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The walk is a complete south to north crossing of the Lake District National Park and much of the county of Cumbria. English Lakeland is England’s most mountainous area and walking is unquestionably the best way to see this celebrated landscape, hailed over the years by the likes of poets, authors and painters. Wordsworth, Tennyson, Arthur Ramson, Beatrix Potter and Wainwright, have all left their mark! The distances covered each day vary but for the first 5 or 6 days a least, there is ample time to pause and admire the unsurpassed scenery. The route is very much a classic although it largely avoids upland areas where navigation would become a problem in poor weather. On the penultimate walking day attention needs to be applied to the map in a couple of places where the route is hard to trace on the ground.
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12kg of CO2-e PP per day
(111kg of CO2-e PP entire trip)
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Day 1
Join Ulverston
Make your own way to the start point in Ulverston. This is an historic market town close to the shores of Morecambe Bay. There are attractive cobbled streets with cafes and pubs, whilst murals depict the town's history and that of its famous son John Barrow. Another son was Stan Laurel and you can visit the Laurel and Hardy Museum. Accommodation: Church Walk House is a Grade II listed building and is in the heart of this historic market town.
Meals: Nil
Day 2
Ulverston to Lowick Bridge via Beacon Tarn (8 Miles / 13 km / 4-5 hours)
Leaving Ulverston the way follows gently undulating farmland with views towards Morecambe Bay and the Barrow Memorial. Later there are enticing views of the superb mountains to come. There are frequent stiles and 'kissing gates' along the footpaths. Eventually you divert from the route to find your night stop in the quiet village of Lowick Green or Spark Bridge. Accommodation: The Red Lion Inn is a traditional British pub. All rooms are ensuite and have a simple modern feel to them.
Meals: B
Day 3
Lowick Bridge to Coniston (10 miles / 16 kms / 5 hours)
The undulations get bigger as you pass hillside farms and ascend over a pass with views ahead to The Coniston Old Man, Wetherlam and other fells. Descend to Beacon Tarn with an option to ascend a small peak called Beacon Hill for better views. Descend to the shores of Coniston Water and a pleasant walk ensues along the western shores of the lake all the way up to Coniston Village. Once nestled in Coniston you have a full day to explore tomorrow. Accommodation: Meadowdore Cafe & BB is situated in the centre of Coniston village. Coniston is a superb base for walks and two nights are spent here.
Day 4
Coniston: free day to summit The Old Man of Coniston or to sightsee
On your free day in Coniston you can summit The Old Man of Coniston, take a trip at Lake Coniston on the steamer, visit Grisedale forest or simply relax in this pleasant place. This is a classic Lakeland landscape and the setting for the book 'Swallows and Amazons' and an inspiration for Beatrix Potter and John Rushkin.
Day 5
Coniston to Langdale (12.5 miles / 20 kms / 6 hours)
Leaving Coniston, you head up into the hills and woods passing the exquisite little lake at Tarn Hows and then flirt with the farms around the beautiful Little Langdale Valley, with a visit to a couple of waterfalls. Eventually you will enter the beautiful Langdale Valley via the stunning walk along Elterwater and then walking through the tiny villages of Elterwater and Chapel stile. There is a final quiet sheep track walk along the side of the valley before dropping down to one of the two iconic hotels cosseted by the famous 'Plkes' high above. This is Lake-land scenery at its best. IMPORTANT NOTE for night 5: New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. Langdale does not normally accept 1 night bookings on a Friday or Saturday night so please bear this in mind when choosing your start date. It is sometimes possible to book you into Ambleside over a weekend for 1 night but this does involve a bus journey (not included in price).
Day 6
Langdale to Borrowdale (8 miles / 12.8 kms / 4 hours)
Hike to the head of Langdale, along the Mickleden Valley - then over the Stake Pass (1600ft / 480m) between Bow Fell and the Pike of Stickle. In good visibility, you could decide to extend the walk by visiting one or more of the Langdale Pikes from the pass. However this will add at least 2 hours onto the walk. Then it’s down steeply into the remote Langstrath and then Greenup Valleys and onto Borrowdale, first passing Stonethwaite and then Rosthwaite. Accommodation: the Royal Oak Hotel in Rosthwaite has been welcoming guests for almost 200 years. There's a restaurant and a bar. If not available, you will stay in a number of possible places in either Stonethwaite or Rosthwaite. A couple of the B&Bs do not have ensuite facilities as they are listed buildings.
