Lakes in a Day
Sat 11 Oct 2025 Caldbeck, Cumbria, UK

Lakes in a Day

On foot from the very top of the Lake District to the very bottom via the stunning Helvellyn Ridge and the western shoreline of Lake Windermere. Not easy but certainly spectacular!

  • Sat 11 Oct 2025
Caldbeck, Caldbeck > Cartmel Priory School, Grange-over-Sands

Lakes in a Day

08:00

Age 20 & over

£130-£160

  • 50 miles trail running

Event overview

50 miles and 4000m ascent from Caldbeck to Cartmel.

This event aims to make this day one of the best you have had on an ultra run, so a journey that is inspiring, daunting and stunning has been created in equal measure.

runners

Highlights

  • Ultra run the Lake District in a day
  • Reach the high fells and stay up
  • Stunning Helvellyn Ridge
  • Western shoreline of Lake Windermere
  • Well-stocked checkpoints
  • Change shoes after the river crossing
  • Logistics and accommodation
  • Optional recce days
  • Live tracking, t-shirt and medal

Event video

  • All fitness levels
  • Event village
  • Newcomers
  • Spectators

Timetable

Friday

  • 18:00 | Campsite opens
  • 19:00-22:00 | Registration

Saturday

  • 04:45 | Breakfast available
  • 05:45 | The coaches will leave Cartmel prompt - faffers and the constipated will not be waited for
  • 06:30-07:30 | Registration at Caldbeck Parish Hall for people who cannot make it to Cartmel
  • Afternoon | Food for runners and spectators will be available to purchase 

Sunday

  • 09:00 | Campsite must be clear by this time
  • Morning | Food for runners and spectators will be available to purchase 
    If you are leaving your car at Cartmel, you must register on the Friday evening. There will be no registration at Cartmel on Saturday morning.

Mandatory kit

  • Waterproof jacket with a hood – not a bin bag or fashion jacket. It needs to have a waterproof membrane and taped seams
  • Waterproof trousers with waterproof membrane and taped seams
  • Insulated layer – fleece / lightweight duvet jacket
  • Long sleeve top
  • Hat (not a buff) and gloves
  • Map (supplied)
  • Mug that can take at least 200ml of hot water and not fall apart or damage the user and can be used for hygienically drinking from (so you can’t use your shoe!) – no soft cups
  • Compass (not a phone or watch version)
  • Torch and spare batteries (or spare torch)
  • Bivy bag (not a foil blanket)
  • Mobile phone, must not to be used for navigation or have GPS enabled (e.g. strava, mapping tools) - if needs be carry another phone
  • Whistle
  • Money (not just a credit card)

  • Bag storage
  • Bag transfer
  • Cafe
  • Camping
  • Changing facilities
  • Showers
  • Toilets

Event HQ

Cartmel Priory School
Headless Cross
Cartmel
Grange-over-Sands
Cumbria
LA11 7SA
UK

Camping

Cartmel Racecourse, Cartmel LA11 6QF.

Camping is available on Friday night at Cartmel and Saturday (£12) for those who finish late or have a long journey home after the race. To confirm, camping on the Friday / Saturday night is for tents and short wheel base campers (e.g. VW T4 / T5’s). It is not suitable for larger camper vans or motor homes. Vehicles longer than 5m are not permitted on site. 

Coach transfer

Please book by 21st September (£12).

Registration

Caldbeck Paris Hall is 500m from the start.

Public transport

Cark and Grange Over Sands Railway Stations are only 3 miles from Cartmel. A taxi would be around £20. Please book in advance.

Food and drink

There will be event catering at Cartmel School from Friday evening selling food and hot drinks for anybody arriving to camp at the racecourse or coming to register. They will be selling food for breakfast on Saturday morning from 4.45am before the coaches depart at 5.45am prompt. On Saturday afternoon and into Sunday morning as well as providing the runners meal they will also be selling hot food and drinks to any supporters waiting to see friends and family members. 

runners

  • Check points
  • Cut off time
  • First aid
  • Food stations
  • Hilly
  • Marshals
  • Mountainous
  • Navigation required
  • Point to point
  • Single start
  • Toilets

Route highlights

runner
  • Caldbeck
  • High Pike
  • Blencathra
  • Threlkeld
  • Clough Head
  • The Dodds
  • Helvellyn
  • Grisedale Tarn
  • Fairfield
  • Ambleside
  • Wray
  • Claife Heights
  • Rawlinson Nab
  • High Dam
  • Finsthwaite
  • Newby Bridge
  • Speelbank
  • Cartmel
graphic

Map

map
map

Waymarking

You should regard this event as not waymarked, and you should have mountain and map skills. GPS units are fine as back up. GPS must not be your sole means of navigation for this event.

A few short sections of the route will be waymarked to help runners through town sections (Thelkeld and Ambleside, for example). The high fell will never be waymarked and runners need to rely on their own navigation skills for most of the route.

Food stations

If you are going to cover 50 miles on foot in the Lakes, then you’ll need to fuel up on a bit more than a few jelly babies.

