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As he boards his train at Carlisle, Michael is stuck behind a Londoner changing trains with an enormous rucksack. He resists telling her that her straps need adjusting. On the train, he watches the woman typing and pulling faces at whatever she’s working on. He admires her attractive, expressive face as they pass through small industrial towns. Michael has arranged to meet the others in St Bees at the start of the walk. Three strangers will be in the group, one male and two females. Michael is nervous since he’s unaccustomed to socializing without Natasha. When he gets off the train, the woman with the large rucksack stands in his way, looking at a map. He points her in the right direction and wishes her luck.

Marnie has felt self-conscious about meeting strangers since the COVID-19 pandemic. She meets Cleo on the beach, who reveals that her husband, Sam, canceled due to work commitments. In the 18 months since Marnie last saw her godson, Anthony, he has transformed from a child to an awkward teen. Cleo introduces Marnie to an impossibly handsome man named Conrad and an unremarkable-looking man named Michael. Marnie vaguely recognizes Michael from the train station.

Michael explains that it’s traditional to dip one’s toes in the water at the start of the coast-to-coast route and pick a pebble to take to the end of the journey. When Michael reveals that he’s walking 190 miles to the east coast, Conrad points out that he could get there faster by vehicle. Marnie looks for a pebble of her own. She chooses a red one, which Michael identifies as sandstone, explaining that his own is dolerite, formed by a volcano. Marnie dips her toes in the water carefully to avoid getting her new boots wet.

Michael leads the walk, admonishing himself for going into geography-teacher mode with Marnie. He tries not to be judgmental of Conrad, who is wearing trainers and skinny jeans. When Cleo comments on the view, Conrad sarcastically admires Sellafield, the nuclear power station in the distance. Michael observes that Marnie and Conrad are already flirting with one another. Cleo apologizes, explaining that Tessa, the woman she thought he would like, couldn’t make it. She assures Michael that Tessa is still keen to meet him, but he’s secretly relieved by her absence. Anthony is sulky from the start of the walk, and Cleo admits that he came on the trip unwillingly.

Conrad complains about his hotel and proudly reveals that he lives in Barons Court, Kensington, an affluent area of London. He doesn’t respond when Marnie reflects on why Barons Court doesn’t have an apostrophe. Conrad reveals that he runs a pharmacy. However, when Marnie jokes that he must have free access to illicit drugs, he sternly emphasizes their stringent security measures. He likewise fails to laugh when they approach a lighthouse and Marnie quips about Virginia Woolf’s novel, To the Lighthouse. Marnie has loved reading since childhood but didn’t go to university. Her cautious-natured parents felt that reading was a hobby, not a profession. Conrad reveals that he mainly reads sports psychology, implying that fiction is a waste of time.

Walking inland, the group passes through deserted former mining communities. Conrad suggests that the inhabitants may be having “a siesta.” However, Michael knows that the towns are in industrial decline. His father was a printing works employee, and when production moved abroad, he lost his job. The shops in the local town center were devastated. Michael feels guilty that he escaped his hometown to go to university. His father is also a keen walker, and Michael keeps him updated on his treks. However, they never talk about sensitive subjects or their emotions. Nevertheless, Michael knows his father was deeply disappointed when Natasha left him. Michael can see that the rest of the group is already flagging. They have yet to climb a steep hill before descending to the Lakes.

Marnie’s heart pounds, her makeup runs, and she sweats from the weight of her backpack. She worries that she may vomit. Talking at length about his love of Formula One racing, Conrad reveals that the force on a racing driver’s neck during a race is “like having fire extinguishers strapped to their head” (58). Noting Conrad’s large watch, Marnie remembers that her husband, Neil, bought a similar one on their honeymoon in New York. He snapped at her for laughing at his fitness regime. Later, she learned he was keeping in shape for his girlfriend.

Reaching the top of the hill, Marnie reflects that the view is nice but not worth the effort to get there. Michael points out their route over the mountain range in the next few days. Marnie discovers that Conrad, Cleo, and Anthony are leaving on Monday morning. Her own train ticket back is booked for Tuesday evening. Marnie sarcastically thinks of Michael as “Gravel Boy” when he places a stone on top of a cairn.

Michael feels more comfortable talking to Anthony than the adults. Anthony used to stay with him and Natasha when they were unsuccessfully trying for a child. During that period, Michael ended up in the hospital after an “incident.”

Marnie begins a conversation with Michael, guessing from his obsession with pebbles that he teaches geography. She feels bad when Michael explains that walkers place stones on cairns to preserve these ancient markers. Marnie reveals that she’s divorced, while Michael describes his status as separated. Marnie and Michael realize that they must have met at Anthony’s christening, though neither can remember the other. As Michael laughs at her jokes, Marnie wonders if Conrad misses her company. Reaching the lake, they check into the Trout Inn. The themed rooms are named after fish, and the Wi-Fi code is “wainwright2017.”

Michael has a beard to hide the scar on his chin. Although the wound has healed, he still feels emotionally fragile. Despite Cleo’s description of Tessa as an attractive, “outdoorsy” dentist, he has no desire to date anyone. Michael travels light, carrying one shirt for the day, one to wear in the evening, and three pairs of underwear, washing them each night. He hears thumping music from Conrad’s room next door.

