Cumbria Way

Ulverston to Coniston

The route starts at Ulverston, a market town on the southern edge of the Lake District. It then passes through rolling farmland north of Ulverston before reaching open bracken covered moorland and foothills around Blawith. It then descends to the lakeshore of Coniston Water which it follows to the village of Coniston.

Coniston to Langdale

The route continues on green lanes and wooded paths to Tarn Hows, one of the celebrated features of the Lakes. More woods and moorland lead to the Lakeland village of Elterwater, before the path enters the Langdale Valley. Overshadowed by the dramatic high crags of the Langdale Pikes and Bowfell, this is perhaps the most famous place in the Lakes.

Langdale to Keswick

A steep climb up Stakes Pass at the head of Langdale leads down to the long and remote valley of Langstrath, punctuated through its length by deep pools and waterfalls. The route continues through the densely wooded Borrowdale Valley, before passing over the slopes of Cat Bells, above Derwentwater and on to Keswick, a bustling tourist town and the hub of the Northern Lake District.

Keswick to Carlisle

Paths meander through rougher, open moorland and mountain sides leading onwards from Keswick and over the slopes of Skiddaw before descending to the village of Caldbeck at the foot of the northern Fells.

The final day is a contrast to all that has gone before – gentler, rolling countryside takes over as the path follows the meandering River Caldew downstream to Dalston and on to the historic border city of Carlisle, and the end of the trail.

Please note that due to a major road project, the Carlisle Southern Link Road, our Cumbria Way holidays will stop at Dalston throughout 2025.

Moderate to Challenging

The Cumbria Way uses well defined and maintained paths and tracks over nearly all of its route. Please bear in mind that the climb over Stake Pass, and the eastern route around the back of Skiddaw, pass through relatively high and remote mountain terrain, where the paths are rougher. Although some of the route is waymarked, these sections are not, so the ability to navigate is essential. You need some walking experience to do this route.

Terrain: Most of the walk follows valleys and lakeshores, but the climb over Stake Pass and the Eastern route around Skiddaw pass through relatively high and remote mountain terrain, where the paths are rougher.

What’s it like underfoot? On the whole the paths are well defined and maintained, but at times it can be rough underfoot with some muddy paths, so good footwear is essential. The Western route around Skiddaw to Caldbeck can be boggy.

How much up & down? Most days are rolling with gentle ascent and descents. The climb of Stake Pass is about 300m, on a well maintained path. Between Keswick and Caldbeck the Western route has a climb of about 300m, again on good, but sometimes boggy paths. The eastern route has a further 300m climb taking you up to 658m on High Pike, on less well defined paths.

Signposting: Sporadic. You will need to use your guidebook and map.

Navigation: Pretty straightforward, on the lowland sections, but you may encounter hill fog or low cloud on Stake Pass and between Keswick and Caldbeck – so you need to be able to navigate.

Weather: You may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but you must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Good clothing and waterproofs are essential!

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight into the day-to-day operation and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation. Over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, or on a working farm. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. Occasionally we may use a chain hotel.

We always try to arrange en suite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

We are happy to book single rooms on our holidays but cannot normally book more than two for any one group. Single room bookings include a supplement.

Here are some examples of the accommodation we use along the Cumbria Way:

The Langstrath Country Inn

The Langstrath County Hotel is set in the Lakeland village of Stonethwaite. It is a small local family run haven for walkers and lovers of the countryside. It was built around 1590 as a miners cottage and is now a quality hotel offering comfortable bedrooms and excellent service.The restaurant serves excellent, quality Lakeland dishes using the finest local ingredients.

Visit their website at: www.thelangstrath.com

Ravensworth Hotel

Conveniently located at the centre of Keswick, The Ravensworth is a quiet and comfortable hotel that offers a high standard of accommodation and service. Jason and Alison will give you a warm welcome and are used to walkers with muddy feet! You can be sure of an excellent hearty walkers breakfast here.

Visit their website at: www.ravensworth-hotel.co.uk

The Old Dungeon Ghyll

You can guarantee a great service and hospitality at the ODG, as its known locally. It is in an excellent location at the heart of the Langdale Valley, with superb views. The bedrooms are warm and cosy and many walkers appreciate the vast array of beers available in the quirky Walkers Bar.

Visit their website at: www.odg.co.uk

General travel information on the Cumbria Way area will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit trainline where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline

If you require secure car parking whilst walking this route, please contact us for detailed information – we can usually arrange car parking either at the start or end locations of the route.

Getting There:
By Air: The nearest international airport is Manchester (MAN) – you can travel direct by train to Ulverston (ULV) which takes approximately 2 hours.
By Public Transport: There is a direct train from Manchester (MAN) to Ulverston (ULV). There are also regular trains from Glasgow, London, Lancaster or Preston. National Express Coaches run to Windermere where you can then take a local bus to Ulverston.
By Road: Ulverston is situated in the south of the Lake District National Park. The closest motorway to the village is the M6.

Returning from: Carlisle:
By Public Transport: Carlisle has a large railway station for regular train services north and south on the west coast mainline.
By Road: There are many main roads running past Carlisle. The M6 is the closest motorway.

Coniston

A pleasant Lakeland Village on the shores of Lake Coniston. Take a cruise on the lake on the steam launch “Gondola”. Visit historic Brantwood, nineteenth century home of John Ruskin. For the more energetic, Coniston Old Man is a great walk with tremendous views over the Lake District and Morecambe Bay.

Keswick

Keswick is a bustling market town centred around the historic Moot Hall, with a vast array of outdoor shops – if you need any outdoor gear, you will get it here! There is a wide choice of places to eat or have a coffee, and a range of galleries to visit. Enjoy one of the easy, short walks down to the lakeshore from where there is a regular launch service around Derwentwater. Or pop into our offices to say hello or book your next holiday!

Carlisle

Carlisle is an historic border city, complete with castle and cathedral. Tullie House Museum has a lot of Roman artefacts and is worth a visit. The cathedral was founded in 1122 and is open every day. The castle has dominated the city for 9 centuries, and also houses a military museum – there are guided tours daily. There are plenty of shops and lots of places to eat or have coffee.