Lakes Traverse®
Saturday 5th to Sunday 6th April 2025
A 100KM ULTRA FOLLOWING WAINWRIGHT’S COAST TO COAST ROUTE FROM ST BEES TO SHAP
The Lakes Traverse® is a 100km ultra following Wainwright’s coast to coast route through the Lake District fells. The event has an adventurous ethos and culture of self-sufficiency.
This ultra crosses the entire width of the Lake District National Park and starts alongside the Northern Traverse in St. Bees on the west coast. The route traverses Ennerdale, Borrowdale, over Grasmere Common, past Grisedale Tarn, through Patterdale, over Kidsty Pike and along Haweswater to finish at Shap.
This is a challenging yet beautiful ultra, and a great stepping stone for those aspiring to enter the Northern Traverse.
THE ROUTE
Tip: click/tap on "Learn more" then expand the map to get more route details.
Average terrain type
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The race route is not marked but it is usually straight forward to follow because it is a well established national hiking trail. Each year, more of the route is waymarked with official Coast to Coast signs.
We provide the following options to assist participants:
An official waterproof race map collected at registration.
A digital version of the race map via the Avenza app, which displays your location in realtime on the race route.
A downloadable GPX file of the race route to use with your preferred device (watch, phone) or mapping software.
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We recommend using the Avenza App which can be downloaded HERE.
Participants will be emailed prior to the event when the Avenza digital mapping is ready.
It is available free of charge to participants.
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The draft route dated 04/12/2023 is available to download HERE.
Please be aware that this is a provisional route and subject change. It does not entitled you to any special access and if you are recce’ing the route please ensure that observe The Countryside Code at all times.
A GPX file of the final version of the route will be emailed directly to participants about 10-days before the event.
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There will be discrepancies between the GPX download, the Outdoor Active and Avenza digital mapping and the information on this website.
The distance and height gain of the route change one year to next, because the route varies from one edition to the next, which is due landowner permissions and consultations.
The headline 100km is a slight over estimation of the route distance in 2024, but the estimate height gain of 3,500m is accurate.
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The route is mandatory and defined by Checkpoints and Support Points. Checkpoints are virtual (i.e. not manned) and help participant gauge their progress between Support Points and generate meaningful results.
We do have some generous cut-offs in place, based on roughly 4km/h, and allowing extra time for ascent. These times roughly allow for ~5 hours of breaks at support points.
You must have left the respective Checkpoint or Support Point by the following time:
Ennerdale Bridge (Water only)
Distance from start: 24km
Height gain since start: 482m
Cut Off: N/A
Borrowdale Support Point
Distance from start: 47km
Distance from Ennerdale Bridge: 23km
Height gain since Ennerdale Bridge: 525m
Cut Off: Saturday 20:30
Patterdale Support Point
Distance from start: 69km
Distance from Borrowdale: 22km
Height gain since Borrowdale: 1,015m
Cut Off: Sunday 04:00
Kidsty Pike Checkpoint
Distance from start: 77km
Distance from Patterdale: 8km
Height gain since Patterdale: 683m
Guidance time: Sunday 06:00
Shap Finish
Distance from start: 94km
Distance from Kidsty Pike: 17km
Height gain since Kidsty Pike: 267m
Cut Off: Sunday 13:30
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You must have reached the finish in Shap by 13:30 on Sunday – this is the course closure time and anyone arriving after this time will finish ‘non-competitively’.
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It is only possible to retire at the Support Points.
In an emergency, our professional event Response Team will assist participants whilst they are on the course.
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The Lakes Traverse® is worth FOUR ITRA points and FOUR mountain points - find out more here.
Where and when?
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FRIDAY
17:00 Campsite opens (St Bees)
17:00 - 21:00 Registration 1 open (St Bees)
SATURDAY
06:00 - 07:00 – Registration 2 open (St Bees)
07:15 – Briefing (start line - allow 20 minutes to walk between registration and the start line)
07:30 – START
16:45 First finisher expected (Shap)
SUNDAY
13:30 Course Closure Time
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We have arranged a coach transfer service from Shap (finish) to St Bees (start) ahead of the start.
Option 1 – Coach from Shap to St Bees on Friday 4th April 2025 at 17:30.
Option 2 – Coach from Shap to St Bees on Saturday 5th April 2025 at 05:00.
You can book your seat on the coach on your SiEntries account. There is a cost of £10.
Not using our bus transport?
