Getting to the start or finish of The Coast To Coast is probably easier if you don't take your car but it's possible to leave it at one end, possiby at a Bed and Breakfast but you might have to pay to do so, plus the expense of travelling back to the start and very possibly staying another night there before travelling home the next day as it would be unadvisable to drive home after a long walk followed by the journey to the start. You can always leave your car near the half way point at Kirkby Stephen and then travel back there from Robin Hood's Bay if you finish there but I think this walk it is to travel to the start and from the finish by train and relax.
You are starting and finishing on the coast and both St. Bees on the West coast and Robin Hood's Bay on the East are well served by public transport with a Railway Station in St. Bees and a regular short bus journey from Scarborough to Robin Hoods Bay.
I live near the East coast and decided to start my walk in the West, so when I finished the walk in Robin Hood's Bay, it meant I could have a short journey and be back home that night but this meant a long journey to St/ Bees by train and stayed the night at a local Hotel, meaning I could relax the evening before my walk and have a good sleep, breakfast then start my Coast To Coast walk. Walking the other direction would mean a long journey home from the end and very possibly having to stay the night in St. Bees before heading home the next day. Hopefully this advice will be of use to you.
Transport to or from St. Bees on the West Coast
Getting to St. Bees will really depend on what part of the country you are travelling from. It's far easier getting here if you live on the West side of the country as you can get a train on the main West Coast line to Carlisle from Glasgow and Edinburgh in the North or Cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham further South. There is also a regular service from Newcastle on the East coast plus local trains, the Whitehaven train will take you to St. Bees.
If you are not staying the night before your walk in St. Bees, it's unlikely that you will travel here in the morning and head straight off on your walk on arrival as the earliest train would not get you into St. Bees until after 10:00 from Carlisle which might be a later start than you would would like. I would prefer to stay in St. Bees the night before and relax, have a good sleep and then set off after a good breakfast in the morning, refreshed and ready to do your Coat To Coast walk.
Getting home from St. Bees can be done by getting the train from the village to Carlisle and then heading from there London, Glasgow or Newcastle directions and then heading home from there.
Transport to or from Robin Hood's Bay
The journey to Robin Hood's Bay on the East Coast means getting a train to Scarborough and then the regular X93 bus service to Robin Hood's Bay that goes to either Whitby or Middlesborough. To get to Scarborough by train, you will probably travel along the main East Coast line to York and then change there to get the Scarborough train which comes from Liverpool.
Getting to Robin Hood's Bay in the morning if you choose to travel there on the day you start your walk there can be done a bit easier than on the other coast as at the moment, there are 3 trains from York that will arrive in Scarborough before 09:30 and a short bus ride to Robin Hood's Bay will follow. If you can get the Liverpool to York train early morning, you should be able to start your Coast to Coast walk quite early.
Getting home from Robin Hood's Bay means getting the X93 bus to Scarborough and then the Liverpool train and getting off most likely at either York or Liverpool and heading onwards towards your destination from those stations.
Transport along the Coast To Coast walk
Hopefully you will be able to complete your Coast To Coast walk and then head home but some people choose to do the walk in two sections, finishing at Kirkby Stephen and heading home and then returning there at a later date to do the second half. Kirkby Stephen is near the halfway point and is also on the Leeds to Carlisle railway line so it's easy to travel home from there or back again at a later date.
If you need to get home during the walk, you will have to rely on busses but these aren't very frequent in places and the timetable changes in the Winter so have an escape plan written down just incase. Some places where you can catch a bus are...
Honister - The number 77 or 77A Honister Rambler will pick you up from Honister slate mine and take you to Keswick.
Rosthwaite - The number 78 bus service travels between Seatoller and Keswick daily which also stops in Rosthwaite, from where you can get a bus to Carlisle or Penrith among other towns and then head onwards from there.
Grasmere - Service 555 is the Lancaster to Keswick bus that goes through Grasmere, it will take you to Kendal then onto Keswick but also Windermere Railway Station is on this bus route.
Patterdale - Service 508(108) will take you from Patterdale to Penrith which has a railway station. the 208 bus runs in summer taking you to Keswick.
Shap - The 106 service runs between Kendal and Kirkby Stephen through Shap, Kirkby Stephen being on the main Leeds to Carlisle railway line.
Kirkby Stephen - The quickest way from here is the train, the main Leeds to Carlisle railway line runs through Kirkby Stephen quite regularly. There are also bus services to places like Kendal and Penrith.
Keld - The number 30 bus will take you from Keld to Richmond where you can then get a bus to Darlington and the railway station.
Reeth - The number 830/832 runs between Morecambe and Richmond/Middlesborough and passes through Reeth, this will also take you to Ribblehead which is on the Leeds to Carlisle railway line. The number 30 service will take you to Richmond where you can then get a bus to Darlington or Northallerton, which have railway stations.
Richmond - The number X26/X27,X34 number 29 services will take you to Darington railway station, the number 54/55 service will take you to Northallerton station.
Brompton On Swale or Catterick - The number X34/54/55 passes through both these villages on it's way to Darlington from Richmond. The 54 service passes through Catterick and goes to Northallerton railway station, the 55 service passes through Brompton On Swale to Northallerton.
Osmotherley - The number 80/89 bus will take you to Northallerton from Osmotherley, just off the Coast To Coast walk.
Glaisdale - The number 99 bus will take you to Whitby railway station, passing through Egton and Grosmont which are also on the walk.