Marnie’s room, “Gudgeon,” is basic, though the view of the lake and valley is beautiful. She’s determined to be “vivacious” at dinner to impress Conrad. While attempting to clean cow manure off her boots, she spatters the walls and her little black dress.

Michael admires Marnie in her dress as she flirts with Conrad. When he incredulously observes that she has removed the batter from her fish, she offers it to him. Marnie asks Michael if she smells of cow manure, and he truthfully replies that she smells “very nice.”

“Day Two: Ennerdale to Borrowdale”

Hungover, Marnie hears heavy rain in the early hours of the morning. She recalls the previous evening with embarrassment. After dinner and several drinks, she went to Conrad’s room, hoping he would seduce her. However, her attempts at humor made him uncomfortable, and she left feeling awkward. Several people have described Marnie as “funny,” including her ex-husband at the beginning of their relationship. However, her humor soon irritated Neil.

Aching from the previous day’s exertions, Marnie feels lonely and longs for home. At breakfast, she joins Michael, who is reading a book on sheep farming, while she has Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. She reveals that she first read the novel when she was 15, and Heathcliff’s character is less appealing now. Michael points out that their route doesn’t cross the South Pennines of Yorkshire, where the novel is set. In addition, he corrects Marnie’s assertion that the weather is “wuthering,” pointing out that it’s raining but not windy. Marnie feels insulted when he suggests that she could get a taxi to the next hotel if she doesn’t want to walk.

Michael could hear Marnie in Conrad’s room the previous night. He was strangely relieved when he heard her return to her room.

Conrad tells Cleo that he lacks suitable clothing for the rain, so he’ll meet them at the next hotel. The others begin the walk in torrential rain. Cleo and Anthony soon turn back. To Michael’s surprise, Marnie insists on continuing. He secretly hoped to walk alone.

Marnie reflects that she would rather be on a treadmill than trudging through the rain. Her decision to continue walking is primarily motivated by a determination not to spend any more money. Cleo is wealthy, while Marnie struggles on her freelance income. Her financial situation worsened when Neil withheld £15,000 from the sale of their apartment, implying that he needed it to support his new family. Cleo advised Marnie to take legal advice.

Clambering up a peak in the rain, even Michael begins to question the point of the exercise. On her hands and knees behind him, Marnie swears loudly and often. A cloud hides the summit, but Michael promises her that they’re nearly there.

Finally reaching the peak, Marnie feels an icy wind assaulting her. She declares that the “wuthering” weather is giving her consumption. Michael points out the landmarks, which look gray and blurred in the mist and rain. When he indicates the tarn where Alfred Wainwright’s ashes were scattered, Marnie angrily declares that she’s glad he died. The route downhill is slippery and treacherous.

Finally descending to a dark and sinister-looking valley, Michael identifies it as Honister Pass, the source of the local slate. Marnie tells Michael she doesn’t care about slate mining and wants to get to their hotel. When they reach a road, a bus appears. Marnie runs to catch it, but Michael says this is cheating, insisting that he wants to walk the entire route.

Marnie arrives at a characterless conference-style hotel in Borrowdale just as Conrad checks out. He says he realizes that he hates the countryside and suggests meeting up with Marnie in London. She feels humiliated by Conrad’s early departure but relieved that she no longer has to try so hard. After checking into her room, she learns that the Wi-Fi password is “wainwright2014.”

When Michael reaches the hotel, he sees a text message from Natasha.

Cleo reveals that she and Anthony are leaving in the morning but suggests that Marnie stay on. She asserts that Marnie’s bad experience with Neil has made her reclusive, while it would do Michael good to have someone to talk to.

Natasha’s message wishes Michael luck on the walk. Natasha revealed some time ago that she was dating a fellow English teacher, Frank. Michael imagines Natasha discussing classic literature with Frank at night and wonders if he should respond and if she wants to meet.

Marnie changes into a black dress patterned with roses. In the Wainwright Bar, she discovers that it’s pie night. Unable to concentrate on Wuthering Heights, she talks to Michael, enjoying watching his animated face as he points out the next day’s route.

Cleo suggests that Marnie call Conrad when she returns to London. Marnie asks why her friend didn’t think of pairing her with Michael. Cleo says she thought Marnie needed fun, and Michael is serious and still struggling with his separation. She explains that Tessa would suit Michael because she’s “outdoorsy.” Marnie protests that Michael has a sense of humor and that she’s capable of being “outdoorsy” too.

“Day Three: Borrowdale, Grasmere, Glenridding”

Cleo tells Michael to forget about Natasha and “let someone in” (128). The following day, he assumes that Marnie is leaving with Cleo and Anthony and enjoys resuming the walk alone. As he reaches a hill summit, he sees Marnie waiting for him and grinning. He realizes that he’s not sorry to see her.

The previous night, Marnie decided that returning home with Cleo would seem like defeat. Instead, she downloaded online maps to her phone and aimed to beat Michael to the hotel in Patterdale. Nevertheless, she was pleased when she saw Michael not far behind her.

