Rob
Co-founder
Ran the summer Spine Challenger along the Pennine Way, and raced the Transcontinental and Japanese Odyssey. Plans the stages like a race brief — but for enjoying it.
Adventure · Trail running
Long trails,
on running legs.
The same routes, half the days. A vest instead of a pack. A shower and a pint at the end of every stage, and a bed that isn't a bothy floor. We plan supported multi-day trail-running holidays — starting in Scotland, expanding across Europe — for people who'd rather run 30 km than walk 15.
Why run one
The great long trails
are runners' trails —
wherever they are.
Most long-distance trails — Scottish, Alpine, Mediterranean, Japanese — were laid out on old droving, pilgrim or coaching routes. The gradients are gentle, the surfaces are mostly runnable, and the underfoot is almost always a good compromise between speed and interest. That makes them, quietly, some of the best supported-run venues anywhere.
The catch — as any runner who's tried to plan one solo knows — is the logistics. Small hotels don't want a soaked runner at 4 pm asking to check in early. Bag transfer companies want to know your kit is at reception by 8 am. Nobody wants to run 42 km on day three because the only bed in the village was full.
That's what we sort out, in whichever country the trail runs through. You bring the trainers. We book the beds, move the bags, and set the daily stages so you can actually enjoy the running.
Trails to run
Jump to map
Every trail is walked and re-walked before we open it. We'd rather do four brilliantly than forty badly.
Booking nowGuidedLake District
35 Wainwrights in 3 Days
102 km · 3 days
Ullswater to Windermere over Helvellyn, Striding Edge and the Fairfield range — 35 Eastern Fells summits, three running days, licensed fell guide throughout.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mixed run / hike
- Ascent
- 5,200 m
- Run days
- 30–35 km
- Underfoot
- Mountain
Fell paths, rock steps
Booking nowScotland
Fife Coastal Path
137 km · 3–4 days
The most runnable of our trails. Coastal singletrack, minimal ascent, and beach-café coffee stops every 10 km. Ideal 3-day run.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Very runnable
- Ascent
- 1,600 m
- Run days
- 35–45 km
- Underfoot
- Gentle
Coastal singletrack, sand
Booking nowScotland
West Highland Way
154 km · 4–5 days
Runnable in four hard days for strong runners. Some rough moor sections, but the pubs at the end of each stage make up for it.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 3,800 m
- Run days
- 30–40 km
- Underfoot
- Rough
Drove road, rough moor
Booking nowScotland
Wee West Highland Way
80 km · 2–3 days
A perfect weekend run. Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe and the Devil's Staircase compressed into two big days.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,100 m
- Run days
- 30–40 km
- Underfoot
- Rough
Moorland track, stone steps
Booking nowScotland
Great Glen Way
127 km · 3–4 days
Fast and flat along the canal towpath, then the forest high route above Loch Ness. Rare Scottish trail with no rough underfoot.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Very runnable
- Ascent
- 1,900 m
- Run days
- 35–42 km
- Underfoot
- Gentle
Towpath, forest track
Booking nowScotland
Rob Roy Way
126 km · 3–4 days
Rolling old drove roads and forest tracks. Very quiet, very runnable, and the finish in Pitlochry has a Michelin-recommended pub.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,400 m
- Run days
- 32–42 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Drove road, forest track
Booking nowScotland → England
St Cuthbert's Way
100 km · 2–3 days
A pilgrim run from Melrose to Lindisfarne. Two long days across the Cheviots with a tidal finish across the sands.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,200 m
- Run days
- 33–50 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Field path, tidal sand
Booking nowEngland
Coast to Coast
309 km · 7–9 days
England's iconic crossing at running pace. Seven big days across three national parks — the ultimate UK multi-day run.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 6,800 m
- Run days
- 35–45 km
- Underfoot
- Rough
Fell path, moor, bridleway
Booking nowEngland
Hadrian's Wall Path
135 km · 3–4 days
Roman roads and grassy crags coast to coast. A fast, waymarked run with a milecastle every mile.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,300 m
- Run days
- 34–45 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Grass path, whin sill steps
Booking nowEngland
Cotswold Way
164 km · 4–5 days
The escarpment at speed. Runnable ridge line, honey-stone villages for lunch, and a Georgian bath at the finish.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 3,900 m
- Run days
- 35–45 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Escarpment path, field edge
Booking nowEngland
Dales Way
130 km · 3–4 days
Riverside singletrack from Ilkley to Windermere. Almost entirely runnable, and quieter than the Coast to Coast.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,000 m
- Run days
- 32–43 km
- Underfoot
- Gentle
Riverside singletrack, pasture
Booking nowEngland
Cumbria Way
116 km · 3–4 days
The valley-floor route through the Lake District. Long runnable sections through Langdale and Borrowdale between the fells.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,900 m
- Run days
- 29–39 km
- Underfoot
- Rough
Valley path, two passes
Booking nowEngland
The Ridgeway
139 km · 3–4 days
Chalk downland at pace. Fast, open, ancient — five thousand years of feet and none of them wasting time on gates.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Very runnable
- Ascent
- 1,800 m
- Run days
- 35–46 km
- Underfoot
- Gentle
Chalk byway, downland
Booking nowWales
Anglesey Coastal Path
200 km · 5–6 days
A five-day loop of Ynys Môn on coastal singletrack. Sea cliffs, hidden coves, and Snowdonia across the strait.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly runnable
- Ascent
- 2,600 m
- Run days
- 35–50 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Cliff-top path, beaches
Booking nowMallorca, Spain
GR221 Dry Stone Route
138 km · 4–5 days
Mountainous and technical — the Tramuntana at running pace. Refuges each night, big descents, and sea views most of the day.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mixed run / hike
- Ascent
- 7,500 m
- Run days
- 28–38 km
- Underfoot
- Mountain
Dry-stone mule path, limestone
Planned by enquiryFrance · Italy · Switzerland
Tour du Mont Blanc
170 km · 5–7 days
The great Alpine circuit, run at a sensible pace with a refuge bed every night. Three countries, one massif, no repeats.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mixed run / hike
- Ascent
- 10,000 m
- Run days
- 28–35 km
- Underfoot
- Mountain
Alpine path, col crossings
This one isn't bookable online yet — we plan it by hand around your dates, group and pace.