Please just head straight for the registration venue in St Bees.
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Registration Venue
St Bees School: Wood Lane, St Bees, Saint Bees CA27 0DS (HERE)
Parking
Temporary parking (only to register) is available at St Bees School. It is not possible to park for the duration of the event at St Bees school; please use the public pay and display car park on the beach.
Useful information: the school is a 20-minute walk from the race start.
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Optional camping at St Bees School (on the school playing fields) on the Friday night before the race start Saturday morning.
Cost: £10 per person
Maximum tent size: 3-person tent.
Additional ‘Camping Bag’: Maximum weight is 10kg
Please book this in advance on SiEntries. For those who book and pay for camping we will transport one additional ‘camping bag’ (maximum weight 10kg) direct to the the finish in Shap. There is no access to this bag during the event.
Camping will be open from 17:00 (same time as registration opens). Arrivals are welcome until 21:00.
Camping includes access to school toilets, showers and changing rooms between 17:00 and 21:00 on Friday evening, and 06:00 and 08:00 on Saturday morning, and overnight access to portable toilets.
Please note that there is no parking available at St Bees school. Campervans and caravans are not permitted.
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We will also be serving an optional Friday night meal and Saturday morning breakfast for an extra cost at St Bees Schhol. These will need to be pre-booked on SIEntries:
Friday Night Meal
This menu will be updated for 2025. This is an example from the 2024 event.
Served from 17:30-21:00
Starter - Mushroom soup served with a sourdough roll
Main - Lasagne (Vegan and GF options available) (Contains Soya)
It's cheesy, creamy, and so delicious. Layers of lasagne sheets, a vegetarian Bolognese sauce, all topped with a ricotta and mozzarella sauce, and you have yourself one of the best ever vegetarian lasagnes!
Pudding - A classic apple and rhubarb crumble served with cream
Saturday Morning Breakfast
This was the menu from 2024. This will be updated ahead of the 2025 event.
Breakfast meal served from 5:00 - 7:00
Cold options: Cereal, muesli
Hot options: Eggs, beans, hash browns, vegan sausage, porridge
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The start is at 07:30.
There is a 20-minute walk between St Bees School (registration) and the beach (start).
Friends and family are welcome to join you at the start on the beach at St Bees. There is a large public car park that they can use.
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The finish is at Shap Memorial Hall (HERE)
Shap Memorial Hall, Shap, Penrith CA10 3NR
The hall becomes very busy with participants and therefore, friends, family and spectators are not allowed in this building.
Support points
You can expect a warm welcome from our Event Team at each Support Point. A combination of our professional staff and volunteers are in attendance at each Support Point. There is almost always a medic at these locations to provide advice and emergency care. If you need to retire, the Support Points are the only place on the course where you can do this. Most importantly, you can expect hot food and plenty of it at each Support Point.
Here is the kind of food you can expect at the support points on the Lakes Traverse®:
A selection of hot and cold drinks including tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, squash and water, with milk alternatives available.
Sandwiches with various fillings such as cheese, hummus, egg, salad, peanut butter, or jam.
Hot and cold savoury snacks that might include chips, vegetarian sausage rolls, vegan bites, crisps and nuts.
A selection of cakes and traybakes, fresh fruit, porridge and a variety of other hot and cold breakfast options.
There is a variety of food at support points ©No Limits Photography
Please see the menu below for the hot meal and soup options at each support point.
The below menu is an example from the 2024 event. This will be updated ahead of the 2025 event.
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There is almost always a medic at these locations to provide advice and emergency care. However, the medics may be called away to deal with an emergency and they will always triage participants based on clinical need.
Whilst the medics will endeavour to provide blister care at each Support Point this is not their priority and you should come to event ready to manage your own blisters in the first instance.
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This location is a Water Point and not a Support Point. There is no indoor space. At Ennerdale you’ll be able to refill water bottles, soft flasks and bladders after the section from St Bees when there are few opportunities to access drinking water.
Facilities: Toilets only
Snacks: No
Drinks: Water only
Hot meal: No
Soup: No
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Facilities: Indoor space, toilets
Snacks: Wide range of sweet and savoury food
Drinks: Hot and cold
This menu will be updated for 2025. This is an example from the 2024 event.
Hot meal: An assortment of cheesy, vegetarian, and vegan pizzas.
Soup: A hearty Lakeland vegetable soup
NB. This was previously the Rosthwaite Support Point. It was moved for the 2024 edition.
