This guidebook describes the Coast to Coast walk popularised by Wainwright. The walk from St Bees Head in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay on Yorkshire's east coast is now one of the most popular long-distance walks in Britain.

At 178 miles (300km) long, the trail can be easily walked within a two-week holiday period. The route is based on permitted rights of way and minimises the amount of road walking.

The guide is in three sections. The first gives the route description, from west to east, annotated with notes of geological, historical, industrial and sociological interest, together with information on natural history.

The second section gives the route description only in an east to west direction, cross-referenced to the points of interest. The final section comprises a description of variant routes and lists some useful addresses.