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Walking The Cumbria Way

Ulverston to Carlisle - main route with mountain alternatives

By John Gillham

ISBN

9781786311337

Availability

Published

4 Aug 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

136

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x .70cm

Weight

160g

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A guidebook to the 73 mile Cumbria Way, an easy long-distance walk though the heart of the Lake District National Park, from Ulverston in the south to Carlisle in the north, with good transport links to either end. The route is largely low-level but this guide offers alternative mountain days to climb some of the famous fells en route.

Seasons

official way can be done year-round using B&Bs or Easter to October using campsites. The mountain route is best saved for spring, summer and autumn

Centres

Ulverston, Torver, Coniston, Elterwater, Great Langdale, Rosthwaite, Keswick, Bassenthwaite, Caldbeck, Dalston and Carlisle

Difficulty

official Cumbria Way is easy with only two places where the inexperienced walker can go wrong (in mist) - Stake Pass and High Pike. The mountain routes require mountain experience and the knowledge of how to use a map and compass

Must See

official route visits Coniston, Tarn Hows, Great Langdale, Stake Pass, Derwentwater, Back o' Skiddaw and Caldbeck, while the mountain route adds the Coniston Fells, Glaramara, Skiddaw and Knott

ISBN

9781786311337

Availability

Published

4 Aug 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

136

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x .70cm

Weight

160g

Overview

A guidebook to the Cumbria Way, a 73-mile long distance path through the heart of the English Lake District from Ulverston to Carlisle. The route is largely low-level, but this book also describes alternative mountain days which add the Coniston Fells, Glaramara and Skiddaw en route.

The guide divides the route into 5 stages of between 12 and 16 miles, but there is plenty of opportunity to plan your itinerary for a more easy-going 7 to 8 days. This guidebook also provides useful information for every stage, from accommodation to available facilities en route, as well as an annotated OS map and details on points of interest.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Overview map

Map key

Introduction

The Cumbria Way

The mountain way

Wildlife and plants

Geology (Ronald Turnbull)

When to go

Getting there

Accommodation

Safety

Planning your itinerary

What to take

Maps

Using GPS

Using this guide

The Cumbria Way

Stage 1 Ulverston to Coniston (or Torver)

Stage 2 Coniston (or Torver) to Great Langdale

Stage 2A Torver to Great Langdale – mountain route

Stage 3 Great Langdale to Keswick

Stage 3A Great Langdale to Keswick – mountain route

Stage 4 Keswick to Caldbeck

Stage 4A Keswick to Caldbeck – mountain route

Stage 4B Keswick to Caldbeck – foul weather route

Stage 5 Caldbeck to Carlisle

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Facilities table

Appendix C Accommodation stage by stage

Appendix D Useful contacts

Maps

Maps

The map extracts in this guide are from OS Landranger maps (1:50,000). You should also take the following 1:25,000 Explorer maps for greater detail:

OL6 (Ulverston to Coniston) OL7 (Coniston to Great Langdale) OL4 (Great Langdale to Skiddaw House) OL5 (Skiddaw House to Dalston) 315 (Dalston to Carlisle)

Harvey Maps publish a dedicated Cumbria Way 1:40,000 map, which is convenient because everything is on one water-resistant map and it also includes useful town plans. Unfortunately it is harder to follow the routes on the ground as field boundaries are not marked and everything is a bit small. In addition to this, some of this book’s mountain routes would be off this Harvey map.

Updates

July 2023

Closure

There is a closure of the Cumbria Way on the cycleway between Dalston and Cummersdale from 19 June for up to six months. (Section 5, Page 115)
For more information, see www.dalston.org.uk/news/caldew-cycleway-temporary-closure

August 2022

Alternative route between Dalston and Cummersdale

The route is closed until July 23 between Dalston and Cummersdale (Carlisle) because of extensive engineering works. It would be unwise to try to get through the fences or to walk along the busy B5299 road. An alternative footpath exists on the other (eastern) bank of the Caldew River but it is in very poor condition. Tony Vaux, local footpath secretary for The Ramblers, has kindly provided the following description and map.

Footpath129001 3 (745.738 KB)

Map (1.405 MB)

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John Gillham

John Gillham has been a professional writer, illustrator and photographer since 1989. His first book was Snowdonia to the Gower: a Coast-to-Coast Walk Across Highest Wales. He also pioneered three other long-distance routes: Lakeland to Lindisfarne, Pennine Ways and the Bowland–Dales Traverse, all of which were published in book form. John’s recent books include The Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia Volumes 1–4, Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and the AA Leisure Guide to Wales. John writes for several outdoor publications, and two of his books have won the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild Award for Excellence.

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