such as circular cycling routes, riverside walks and new planting to the town’s entrances as part of the Egremont Market Town Initiative work. Visit the Tourist Information Centre at Lowes Court Gallery for details of things to do in and around the town.
The local regeneration partnership is keen to improve the visitor offer further and welcomes your comments, suggestions and information by email to simon.walker@visitegremont.co.uk, through the web site (www.Visitegremont.co.uk) or by post to Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership, Charles Edmonds Library, Wyndam Street, Egremont, CA22 2DH.
Accommodation
Run by: Fairladies Barn Guest House
Beautiful 17th century sandstone barn that looks as if it has been transported from one of those picture postcard villages in the Dordogne. Luxury accommodation at affordable prices.
Website : www.fairladiesbarn.co.uk
Email : info@fairladiesbarn.co.uk
Rooms : 4D, 3T, 2F (1D & 1T with shared bathroom)
B&B : £30-£40
Evening meal : Lots of nearby pubs
Packed lunch : £5.50
Run by: Stone House Farm
Friendly family run bed and breakfast in a large modernised Georgian farmhouse in the centre of the village, near the railway station and local shops, restaurants and hotels. Only three minutes' ride from the start of the C2C (not to mention Wainwright's coast to coast walk). Full English breakfast and free parking. There is, however, a charge for long stay car parking of �2.50 per night.
Website : www.stonehousefarm.net
Email : csmith.stonehouse@btopenworld.com
Rooms : 1S, 2T, 1F 2D, 1Tpl.
B&B : £30-£35
Evening meal : Local pubs and hotels
Packed lunch : £5
Secure bike storage : On route for C2C and Hadrian's Cycleway
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Run by: Platform 9 Restaurant & B&B
Charming location at the start of the route with a good restaurant and a beer garden. There are three rooms and lots of restaurant choice, from bar snacks to a la carte. Chef Martin Allison had two AA rosettes. Secure sotrage for bikes. Great place to start from.
Website : www.platform9.co.uk
Email : stuart@platform9.co.uk
Rooms : 2D, 1T
B&B : £32.50-£45
DB&B : £75 (for two, weekend only)
Evening Meal : £7.95-£19.95
Packed Lunch : £4.75
Run by: Queens Hotel
17th century hotel with a cosy country pub atmosphere: oak beams and log fires in the winter. There are two real ale bars and a decent wine list. The restaurant has been comfortably and tastefully refurbished and all meals are cooked on the premises using locally sourced ingredients where possible. Large conservatory and terraced garden. Secure cycle storage.
Website : www.queenshotelstbees.co.uk
Email : enquiries@queenshotelstbees.co.uk
Rooms : 7 rooms currently available whilst a further seven are being refurbished
B&B : £26-£38
Evening meal : from £6.95
Packed lunch : from £5.95
Run by: Albert Hotel
Clean and well run hotel at the bottom of Main St. A popular pub as well, with a pleasant beer garden. Carole obviously loves her job and the atmosphere is as warm as a steak pie. Secure storage and whopping breakfasts for those who like a challenging start. Astonishing value and very tidy rooms, all with huge Georgian sash windows.
Rooms : 2D, 3T, 2S
B&B : £25 (there is no extra charge for single occupancy)
Evening meals : Yes for groups or for those coinciding with groups. Around £4.50.
Packed Lunch : £3
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Run by: Horse & Groom Court
Right in the town centre, in the centre of the Western Lakes, the Horse & Groom offers budget en-suite accommodation for families, walkers and cyclists. It is self-catering and there are plenty of shops, pubs and restaurants nearby. There is a secure lock-up for bikes and cleaning facilities.
Web : www.horseandgroomcourt.co.uk
Email : info@horseandgroomcourt.co.uk
Rooms : 1 six bed dorm, 1Q, 2T. All en-suite wet rooms
B&B : £8
Evening Meal : Self-catering or surrounding pubs/restaurants
Sleeping bags for hire : £2
Directions
Those arriving by train should leave the station to the Priory Church side and make their way along the 'Coach Road' past the petrol station and garage to the beach. St Bees Head is the most westerly point in England north of Devon and from the promenade on a clear day you can look out to the Isle of Man, twenty miles or so off the coast.
The first stage of the route takes you to Egremont, four miles away. Leave the beach car park and take the first right along the straight road to the Station. Cross the level crossing and continue up the Main Street past the Platform 9 restaurant and the Queens Hotel on your right, the Manor House Hotel on your left and the post office.
At the next junction you have the choice to take the challenging route left up Outrigg (20%) and over Baybarrow, with rewarding views over to Ennerdale, Wasdale and down the coast to Eskdale and further, or to continue up the Main Street to take the second right - signposted for the Hadrians Way C72 route - and follow the coast ('Nethertown Road') and charming single track lanes to Coulderton, where one heads inland for Egremont and the lakes.
At the T-junction in Coulderton head right to Middletown, taking first left just before the telephone box. Follow the lane for a short while, but instead of heading right, go straight on past Black Ling and Pickett How, up the narrow minor road. Make sure to enjoy views across to Dent Fell - the western edge of the Lake District as you head towards Egremont.
Arriving in Egremont, take time to visit the Castle, then follow the national cycle route 72 which is clearly signed through the town and out to the north.
About a mile north of Egremont is Clintz Quarry Nature Reserve, a limestone quarry of dramatic proportions, with manmade cliffs 100ft high, which is home to some rare orchids in May and June, as well as a sanctuary for birds.
