Landscape on the 35 Wainwrights in 3 Days

Guided · Lake District

Bag 35 Wainwrights
in three days.

You'll run 102 kilometres through the heart of the Eastern Fells — 35 Wainwright summits across three days, 5,400 metres of ascent, from Ullswater's north shore to Windermere. A guided tour that caps at eight runners, transfers your bags between stops, and puts a licensed fell guide with you for every metre of it.

Book a departure See the tour

Distance: 102 km
Ascent: 5,400 m
Duration: 3 days
From: £1,250 pp

5.03 verified reviews

“An amazing and very memorable experience”Bhagyashree & Akhil · Tour du Mont Blanc

Read the reviews

The tour

Three days,
three ridges,
35 summits.

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

Designed by the team that brought you the book, Peak Bagging Wainwrights. The Eastern Fells Trail Run covers 102 kilometres from Aira Force on the north shore of Ullswater to Ambleside — through 35 of Alfred Wainwright's Eastern Fells summits, via Helvellyn, Striding Edge, St Sunday Crag and the Fairfield range.

Three days, 5,400 metres of ascent, and your bags moved between each stop while you run. A licensed fell guide is with you throughout — this is ground where the logistics need to be right before you turn up, and where local knowledge in bad weather matters.

How the tour unfolds.

Three days, three distinct territories. The first sweeps the high ground that rings Ullswater. The second is the ground the Eastern Fells are famous for. The third is the hardest climbing of the lot — and ends with Windermere below you.

Aira Force to Glenridding

Above Ullswater

The longest day starts at Aira Force — the beck that falls into a wooded ravine above the lake — and stays high through the northern Eastern Fells all the way to Glenridding.

Aira Force drops 20 metres in a single fall into a gorge of ancient woodland above Ullswater. It's a good place to start a run that's going to ask something of you. From here you climb out of the trees and onto the open fell, with the lake laid out below and the first ridgeline ahead.

The day covers the northern and eastern high ground — Gowbarrow Fell first, then the ground above the lake's eastern shore, with Ullswater one way and the Helvellyn range forming the western horizon. It's 45 kilometres with nearly 2,000 metres of ascent. Long, steady, and the clearest possible introduction to what the Eastern Fells are.

Glenridding to Patterdale

The Edges

The second day is shorter — 19 kilometres — but it crosses Helvellyn by Striding Edge and Swirral Edge. It's the ground the Eastern Fells are built on.

Striding Edge is a kilometre of exposed arête above Red Tarn. It's not the hardest ground on this tour, but it's the most famous, and the view from the ridge — Ullswater behind you, Windermere beginning to show to the south — is the one most people remember.

You cross it, summit Helvellyn at 950 metres, and come off via Swirral Edge and Catstye Cam before the descent to Patterdale. By road, Glenridding to Patterdale is three kilometres. Via the route you take, it's a very different journey.

Patterdale to Ambleside

The Fairfield Ridge

The last day has the most climbing — 2,162 metres — and ends with Windermere below you as you come down from the high ground above Rydal.

From Patterdale the route climbs onto St Sunday Crag and then onto the Fairfield massif — Hart Crag, Dove Crag, and the broad summit plateau of Fairfield itself at 877 metres. It's the biggest day in terms of ascent, and it earns the finish. From Fairfield the view opens south towards Windermere and Ambleside sits below.

The descent through Rydal brings you back to low ground and the end of 102 kilometres of Eastern Fells. By the time you're in Ambleside, 35 Wainwrights are behind you.

Fixed-date guided tour

Choose your departure.

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

Selected

10 September 2026 · £1,550 pp

Reserve this departure Ask Craig a question

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

Your 35 Wainwrights in 3 Days 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
Three nights' single-room accommodation in family-run properties
Luggage transfers between all three overnight stops
No single supplement — solo price matches shared
Small groups: four to eight runners 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 running kit

Reviews from walkers

What it's like to travel with us.

Every review here comes from someone who actually travelled with us — we only ask once the trip's over, and we don't edit what they say.

From walkers on our other trails.

Different routes, same team doing the planning, the bookings and the hand-holding — so these say a lot about what to expect here too.