Marnie admits to Michael that she listens to podcasts on the walk because nature can be overwhelming. At home, the closest things she has to a garden are a lifeless-looking cactus and empty window boxes. She suggests that even William and Dorothy Wordsworth must have found contemplating nature too much sometimes. They discuss “the sublime” and ponder its meaning. Michael suggests that Wordsworth’s description of his heart filling with joy in the poem “Daffodils“ sums up the sublime. Marnie admits that the view of the lake is “very pretty” and takes a photograph. Suddenly, a pack of dogs streams past them. Marnie holds onto Michael’s arm and laughs at the folly of the countryside.

Michael and Marnie stop at a pub in Grasmere. When he asks about her work, Marnie shows him an excerpt from Twisted Night. Michael questions the logistics of the orgy and some glaring grammatical errors. Pleasantly tipsy after a few drinks, he realizes that he’s enjoying himself. Before he split with Natasha, alcohol generally caused conflict, and he continued to misuse alcohol after she left.

As they leave the pub, laughing, Michael and Marnie greet an older Scottish couple. They walk to Grisedale Tarn, but Marnie declines when Michael suggests a swim. Michael admits that he has only three pairs of pants and socks and washes them at night. Marnie confesses that she brought 12 pairs of pants for three nights. As they descend into the valley, the clouds part, revealing a blue sky.

Marnie tells Michael about her disastrous three-year marriage as they approach Helvellyn. She was working as a receptionist when she met Neil, who was older and more confident. Marnie admits that it was exciting when they got together on a team-building trip. However, Cleo disliked Neil and advised her not to marry him. Marnie recalls how everyone left their wedding early, leaving a large quantity of salmon uneaten. Neil insisted that they take the salmon home to freeze, and they lived off it for months. On their honeymoon, her husband continually reminded her of how much everything cost. They split up when Marnie discovered that Neil was having an affair at work. Marnie tells the story in a humorous manner but admits to sadness at picking the wrong person and never having experienced true love.

Marnie feels better after talking to Michael, and he agrees to tell her about his marriage over dinner. As they approach a grand hotel in Ullswater, Michael says there’s something he has been longing to do. As he pulls her toward him, Marnie closes her eyes.

Michael wonders why Marnie has closed her eyes as he adjusts the straps on her rucksack. The romantic-looking hotel caters to couples, and they’re allocated sumptuous bedrooms with views of mountains and the lake. Their rooms are named Shelley and Keats, and the Wi-Fi code is “romanticwordsworth.” They agree to meet for dinner at 7:30 pm.

Marnie is aware that her humorous account of her marriage masked the pain of the experience. She lies on her four-poster bed, setting her alarm for a 20-minute nap, but her phone slips under the cushions, and she sleeps for three hours.

Michael takes a book and sits on a bench below Marnie’s window, hoping to make a good impression. Before entering the dining room, he asks to borrow a tie because he feels underdressed. The server returns with a black Prada tie from lost property that looks incongruous with Michael’s usual oatmeal-colored shirt.

Marnie doesn’t arrive, so Michael eats alone, imagining the jokes they would have shared about his deconstructed pie. He begins replying to Natasha’s text. Marnie rushes into the dining room, apologizing profusely, just as the kitchen closes. He suggests that since the weather forecast is good, she could complete the rest of the Lakes route with him and still catch a train in the early evening. She agrees.

“Day Four: Glendridding to Shap”

When Marnie wakes, the view is reminiscent of Switzerland or the Italian Lakes, transformed by a blue sky. She and Michael hug awkwardly before starting their walk. When Michael zips off the bottom of his trousers, turning them into shorts, Marnie humorously compares him to a male stripper.

Marnie notices the easy silence when her conversations with Michael pause. However, she’s unsure of the nature of their relationship. Michael admits to being hungover, having drunk most of the bottle of wine he ordered. Both confess to misusing alcohol too much during the pandemic lockdown. Michael declares that he’s going for a swim in the tarn.

Michael and Marnie stand in their underwear with their feet in the icy water. They count down from three repeatedly, but neither dares to plunge into the water. Wrestling, they try to push each other in. When the elderly Scottish couple passes, Marnie and Michael are suddenly embarrassed. They agree that the water is too cold and get dressed.

Marnie feels sure of a spark between her and Michael and considers staying for a few more days. She reflects that she has nothing to return home for except an opened block of feta in her fridge.

Michael explains that he and his wife unsuccessfully tried to have children and were considering in-vitro fertilization (IVF) when Natasha left. He admits that the pity of friends who are parents annoys him. Marnie confesses to mixed feelings about her childlessness. She’s irritated when people imply that since she’s free of parental responsibility, she should live a more fulfilling life, traveling the world and learning Portuguese. As a single woman, she also resents being defined as “the one without” a husband or children (184). Both admit to loneliness.

When Michael points out a concrete buttress dam, Marnie insists on taking his picture by it. They exchange phone numbers. He says that they’ve completed the Lakes stage of the route, and the walking will be easier across the Yorkshire Dales. He suggests that Marnie delay returning home and catch her train in a few days.