Day 7
Borrowdale to Keswick (8.6 miles / 14 kms / 4 hours)
A walk through the delightful woodlands of Borrowdale, a possible diversion can be made to the village of Grange for coffee before a walk along the shores of the island studded Derwentwater to Keswick, - a lively and attractive market town at the heart of the Lake District. On the way there is time for a sharp climb up to the ever popular Cat Bells (1479ft / 451m) or from Keswick you could visit the Castlerigg Stone Circle. If you want to climb Skiddaw the mountain that towers over the town, you will need to stay an extra night. Accommodation: In the market town of Keswick that nestles beneath the giant Skiddaw by the shores of Derwentwater, you will stay at one of a number of comfortable B&Bs and Guest houses around the town. There is a large choice of places to eat.
Day 8
Keswick to Caldbeck (15 miles / 24 km / 7-8 hours)
Leave the fleshpots of Keswick for some remote walking across the fells, to the north of Skiddaw. On the way a short diversion to the peak of Latrigg presents one of the best views of the Lakes - it is unlikely that after this you will see that many people today. There are two possible routes the normal one via High Pike has two sections where the route is not so easy to follow on the ground and good visibility and some map reading ability is required. This is a couple of miles shorter than the ‘bad weather route’ which should be undertaken if there is any doubt about weather, visibility, or your abilities of navigation. You will be able to make the decision about the route at just before the half way stage of the walk, by the most remote youth hostel in Britain – Skiddaw House. From High Pike (658m / 2158ft), the last bastion of the Cumbrian mountains and the highest point on the Cumbria Way you gradually descend into the pretty old mill village of Caldbeck. Accommodation: Oddfellows Arms is an attractive old pub in the centre of Caldbeck.
Day 9
Caldbeck to Carlisle (15.8 miles / 25.3km / 7 hours)
An easier and more scenic day as you follow the delightful Caldbeck and Caldew Rivers. It is a very different kind of day, with some woodland and pastoral undulations passing some interesting old farms and a castle. Once in Carlisle, a small city, there are opportunities to visit both the castle and cathedral, the official end of the Cumbria Way is in the Market square. Accommodation: Abbey Court B&B is a family run guesthouse, centrally located in Carlisle.
Day 10
Arrangements end after breakfast
Depart Carlisle for your onward journey.
What's included
What's not included
The hotels described are our usual accommodation, however if these are not available then alternatives are used. Rooms generally do not have baths, the main reason being that they take up a lot of space. Some hotels/guesthouses may have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in the main it is showers. Note that for the dates of your tour we may not be able to get you into the accommodation described. We will endeavour to get you into a similar standard of accommodation nearby, but please appreciate that there is limited accommodation in rural England. Also, although we aim to get you into accommodations with ensuite rooms, this is not always possible. At a couple of places on your tour you may be sharing bathrooms, particularly if you are in a single room.
Some long days and steep climbs and descents. Generally however undulating. Mixed weather can be expected. We would not recommend the route for first time walkers.
Per Person, Twin Share
Yes, this walk goes all the way to Carlisle
The Cumbria Way sticks the the valleys between the big fells (hills) and over high passes to access the next valley. On this walk though you ascend over the grassy peak called High Pike where some careful navigation is needed. On the other days you certainly have some scope for ascending the Langdale Pikes or The Old Man of Coniston. On the day walking to Keswick you could divert off route to ascend Catbells
You already have two nights in Coniston, extra nights in Langdale or Borrowdale will give you scope for tacking other peaks, where as an extra night in Keswick will mean that you will be able to do a boat ride on Derwent Water.
Waymarking is patchy, on some farmland it has disappeared, and you won't find it very much in the High fells. You will need to rely on the maps and the GPX files provided as well
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
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