You Are Here

The novel’s setting along the Coast to Coast Walk in northern England is crucial to its plot, themes, and character development. The route offers a challenging and deeply rewarding journey through England’s iconic landscape. The walk’s diverse terrain, ranging from rugged mountains to rolling hills and moorlands, and the area’s constantly changing weather conditions both demand endurance and resilience. However, the stunning scenery and sense of achievement in completing the journey make it one of the world’s most popular long-distance walks. The protagonists’ navigation of the route shapes their growth as they face physical challenges while absorbing the landscape’s scenic beauty.

Spanning approximately 192 miles (309 km), the Coast to Coast Walk proceeds from the Irish Sea on the west coast at St. Bees, Cumbria, to the North Sea on the east coast at Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire. Legendary fell walker and guidebook author Alfred Wainwright conceived the route in 1973. You Are Here summarizes the distinctive style of Wainwright’s guide to the walk: “[T]he prose fine and sturdy as a dry-stone wall, the Illustrations densely cross-hatched, lovely but as gloomy as a walking map of Mordor” (33). In addition, Nicholls nods to Wainwright by frequently including his name in Wi-Fi codes along the route.

The Coast to Coast Walk traverses various terrains and landscapes. It begins in the Lake District, known for the dramatic scenery that inspired Romantic poets like William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. The early stages of the walk include mountains, craggy fells, deep glacial valleys, natural lakes, and secluded tarns. Nicholls reflects this variety in his novel, describing verdant valleys of “pale greens and russet browns” that give way to Kidsty Pike (61), “a rocky crown, toothed like battlements, the kind of place you might go to summon dragons” (180). In addition, the author illustrates how the area’s natural beauty juxtaposes run-down former mining towns.

The Lake District stage of the Coast to Coast route includes steep ascents to exposed peaks and high passes. Weather conditions are notoriously unpredictable. While clear days offer stunning views, walkers face the possibility of rain, mist, and strong winds at any time of year. The novel illustrates this challenging combination of harsh terrain and inclement weather on day two of Michael and Marnie’s journey when they navigate the treacherous route between Ennerdale and Borrowdale in high winds and torrential rain. Marnie’s continuing the walk with Michael in these conditions while the other group members go home illustrates her determination. The novel conveys the contrasts inherent in the chameleon-like weather and its visual impact on the Lake District landscape: On a rainy day, it appears gray, dreary, and even sinister, while in the sunshine, it resembles Switzerland or the Italian Lakes.

As the Coast to Coast Walk progresses into the Yorkshire Dales, the terrain changes to rolling hills, lush green valleys, and meandering rivers. Michael describes the Yorkshire Dales as “much softer and greener” (187). Pastoral beauty, limestone pavements, and dry-stone walls characterize the area. While the terrain is less rugged than the Lake District, it still involves significant elevation changes. The ascent of Nine Standards Rigg is a high point on the route, and the landmark proves exhilarating in Michael and Marnie’s journey as they hug on reaching it. In addition, the couple enjoys the more temperate climate of the Dales. The sunshine and Marnie’s growing rapport with Michael make her feel optimistic about the future.

The next section of the route crosses the North York Moors, which features open heather moorland and dramatic gritstone escarpments. The moors are bleak and particularly exposed to the elements, and strong winds and rain are common. Michael walks this section of the route alone after Marnie departs. The gloomy landscape, which he captures in the black-and-grey photograph he takes of the view, echoes his loneliness.

The Coast to Coast Walk concludes with a coastal section where the terrain includes cliff-top paths and sandy beaches. The walk’s final section along the North Sea coast provides a dramatic change in scenery, featuring rugged cliffs, picturesque bays, and quaint fishing villages and ending in the dramatic descent to Robin Hood’s Bay, which offers stunning views of the North Sea. Neither Michael nor Marnie completes this stretch of the route. However, Michael’s suggestion that they share this experience at the novel’s end demonstrates his commitment to Marnie.