All feed stations will have hot drinks available as well as a range of savoury and sweet treats to power you up the next climb. (Any surplus perishable foods are donated to local food banks and Manna House in Kendal).

Dietary requirements are catered for.

  • Threlkeld Village Hall 

    Baguettes, Danish Pastries, Fresh Fruit, Cakes, Crisps & Sweets, Hot drinks, Cold Drinks, Full Fat Cola

  • Ambleside Parish Centre

    Hot Pasta, Pizza, Fresh Fruit, Cakes, Crisps & Sweets, Hot Drinks, Cols Drinks, Full Fat Cola

  • Finsthwaite Village Hall 

    Hot Soup, Baguettes, Hot Sausage & Cheese + Onions Rolls, Fresh & tinned fruit, Creamed Rice, Crisps, Cakes & Sweets

Runners meal at Cartmel, which is provided as part of your entry fee, will be delicious  β€“ gf/veg/vegan options will be available.

Cut offs

For this event, the cut offs are based on a slow jog of 6km/hr, plus 1hr per 1000m of ascent. It is not a walking event, but neither do you have to be a fast runner to compete and complete. If you run the downs, jog the flat and walk the ups you will be fine. Cut offs also assume no more than 30 mins at each feed station.

You must have left the feed stations by the following times:

  • Threlkeld 13:30hrs
  • Grisedale Hause 17:30hrs
  • Ambleside 22:30hrs
  • Finsthwaite 03:30hrs
  • Finish Cartmel 08:00hrs

Headphones

You can use headphones but please do not wear noise cancelling headphones. Bone conductor headphones are recommended.

  • Bring your own cup
  • Plastic bottle free
  • Sustainability policy

This event is trying to raise its sustainability game. Yes, it's small stuff, but it's a start, and every bit helps. There are two main changes:

  • Cups

    Feed station cups are this event's biggest source of waste so it is completely stopping the use of them. There will be no cups at feed stations. You will need to bring your own hydration system, whether this is a camel back, hydration vest, soft bottle or simply bring your own collapsible cup, carry this with you and it can be topped up at the feed stations. 

  • T-shirts

    Many of you love and use them, however, some of them get disposed of without ever getting used. So, when you enter you will have the option to choose "No T-Shirt". The cost of your entry will remain the same, and the equivalent of the cost of your T-Shirt will be donated to the selected charity. 

  • Chip timing
  • GPS tracking
  • Map
  • Medal
  • Post-race meal
  • T-shirt

Included

  • Professionally organised race
  • Full race medical first aid cover
  • Live tracking
  • 3 well-stocked feed stations
  • Event finishers T-shirt
  • Event finishers medal
  • Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed male / female
  • Age category awards: Senior18-39/V40/V50/V60/V70 male and female

Optional extras

  • Coach seat Cartmel to Caldbeck on race day morning £12
  • Camping space at Cartmel racecourse on Friday evening £12

Break the record!

£500 cash will be on offer to the 1st lady and 1st man to set a new course record. If this is not claimed it is rolled over to the following year. This prize pool is separate for male / female runners and currently stands at £500 for ladies and £500 for the men.

Current records

  • Male (Jarlath Mckenna) –  8 hours 40 mins 46 secs ~ 2022
  • Female (Jasmin Paris) – 10 hours 19 mins 30 secs ~ 2022

 

Optional recce days

  • Ambleside to Cartmel

    This is the final section of the course and the distance covered will be around 22 miles, this section is the relatively flatter easier trail terrain which many people finish in the dark. It’s easy navigation generally, but also easy to mess up. 

  • Caldbeck to Threlkeld 

    This day covers the first section of the route, the terrain is rough remote grassy trod, river fording, Blencathra ascending, Hallsfell Ridge descending it’s a beast of a start. It’s only 12 miles but packs in 4000′ ascent over rough slow ground. 

  • Helvellyn to Ambleside 

    This covers the majority middle section of the course including Helvellyn, Nethermost and Dollywagen Pike, the Grisedale Tarn descent (cut-off/opt out site) before the steep ascent of Fairfield and the all important opportunity to nail the navigation blackspot that is Fairfield to Ambleside. The route is approximately 15miles in total with 5500′ ascent.

  • LiAD: Skills on The Dodds 

    This is a new recce / skills day based from Threlkeld and going up Clough Head and Great Dodd.  We’ll have more time to focus on all the skills you need to complete LiAD successfully, utilising the excellent navigational area of The Dodds and towards Sticks Pass. 

  • Caldbeck to Threlkeld 

    This day will be the same as 11th May. We offer a second day due to demand, plus you can make a weekend of it with Saturday’s ‘LiAD: Skills on The Dodds’. 

  • Hallsfell Skills Sessions 

    There are two sessions available on this day one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  These sessions are specifically aimed at those wishing to brush up on their skills over the challenging terrain of Hallsfell Ridge.

  • Age 20 & over
  • Entries open
  • Enter online

Entry fees

Early bird entry fee

£130.00

Entry fee

£160.00

Stunning views, excellent aid stations with proper toilets, the most helpful and supportive marshals I've known and some great challenging terrain. One to sign up for. Nicola J