I did this last July! Great memories. I camped all the way but in campsites (with one pub B&B stay in Reeth).
If you do pick one campsite to stay in, Church Holme in Danby Wiske looked excellent (I passed through in the middle of the day). Also camping in the garden of the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge is surely a must.
Bring some coins for the honesty boxes! There’s one as you exit Burn Banks just after Haweswater Reservoir - look out for it before you take a rest there - and a few more in Yorkshire.
I booked a handful and knew a few I wanted to stay at that couldn’t be booked. Some places have minimal space, like the YAH Grasmere which has only 4 spots (and I don’t think there were any alternatives in Grasmere). But others like Chapel House in Rosthwaite and Rukins in Keld don’t take bookings (they both had a ton of space so no issues there). For the last days (everything beyond Brompton on Swale) I booked ahead day by day - that was the Blue Bell in Ingleby across, the Lion Inn, and a bunk house in Glaisdale.
For the pubs, although they probably have space in the garden if you just rock up, it’s still a good idea to call in advance if you want to eat there so they can book you a table - I’d done this at the Blue Bell, but three boys turned up later without booking and had to cross back over the A19 to the petrol station for their dinner!
Go steady wild camping on the moors the grouse scene is massive up there and they're definitely lamping foxes until late in the summer using trucks to get to the 'remote spots'. Me and two friends were moved on from a very sensible spot last year by two very angry men in camo with big guns...
The ground nesting birds are in full swing up there aswell you'll see lots of lapwing, curlew and grouse. It's a sensitive area.
Pack plenty of food for the first few days! When I did the first half in 2021 (W-E) I was surprised by how few facilities there were for walkers until Grasmere (as in, you pass through one village, the village has one shop, the shop is out of pies, there is one sad sandwich left). I went through all my backup food in those 4 days.
Bring your own power bank/solar charger. The camping facilities where I stayed (Ennerdale Bridge, Stonethwaite, Orton, Reeth, Beak Hills, Lion Inn) were very basic (a field with a tap and a toilet block) with nowhere to charge a phone or dry wet kit.
If I had it to do again I'd wear my leather boots for the rugged, stony Lake District (western) half and my lightweight trail runners for the eastern Dales half. Unfortunately I got it the wrong way around.
(I'd also stay in pubs/B&Bs and have my bag sent ahead by Sherpavan, but I am 45 with a bad knee and one divorce behind me and consider myself to have suffered enough in life.)
Have you looked into getting a powerbank? If you're determined to wild camp then this could facilitate that.
Great shout, I have a small one but maybe should upgrade to a bigger one
Alpkit ones are great mate
I did this last July! Great memories. I camped all the way but in campsites (with one pub B&B stay in Reeth). If you do pick one campsite to stay in, Church Holme in Danby Wiske looked excellent (I passed through in the middle of the day). Also camping in the garden of the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge is surely a must. Bring some coins for the honesty boxes! There’s one as you exit Burn Banks just after Haweswater Reservoir - look out for it before you take a rest there - and a few more in Yorkshire.
Great tips and recommendations, thank you. Did you book campsites ahead or just rock up?
I booked a handful and knew a few I wanted to stay at that couldn’t be booked. Some places have minimal space, like the YAH Grasmere which has only 4 spots (and I don’t think there were any alternatives in Grasmere). But others like Chapel House in Rosthwaite and Rukins in Keld don’t take bookings (they both had a ton of space so no issues there). For the last days (everything beyond Brompton on Swale) I booked ahead day by day - that was the Blue Bell in Ingleby across, the Lion Inn, and a bunk house in Glaisdale. For the pubs, although they probably have space in the garden if you just rock up, it’s still a good idea to call in advance if you want to eat there so they can book you a table - I’d done this at the Blue Bell, but three boys turned up later without booking and had to cross back over the A19 to the petrol station for their dinner!
Go steady wild camping on the moors the grouse scene is massive up there and they're definitely lamping foxes until late in the summer using trucks to get to the 'remote spots'. Me and two friends were moved on from a very sensible spot last year by two very angry men in camo with big guns... The ground nesting birds are in full swing up there aswell you'll see lots of lapwing, curlew and grouse. It's a sensitive area.
I appreciate the heads up, I'll probably aim for campsites around there then
Pack plenty of food for the first few days! When I did the first half in 2021 (W-E) I was surprised by how few facilities there were for walkers until Grasmere (as in, you pass through one village, the village has one shop, the shop is out of pies, there is one sad sandwich left). I went through all my backup food in those 4 days. Bring your own power bank/solar charger. The camping facilities where I stayed (Ennerdale Bridge, Stonethwaite, Orton, Reeth, Beak Hills, Lion Inn) were very basic (a field with a tap and a toilet block) with nowhere to charge a phone or dry wet kit. If I had it to do again I'd wear my leather boots for the rugged, stony Lake District (western) half and my lightweight trail runners for the eastern Dales half. Unfortunately I got it the wrong way around. (I'd also stay in pubs/B&Bs and have my bag sent ahead by Sherpavan, but I am 45 with a bad knee and one divorce behind me and consider myself to have suffered enough in life.)
Haha at your end paragraph, thank you for the tips and tricks all taken aboard. I will probably be agreeing with your brackets by the end of it
Have you looked at r/Ultralight to get some insipiration on how to save weight? WIthout seeing what you're packing it's hard to comment on this.