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.
In collaboration with Vertebrate Publishing
Walk the book.
35 Wainwrights,
five days.
A guided walking tour built around Peak Bagging: Wainwrights — the Vertebrate Publishing guidebook written by the same team that runs this trip. The same 102 kilometres, 35 Wainwrights and 5,400 metres of ascent as the three-day trail-running version — spread across five walking days from Aira Force to Ambleside. Small groups capped at eight, bags moved between every stop, licensed fell guide throughout.
- Distance
- 102 km
- Ascent
- 5,400 m
- Duration
- 5 days
- From
- £1,920 pp
The collaboration
Every summit,
with the team
who wrote the book.
- Start
- Aira Force, Cumbria
- Finish
- Ambleside, Cumbria
- Region
- North-West England
- Terrain
- Mountainous
This tour is a collaboration between Big Trail Adventures and Vertebrate Publishing, the Sheffield-based outdoor publisher behind Peak Bagging: Wainwrights. Some of the BTA team collaborated with the authors, Karen and Dan Parker, on this book — the routes, the timings, the summit order — and this five-day itinerary follows the Eastern Fells section of it at a walking pace, guided, catered for and logistically taken care of end to end.
The 102 kilometres divide 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 trail run, the same total ground and the same 35 Wainwright summits. For walkers who want every summit with everything looked after.
The book
Peak Bagging: Wainwrights
45 routes designed to complete all 214 of Wainwright's Lake District fells in the most efficient way — with downloadable GPX files, 1:40,000-scale custom maps, and custom timings for walkers, trekkers, fastpackers and trail runners. Written by Karen and Dan Parker, with a foreword by Steve Birkinshaw. Published by Vertebrate Publishing. This tour follows the Eastern Fells section of it.
How the tour unfolds.
Five days, three distinct territories — the same route used in Peak Bagging: Wainwrights, split into walking stages. 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.
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
Fixed-date guided tour
Choose your departure.
Two fixed-date collaboration departures in autumn 2026. Groups run four to nine — book early.
Things walkers ask us.
What's the connection with Vertebrate Publishing?
Vertebrate is a Sheffield-based outdoor publisher — the people behind Peak Bagging: Wainwrights, Cicerone-style route guides, and a large catalogue of mountain writing. Some of the Big Trail Adventures team also work with Vertebrate — commissioning new books, making the maps and working on the strategy of the business. Peak Bagging: Wainwrights is one they helped a lot on, and this tour is the guided, catered walking version of the Eastern Fells section of that book.
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.
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 walked this ground in every season, and can talk through the planning with you before you arrive.