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.
In collaboration with Vertebrate Publishing
Run the book.
35 Wainwrights,
three days.
A guided trail-running tour built around Peak Bagging: Wainwrights — the Vertebrate Publishing guidebook written by the same team that runs this trip. 102 kilometres, 35 Eastern Fells summits and 5,400 metres of ascent from Aira Force to Ambleside. Small groups, licensed fell guide throughout, bags moved between stops.
- Distance
- 102 km
- Ascent
- 5,400 m
- Duration
- 3 days
- From
- £1,250 pp
The collaboration
The team behind
the book, on the
ground with you.
- 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 three-day itinerary follows the Eastern Fells section of it, guided, catered for and logistically taken care of end to end.
The route 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 stops while you run. A licensed fell guide is with you throughout.
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.
Three days, three distinct territories — the same sequence used in Peak Bagging: Wainwrights. 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.
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.
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.
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
Fixed-date guided tour
Choose your departure.
Two fixed-date collaboration departures in September 2026. Groups run four to nine — book early.
Things runners 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 version of the Eastern Fells section of that book.
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 run this ground more times than he can count, and can talk through the planning with you before you arrive.