“An amazing and very memorable experience”
We had a really wonderful experience and are very happy that we went ahead with the trek. It was challenging at times, but overall it was an amazing and very memorable experience. The scenery, the trails and the whole journey were absolutely beautiful. Bhagyashree did have some issues with her knee during the trek, which made a few sections difficult. We didn't let that stop us — we completed most of the trek and, wherever necessary, adapted our plans and took a bus or train for certain stretches rather than putting too much strain on her knee. Managing the trek despite the knee issue made the achievement feel even more special.
Thank you once again for all your help and guidance in planning the trek. Will definitely recommend Big Trail Adventures to all.

Bhagyashree & Akhil · Tour du Mont Blanc · August 2026

“Solo or in a group, I would do this again tomorrow!”
One of the best experiences I have had. I did this solo and felt supported all the way with the BigTrailAdventures team, especially in inclement weather. The vistas were incredible and overnight accommodation was faultlessly organised. Pushing myself during the day ( I ran rather than walked the trail), and then being fed and watered in a hotel in the evening was a treat.
The planning was exceptional and all details were covered.
There is a special time every day when you are overcome with the beauty of the nature that you are seeing, the sweeping vistas and the gratitude for being able to experience this. It rejuvenates your soul.

Lisa · Coast to Coast · May 2026

“Awesome support from start to finish”
The hike, which challenged me in different ways each day, was great. There was so much to see in every direction. The Highlands are simply stunning, clouds and all. The stays were good for the most part, some better than others (one night my room was above the kitchen so it was quite noisy until late into the night and the haunted Inn was a bit much for me :)). The Rowardennan Hotel and Craig Nevis guesthouse were my favorites. All of them offered great breakfasts and most had dinner options with good selections as well.
The planning was amazing. No glitches, except for one minor one at the start where the luggage van changed their drop off location without my knowledge. Thankfully Craig was there in the morning and quickly figured out where they were and even dropped off my luggage for me. Everything else was planned and executed perfectly; my itinerary for each day included great detail of what to expect. The app was awesome and my friends and family loved tracking me every day with the GPS. I had read that the West Highland Way is very popular in spring (when I initially had planned to go) and late summer. It took a lot of back and forth communication about potential dates but Craig very patiently worked it all out. All communication was prompt and thorough. I very much appreciate all the support I received prior and during my adventure!! Thank you Craig!
There are so many moments I will carry with me for a long time, like my first glimpse of the Highlands, all the water everywhere, the coos, day 2 along Loch Lomond when I wished I was a mountain goat and was grateful that it did not rain, arriving at Kingshouse after 19 miles, midges (haha), and so much more.

Nicole · West Highland Way · August 2026

Things runners ask us.

How fit do I need to be?

102 kilometres over three days with 5,400 metres of ascent is a significant undertaking. You should be comfortable running 35 kilometres in a day on rough fell terrain and confident on exposed ridges — Striding Edge on Day 2 requires a steady head for heights. If you regularly run long days in the hills or have completed something like a mountain marathon, you're in the right territory. Not sure? Call Craig before you book.

When is the best time to run?

May through August gives the longest days and most reliable weather, which matters 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: Striding Edge and the high ridges can carry ice into April, and a short day in November or December leaves very little margin on a 45-kilometre stage.

What does the luggage transfer cover?

We transfer bags between all three overnight stops — Aira Force to Glenridding, Glenridding to Patterdale, and Patterdale to Ambleside. You run 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 three stops are family-run properties chosen for early starts, drying facilities, and the kind of breakfast you actually want before a long day on the fells. No chains, no shared dorms.

Can I join the tour as a solo runner?

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 runner on the same departure.

What's the realistic total cost?

The tour price covers accommodation, bag transfers, and your licensed fell guide for all three days. The 14 September departure is £1,250 per person; the 10 September departure is £1,550. On top of that, budget for meals on the trail — lunches and evening meals, typically £15–30 per day. No additional charges from us.

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 runners who've been on this ground the week before, and can talk through the planning with you before you arrive.

Email Craig

Bag 35 Wainwrightsin three days.

Three days,three ridges,35 summits.