Burning with exertion, I shuffle up the hillside, a sweaty mess. Beside me, the heather is also dripping – with morning drizzle. A fresh, Lakeland breeze envelops me as I climb out of the sheep-speckled valley, mud squelching under my feet. This is trail running in the fells – though right now the word “running” is a misnomer.
Happily, Mark Sandamas of Coast To Coast Packhorse (pictured above, with the writer), a company that helps walkers and cyclists, as well as runners, to tackle the 192-mile coast-to-coast route, doesn’t consider my plodding gait a problem. “The beauty of trail running is that your pace is dictated by the changing landscape,” he tells me as we pause to drink in views of majestic Crummock Water far below. “You hike up steep sections to preserve energy, then let the brakes off and flow downhill.”
I’ve come to the Lakes to run part of the route devised by fell walker and guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright in 1973. The trail runs from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea, traversing the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
Long popular with walkers, the route is now opening up to a different kind of outdoor enthusiast: trail runners. This year, Coast to Coast Packhorse is offering guided running holidays along the entire route, with options of 10 days (averaging 19 miles a day) and 12 (averaging 16), as well as self-guided options. The first guided trip departs on 3 June, but I’ve joined Mark on a shorter soft launch. In four days, I’ll make it to just under halfway, to Kirkby Stephen, a total of 83 miles.
I’m glad to learn that the trips are not all heads-down running: there are plenty of stops and easier options. You can hop in the van which also transports your bags, or hire a bike to cover more ground.
“Trail running is accessible, requires little kit and immerses you in nature,” says Mark. “You don’t have to be a hard-core runner, just after adventure.”
A challenge like this requires training. Mark recommends building up to running around 45 miles a week, including two back-to-back off-road runs of around 14 miles each. “The key is regular training, not high intensity. Following an intermediate half-marathon or marathon plan would get you to a sufficient level and build a good stamina base,” he says. Guided groups will have a maximum of 10 runners, plus a guide.
We set off from St Bees, picking up a pebble for eventual deposit at Robin Hood’s Bay as tradition dictates, before striding up the towering red cliffs. We pass nesting puffins and the hulking St Bees lighthouse, Britain’s last to be fired by coal.
Trotting on, we head east, with the weather at our backs as Wainwright intended. We wolf down a meat pie in Cleator, a former mining village, before hiking up Dent Fell for our first view of the Lake District mountains.
Five hours and 16 miles later, we’re at the Shepherds Arms in Ennerdale for our first night. Accommodation is different every night, and includes a 17th-century inn in St Bees and a Quaker meeting place in Grasmere, but they all serve good food to power us up the hills.
Jelly-legged and mud-splattered, I’m exhausted but feel a huge sense of satisfaction. I wolf down a steak-and-ale pie and a local beer, swapping stories with Mark and the two other (Australian) runners on the trip. Despite aching limbs and the prospect of doing it all again tomorrow, there’s a cheerful atmosphere, and I appreciate the camaraderie on tough sections the following day.
Going that bit faster also means we have time to explore. On our second day, a lovely section skirting Ennerdale Water and passing Haystacks – the hill where Wainwright’s ashes were scattered – I arrive in Grasmere early enough to snatch an hour in the Wordsworth Museum. I’ve already toured the poet’s home, Dove Cottage, and found his gravestone in the churchyard before weary walkers appear.
We splash through streams, clamber over stiles and jog past countless walkers, who stare curiously. While we bounce along in light trail shoes and small packs, they seem weighed down with heavy rucksacks and stiff walking boots.
I run and stumble and trudge and walk, and all the while Mark points out landmarks and gives me tips to improve my downhill technique. “Look ahead, lean forwards and don’t overthink it,” he says.
I switch off my brain and let my legs take control. Soon I’m picking up the pace and whooping as the scenery rushes by. As I hurtle downhill, a Lakeland panorama is unveiled, rugged green fells in golden sunlight. “Running here makes me feel like a millionaire,” Mark calls. I’m inclined to agree. Sweat, mud and all.
The trip was provided by Coast to Coast Packhorse (c2cpackhorse.co.uk), whose 12-day guided tours start on 3 June from £1,310. The 10-day trip, departing 11 August, starts at £1,200; self-guided packages from £686 for nine nights. All include B&B accommodation and luggage transfers
FIVE MORE RUNNING HOLIDAYS
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Derbyshire-based company Contours organises self-guided running holidays along national trails in England, Scotland and Wales. One of the most popular is the 180-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, from St Dogmaels to Amroth over four to 12 days, depending on running level.
From £595, including B&B, luggage transfers and maps, contoursrun.co.uk
Run across Scotland
Endurance runners can cross Scotland in five days on a guided trip with Running the Highlands. The 85-mile route goes from Inverness to Skye via Loch Ness, Drumnadrochit, Glen Affric and Kintail, covering 17 to 21 miles a day, with a nine-mile “rest” day.
13-18 May and 14-19 Oct, from £820, including two guides, all meals and luggage transfers, runningthehighlands.com
Tour du Mont Blanc, Alps
Run the Wild’s circumnavigation of Mont Blanc covers 104 miles over six days, with a total ascent of about 9,000 metres. The trip starts and finishes in a four-star spa hotel in Chamonix, France, and includes nights in Italy and Switzerland in village hotels and mountain refuges.
Next trip 6 July, €1,975, including all meals, lead runner, luggage transfer and champagne at the finish, flights extra, runthewild.co.uk
Trail running, Mallorca
The Healthy Holiday Company has a four-night trail running holiday in the Tramuntana mountains. The itinerary typically includes three runs, three yoga sessions and a sports massage. Accommodation is the rustic Finca Es Castell in the foothills.
From £895, including B&B, return flights and car hire, thehealthyholidaycompany.co.uk
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