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.
5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells
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.
Lake District
North-West England
Trail Essentials
- Start
- Aira ForceCumbria
- End
- AmblesideCumbria
- Distance
- 102 km63 miles
- Total Ascent
- 5,400 m17,717 ft
Difficulty
Demanding
Hilliness
Mountainous
Time to Complete
Hiker
5 days ~20 km/day
When to Walk
Best
Good
Avoid
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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 northern 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.
Walking the 5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells
How The Trail 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.
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.
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.
Included with every trip
Your personalised
Trail Book
Everything you need for every day of your trail — built around your exact itinerary. Your route, your accommodation, your packing list. Ready before you leave, works offline when you're out there.
Tonight's accommodation
Check-in time, room type, phone number and directions — all in one place
Day-by-day trail description
Route map, elevation profile and written description for each stage
Packing list and pre-trip checklist
Everything you need, nothing you don't. Tick items off as you go
Works offline
Open it once with data and it's yours — no signal needed on the trail
Included with every trip
Your route on every device you use
Your custom GPX file is built around your exact itinerary — day by day, door to door. Load it onto any device or app before you set off and navigate with confidence.
Works with
Talk to a Specialist
Knows the trail. Plans yours.
Craig
Trail Specialist
Five days on the Eastern Fells is one of the best week's walking you can do in England. The key is getting the logistics right before you start — accommodation that handles early starts, bags where you need them, a guide who knows the ground in all conditions.
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.
Ask Craig about the 5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells
If you want to talk through your timing, your fitness, your pace, or anything the planner can't answer — call. Most of our customers do, and Craig's the one who'll answer.
The Practical Side
Before You Book
The things walkers ask us most often — answered plainly, so you don't have to ring to find out.
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 5 September departure is £853 per person; the 3 October departure is £724. On top of that, budget for meals on the trail — lunches and evening meals, typically £15–30 per day. No additional charges from us.
Still not sure? Ring us on 0131 560 2740 — Craig usually answers.
Still Thinking?
Speak to Craig
If you've scrolled this far, we need to help you get onto this trail. The bit the planner can't help with — "is the pace right for me?", "is August really that busy?", "can we add a rest day in Keswick?" — that's a two-minute phone call. Most people who book the 5 Days on Wainwright's Eastern Fells ring first.