Big Trail Adventures
Landscape on the 5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells

Guided · Lake District

Bag 35 Wainwrights
in five days.

The same 102 kilometres, 35 Wainwrights, and 5,400 metres of ascent as the three-day run — spread across five walking days from Aira Force to Ambleside. A guided tour that caps at eight walkers, transfers your bags between every stop, and puts a licensed fell guide with you throughout.

Book a departureSee the tour
Distance
102 km
Ascent
5,400 m
Duration
5 days
From
£1,920 pp

The tour

Every summit,
everything looked
after.

Start
Aira Force, Cumbria
Finish
Ambleside, Cumbria
Region
North-West England
Terrain
Mountainous

This guided walk covers 102 kilometres from Aira Force on the north shore of Ullswater to Ambleside. It takes you over 35 Wainwrights — every summit in Alfred Wainwright's Eastern Fells guidebook.

The route divides naturally into three sections: the fells above Ullswater, the Helvellyn ridge and its approaches, and the Fairfield Horseshoe to finish. Smaller daily stages than the three-day run, the same total ground. For walkers who want every summit with everything looked after.

How the tour unfolds.

Five days, three distinct territories. The first two cover the northern fells and the long ridge into Glenridding. The third is Helvellyn — Swirral Edge, the summit plateau, and a long ridge south to Patterdale. The last two close the Fairfield Horseshoe and finish on Red Screes above Ambleside.

The Mell Fells above Ullswater

Aira Force to Glenridding

The Northern Fells

The first two days take you from Aira Force through the Mell Fells and onto the long northern ridge — Clough Head to Glenridding Dodd — that brings you down into Glenridding.

Day one starts at the Aira Force waterfall and heads north past the falls along Aira Beck before turning east for the first climb. Gowbarrow Fell (481 metres) gives you Ullswater on one side and the Mell Fells ahead. Little Mell Fell (505 metres) and Great Mell Fell (537 metres) follow — three distinct summits before you reach Dockray and the Royal Hotel.

Day two is the ridge. From Dockray the route climbs to Clough Head (726 metres) and then runs south along the Dodds — Great Dodd (857 metres), Watsons Dodd (789 metres), Stybarrow Dodd (843 metres) — before Hart Side, Raise (883 metres), and White Side (863 metres). Sheffield Pike (675 metres) and Glenridding Dodd (442 metres) close the day with Ullswater below and Glenridding at the bottom of the Rake.

Helvellyn's Swirral Edge

Glenridding to Patterdale

The Edges

The third day crosses Helvellyn via Swirral Edge, then continues south along the ridge — Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, St Sunday Crag — before dropping to Patterdale.

From Glenridding the path climbs to Birkhouse Moor (718 metres), with Helvellyn ahead and the twin arêtes visible on either side. The route descends to Red Tarn before climbing Catstye Cam (890 metres) and crossing Swirral Edge — 500 metres of narrow rocky arête with significant drops on both sides — to reach Helvellyn's summit plateau at 950 metres.

South of the summit the ridge runs through Nethermost Pike (891 metres) and Dollywaggon Pike (858 metres) before dropping to Grisedale Tarn. Seat Sandal (736 metres) follows, then St Sunday Crag (841 metres) with views down into Grisedale and across to Fairfield. The descent runs via Birks (622 metres) and Arnison Crag (433 metres) into Patterdale.

The Fairfield Horseshoe above Ambleside

Patterdale to Ambleside

The Fairfield Horseshoe

The last two days cross the Fairfield massif from Patterdale, descend to Rydal, then loop back up the eastern side of the Horseshoe before Red Screes delivers the finish above Ambleside.

Day four leaves Patterdale via Hartsop above How (686 metres) and Hart Crag (823 metres) before reaching Fairfield at 873 metres. The descent follows Great Rigg (766 metres), an out and back to Stone Arthur with views over Grasmere, then Heron Pike (612 metres) and Nab Scar (455 metres) to Rydal.

Day five reverses the angle. From Rydal the route climbs Low Pike (508 metres) and High Pike (657 metres) before crossing to Dove Crag (792 metres) and Little Hart Crag. An out and back to High Hartsop Dodd gives views down into Deepdale, then Middle Dodd (654 metres) before the final climb to Red Screes (779 metres) — the last Wainwright of the trip, with Windermere and the Coniston Fells below. A 5-kilometre descent into Ambleside ends it.

Fixed-date guided tour

Choose your departure.

Two fixed-date departures in autumn 2026. Groups run four to nine — book early.

Selected

5 September 2026 · £2,170 pp

Reserve this departureAsk Craig a question

And that price covers far more than the places you sleep.

Your 5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells price covers far more than a bed and a route. A guide who knows these hills, the stays, the logistics and a real team behind the trip are all part of the same price.

What's included.

Included

  • Licensed fell guide every day
  • Five nights' single-room accommodation in family-run properties
  • Luggage transfers between all five overnight stops
  • No single supplement — solo price matches shared
  • Small groups: four to eight walkers per departure
  • Pre-trip planning call with Craig

Not included

  • Travel to Aira Force and from Ambleside
  • Lunches and evening meals on the trail (£15–30 per day)
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal walking kit

Things walkers ask us.

How fit do I need to be?

102 kilometres over five days with 5,400 metres of ascent is serious walking. You should be comfortable with consecutive days of 18–27 kilometres on rough fell terrain and have a good head for heights — Swirral Edge on Day 3 involves scrambling with significant drops on both sides. If you regularly walk long days in the hills and are comfortable on exposed ridges, you're in the right territory. Not sure? Call Craig before you book.

When is the best time to walk?

May through August gives the longest days and most reliable weather on ground this exposed. September works well too — quieter on the fells, good visibility, and both our launch departures run then. Avoid winter and early spring: the high ridges can carry ice into April, and the shorter days in November or December leave little margin on a 27-kilometre stage.

What does the luggage transfer cover?

We transfer bags between all five overnight stops — Dockray, Glenridding, Patterdale, Rydal, and Ambleside. You walk with a daypack; your kit arrives at the next property before you do. Standard allowance is 20 kg per bag.

What type of accommodation is included?

We book single rooms throughout — there's no single supplement on this tour. All five stops are family-run properties chosen for early starts, drying facilities, and the kind of breakfast you actually want after a full day on the fells. No chains, no shared dorms.

Can I join the tour as a solo walker?

Yes — and the pricing is built for it. The sell price is the same whether you're travelling alone or in a group: no single supplement, ever. Groups run between four and nine people. If you'd like to share a room and bring the cost down, we can try to match you with another solo walker on the same departure.

What's the realistic total cost?

The tour price covers accommodation, bag transfers, and your licensed fell guide for all five days. The 3 October departure is £1,920 per person; the 5 September departure is £2,170. On top of that, budget for meals on the trail — lunches and evening meals, typically £15–30 per day. No additional charges from us.

Craig, founder of Big Trail Adventures

Talk to Craig before you book.

Craig has spent over ten years in adventure travel — planning logistics and accommodation for hundreds of customers across the Lake District and beyond. He knows where the Eastern Fells catch people out, has spoken to walkers who've been on this ground recently, and can talk through the planning with you before you arrive.

Email Craig