Ask us about Tour du Mont Blanc →Planned by enquiryCorsica, France
GR20
180 km · 8–10 days
Europe's toughest waymarked trail, softened by a supported format. Refuges booked, packs moved, granite ridges all yours.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Mostly hiked
- Ascent
- 12,000 m
- Run days
- 20–28 km
- Underfoot
- Mountain
Granite slab, boulder
This one isn't bookable online yet — we plan it by hand around your dates, group and pace.
Ask us about GR20 →
Planned by enquiryAsturias, Spain
Camino Primitivo
320 km · 9–11 days
The runnable Camino. Green hills, quiet villages, and albergues that will feed a hungry runner. Oviedo to Santiago.
Running profile
- Running feel
- Very runnable
- Ascent
- 6,500 m
- Run days
- 30–40 km
- Underfoot
- Rolling
Pilgrim track, quiet lanes
This one isn't bookable online yet — we plan it by hand around your dates, group and pace.
Ask us about Camino Primitivo →Where the trails go
Scotland to the Alps
to the Atlantic edge.
All on foot, fast.
LiveComing 2026
Lines follow each trail's waypoints — live trail pages draw the full GPX route. Tap a line to see the trail.
Who plans these
Planned by runners,
not by a booking desk.
The team at Big Trail Adventures loves running. So you'll see that we plan the days of each adventure by how a route runs rather than how it walks — the ascent, the rough sections, where the resupply points are when you're moving at running pace. We know how different a run is to a walk!
Stephen
Guidebook author
Author of the Big Trails series. Has run the Cumbria Way and Dales Way in single efforts, and organises the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon.
Kirsty
Commissioning editor
Came to long trails through ultrarunning: UTMB, Tor des Géants, and the Coast to Coast in under three days. Knows exactly where a 45 km day bites.
Elise
Writer
Ran 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain. Has fastpacked the Tour du Mont Blanc, West Highland Way, Cumbria Way, Haute Route and the Ridgeway.
How to run one
What to know before
the first stage.
Kit
The 12-litre vest sweet spot
You want more capacity than a race vest, less than a hiking pack. A 10–15 litre running vest with two soft flasks, a waterproof shell, a light insulator, phone, snacks, and £20. Anything else goes in the transferred bag.
Fuelling
Real food beats gels on day three
Gels work for a race. Over four consecutive days, they don't. Aim for a proper cooked breakfast, a mid-morning café stop, a picnic lunch, and a pub dinner. Carry gels and bars as a top-up, not a plan.
Legs
The rest day nobody plans
If you're not a habitual multi-day runner, ask us to build a rest or half-day into the middle. Day three is where trips fall apart — one afternoon in a beach café is the cheapest performance upgrade there is.
Weather
Waterproof jacket is not optional
Scottish drizzle, Alpine afternoon storms, Corsican heat: the answer is the same. A proper waterproof shell (Gore-Tex or equivalent, not a race-legal pouffe) lives in your vest whatever the forecast.
From the journal
Notes for runners.
The Ridgeway
Two Sticks of Rock
Elise Downing ran the Ridgeway in three days. Two friends tried to walk the same distances. It went about as well as last time.
22 May 20264 min read
Pennine Way (Winter Spine Race)
Just Keep Moving North
Mel Sykes ran 268 miles along the Pennine Way in January. She ran mostly in the dark, through deep snow, hallucinating tigers. Eighteen months earlier she'd had brain surgery. At Hadrian's Wall, on day three, the sun came out and she knew she was going to finish.
15 May 20266 min read
The British Coast
I ran 5,000 miles round Britain with £1,000, a tent and a bottle of aftershave
A decade after running 5,000 miles round the British coast, Wayne still thinks about the night he tried to run to the moon. Guest name: Wayne Russell
23 April 20265 min read
Der Traumpfad (Munich to Venice Trail)
Nothing to Pull Your Attention
Hannah Campbell ran 450 kilometres from the Bavarian Alps to the edge of the Dolomites, solo, in two weeks, through two days of rain and nine days of unexpected snow. Perhaps most importantly, she had the best hot chocolate of her life at 3,000 metres.
20 April 20267 min read
Canary Islands Island-Hop: Tenerife, La Palma & La Gomera
Three Islands, One Week, No Plan
Janie Oates and three friends ran across three Canary Islands in a week, hopping between them by ferry. No set route, no firm distance, no plan beyond wondering, can we get from here to there in a day?
1 April 20266 min read
Rob Roy Way
The Bakery in Callander
Pawel Cymbalista ran the Rob Roy Way in under twelve hours. He nearly stopped for a pastry.
1 April 20265 min read