Cumbria Way

This is a linear point-to-point walk of about 72.5 miles (117 km) one way, from The Gill in Ulverston to Carlisle. Most people split it into five days, with about 35 hours of moving time overall. The stored route follows the main low-level line, not the optional high-level detour near High Pike.

The walk starts through pasture, lanes, and low hills before reaching Beacon Tarn and the long lakeshore finish into Coniston. From there it threads through woodland and around Tarn Hows, passes Colwith Force and Skelwith Force, and opens into Great Langdale. Stake Pass is the route's main mountain crossing, followed by a gentler stretch through Langstrath and Borrowdale and a fine approach beside Derwent Water into Keswick.

The northern half changes character again: the path climbs out of Keswick toward the Skiddaw area, then drops toward Caldbeck before following the River Caldew and prepared cycleways toward Carlisle. Underfoot ranges from farm tracks and lanes to grass, rough fell path, stone, and short boardwalk or cycleway sections. It is mostly low level, but Stake Pass and the optional High Pike alternative are exposed, and the route can feel hard because several days are long rather than because every mile is steep.

The route is at its most enjoyable from late spring through autumn. April and May bring strong greens and wildflowers, summer gives the longest daylight, and autumn adds colour in the woods. Winter is a different undertaking because daylight is short and snow or ice can make the passes substantially harder. The long middle stages have stretches with little shelter or refreshment, so treat the Keswick to Caldbeck day as self-contained and carry what you need. Villages at the stage ends make a five- or six-day plan practical.

This is a signed public long-distance route, but waymarks are not a substitute for a map or navigation app. Expect gates, stiles, farmyards, road walking, and ground that becomes boggy or muddy after rain. The route's appeal is its changing scenery and manageable logistics, not a single summit: choose a dedicated fell day instead if you want a more concentrated mountain hike.