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Facilities: Marquee space, toilets
Snacks: Wide range of sweet and savoury food
Drinks: Hot and cold
This menu will be updated for 2025. This is an example from the 2024 event.
Hot meal: Deliciously filling burritos with refried beans, a fiery salsa and cool guacamole
Soup: Warming minestrone soup
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Facilities: Indoor space, toilets
Finishers Bag: Yes
Snacks: Wide range of sweet and savoury food
Drinks: Hot and cold
This menu will be updated for 2025. This is an example from the 2024 event.
Hot meal: A flavoursome vegetarian chilli 'non' carne served with boiled rice
Soup: A filling leek & potato soup
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Sorry, there are no provisions for sleeping at these locations for Lakes Traverse® participants.
Please do not attempt to sneak into the blue tents we erect at Patterdale as these are strictly for Northern Traverse® participants only.
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As well as the food provided by us at support points (i.e. included in your entry), we would like to highlight a number of venues along the race route who will be able to provide you with additional food options from their regular menu. Of course, these are subject to the respective venues’ normal opening times:
Hartley’s Beach Shop and Café (near the start line)
The Sky Hi Café, Honister (42km)
Traveller’s Rest Inn, Grasmere (60km)
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For all meals, there will be gluten-free and vegan alternatives available.
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Any allergies/intolerances you tell us about in your entry will be noted, but we are otherwise unable to give special dispensation for participants with personal dietary preferences that fall outside our menu, with the exception of being able to provide gluten free options.
We will of course do everything reasonably practicable to accommodate the requirements of the participants within the boundaries of the menu being offered.
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Sustainable food is a fundamental component of our sustainability strategy. It affects everyone because our staff, volunteers and participants rely on the food we provide to fuel them through our events.
We have served a meat and fish free menu to participants since our first event in 2012. Over the years, we have worked hard to develop the menus we provide for our participants, to ensure the meals are nutritionally balanced for their needs.
A meat and fish free menu is the cornerstone of reducing the environmental impact of our event catering, because livestock production takes up around 80% of the world’s agricultural land and is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
Our ‘Food Sustainability Policy’ (HERE) covers this in more detail.
Kit requirements
Please download the following clothing and equipment checklist. The items listed are mandatory and must be worn by the participants or carried at all times for the duration of the Lakes Traverse®. Your kit will be checked at registration. If we determine that your kit is not sufficient, you will not be able to start.
DOWNLOADABLE CHECKLIST
The current Downloadable Checklist is version 8, dated 17/06/2024.
We know that kit and clothing requirements can be a bit confusing and we hope that the downloadable checklist will help you select and pack the correct clothing and equipment. We would recommend that you read our comprehensive guidance article on clothing and equipment.
Comprehensive Clothing and Equipment Guidance
Finishers Drop Bag
A ‘Finishers Drop Bag’ will be transported from the start to the finish for each runner. There will be no access to this Drop Bag during the race at any of the Support Points. The maximum weight of a Finishers Drop Bag is 5kg (they will be weighed!) and they can be dropped off during registration hours at St Bees school or on the start line on Saturday morning (see timings above). This bag should be robust and waterproof to withstand handling and outside storage. At registration, we will attach a sticker to this bag so that we know it is yours.
Kit Recommendations
A common mistake we see at kit check is participants bringing a survival blanket rather than a survival bag. A survival bag is far superior in an emergency and is mandatory. We recommend the SOL survival bag available for purchase in our shop.
Whilst the built-in whistle on your rucksack or vest is acceptable we do recommend a purpose-made device such as the Lifesystems Whistle.
Finally, if you want to enjoy a warm drink at our Support Points, you’ll need to be carrying your own mug. We recommend the Lifeventure mug.
Exceptional Weather Kit
We are prescriptive about the clothing and equipment that we will mandate that participants carry in the event of exceptionally cold and/or wet, or hot weather. When notified, these additional items must be carried in addition to the standard mandatory kit, and are included on the downloadable checklist linked above. Please ensure that your vest pack or rucksack is large enough to fit everything in!
We will notify Lakes Traverse® participants at registration whether they need to carry this kit. Therefore, participants must bring their ‘Cold Weather Kit/Hot Weather Kit’ to registration in St Bees and be ready to carry it in their vest pack or rucksack.
Additional recommendations
Finally, we would like to share some further recommendations and insights, which we have seen participants successfully employ over the years. These items are not mandatory but might help you to critically appraise your clothing and equipment choices.
RECOMMENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
Heavy-weight mountaineering-style waterproof jacket. Especially if you are likely to be walking rather than running.
Waterproof cap. Brilliant for keeping driving rain off your face - worn under the hood of your waterproof jacket.
Second waterproof jacket. Layering two lightweight waterproofs is an old trick that keeps you drier whilst adding warmth.
Winter underwear. Windproof and/or insulated underwear for staying comfortable in very cold conditions.
RECOMMENDED HOT WEATHER CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
Sunblock. Factor 50 and waterproof. We recommend the Lifesystems Sports Suncream
Long-Sleeve Top. A loose-fitting and lightweight long-sleeve top to keep the sun off your skin, and reduce sunburn risk.
Sunglasses. Helps reduce fatigue in bright conditions.
Headband. Salty sweat running into your eyes is seriously unpleasant.
Thin socks. In hot weather, your feet will swell, and swapping for thinner socks helps with comfort.
EVENT RULES
We are keen to keep these simple. If you have any questions about these rules please query them before the event rather than after you have broken them. It is the participant’s responsibility to understand and follow these rules:
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Participants must follow the >> UNIVERSAL EVENT RULES << applicable to all events organised by Ourea Events.
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• Retiring: if you retire, you must inform race control (the number is on the race map).
• Race numbers: participants must display one race number (supplied at registration) on their front at all times and a second race number (supplied at registration) must be attached to their rucksack. Race numbers can be obscured by waterproof clothing only. Race numbers must not be folded (or cut) to obscure any logos or information.
• Route safety: the route, within a corridor of 200m, is mandatory, but we understand that sometimes the safest course of action might be to deviate slightly from the prescribed route, such as at a river crossing. Please prioritise safety and then return to the route as soon as safely possible.
• Sleeping: strictly no sleeping inside any of the venue buildings.
• Headphones: participants must NOT wear headphones or listen to music on any road sections/crossings along the route.
• SOS button: the SOS button on participants’ GPS trackers is for true emergencies only (e.g. a life or limb threatening incident) – if it is pressed in order to alert us to a participant’s condition, then it will be assumed that the participant in question will not be able to continue with the event.
• Race briefing: the briefing given before the start is compulsory – a register will be taken and any participant not in attendance will not be allowed to start.
• Healthcare professionals: the event medics must maintain oversight of the health and wellbeing of everyone on the event and keep accurate records of all medical treatments. Therefore, unless it is an emergency situation, any healthcare professional alien to the event’s medical team that provides prescription-only medication (or any other significant medical intervention) to another participant will be disqualified from the event. The participant receiving the medication is also likely to be penalised for having accessed a service which is not available to all participants equally.
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• Participants may take advantage of certain facilities that are available to all participants – this means that you may make purchases from shops, hotels, pubs, bars, cafés (where they might occur on the route, and are open). The exception is that you may not purchase or negotiate for showers / accommodation / cleaning / laundry at any facility.
• Participants may not access any services that are not commercially available to all i.e. you cannot take any support from supporters, public, and stores by friendship, arrangement, bartering or coercion!
• Participants may not leave (or arrange to have left for them) equipment or food along the route.
• Participants are not allowed support runners. Any person attempting this will cause their officially entered associate(s) to be disqualified immediately and all the runners involved may receive life bans from Ourea Events Ltd. events.
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We encourage participants’ supporters, as long as they and the participants follow all of the event rules – i.e. they may not run with the participant, carry any equipment for them, or give them any food, drink, kit or other supplies.
Supporters must not enter Support Point buildings and facilities used exclusively by the event.
What Are people saying about the LAKES Traverse?
“A stunning cross-section through the Lake District including all the best bits!”
– Matthew Bazire
“An amazing day through stunning scenery. A real challenge done with like-minded runners and a huge sense of achievement at the end.”
– Martin Rossiter
“A beautiful, challenging route across some of the most spectacular scenery the UK has to offer, with generous cut-offs that put it within everyone's reach.”
– Debs White
"Loved the route, thoroughly enjoyed myself."
"Loved the route, thoroughly enjoyed myself."
"I'll be back next year for the Northern Traverse.”
"I'll be back next year for the Northern Traverse.”
"A real challenge done with like-minded runners and a huge sense of achievement at the end.” "
"A real challenge done with like-minded runners and a huge sense of achievement at the end.” "
3500 metres