so a weekend visit or even a day trip is possible, even from the south-east. Visit Trainline (www.thetrainline.com) to book tickets.
By bus
There’s a regular National Express (www.nationalexpress.com) coach service from London Victoria to the Lake District. For those flying to Manchester airport, there’s a regular coach service to the Lake District – although this is a lot slower than the train – as well as a range of private taxi companies.
By car
Driving to the Lake District couldn’t be simpler, as the M6 motorway cuts past the eastern fringe of the national park. Junction 36 is ideal for access to the South Lakes via the A590 and A591, and Junction 40 gives access to the A66 for entry into the North Lakes.
Signpost on path to Ard Crags
Travelling around the Lake District
You are strongly urged to travel by public transport where possible, to help reduce congestion and the impact on the Lake District’s unique environment, but if you choose to drive remember that parking in some of the valleys is limited, and ask permission first before using pub or hotel car parks. Also be careful parking on roads or in gateways, as it is essential not to block access, especially for the emergency services including Mountain Rescue.
The public transport links around the national park are relatively infrequent, and so some careful planning is required. The council provides online timetables for the region (www.cumbria.gov.uk/landing_page/roadsandtravel.asp), as does Cumbria Tourism (www.golakes.co.uk/travel). You can even hire a low-carbon electric car locally to travel around the area (www.co-wheels.org.uk). See Appendix A for contact details.
In the information box at the start of every route description, look for the Public transport and Parking entries, which detail the nearest transport and car parking options.
Weather and forecasts
The presence of the mountains has a far greater influence on the weather than many lowland runners may be used to. Despite the relatively lowly height of the fell tops, the region is a maritime climate, and the rapid uplift of humid air to nearly 1km above sea level is often enough to condense the air mass and cause rain. The hamlet of Seathwaite in the Borrowdale valley has the dubious accolade of being the wettest inhabited place in the UK, with an average of 3552mm of rain per year!
Perfect weather for a run on Wetherlam (Route 11)
Many postcards sold in the local shops make joking reference to the amount of rain that falls in the Lake District, and there are even Cumbrian dialect words for various types of rain, such as ‘mizzlin’ (drizzle) and ‘yal watter’ (heavy rain) – in much the same way as Eskimos have tens of words for different snow types. The floods of December 2015 did nothing to break the national perception that it rains, a lot, in Cumbria.
The first thing a runner should do each day is check the weather forecast (www.mwis.org.uk/english-welsh-forecast/LD or www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/mountain-forecasts/lake-district) to identify any highlighted risks such as thunder storms or a low freezing level that could result in ice on some of the fells. As ever, the runner needs to adapt their choice of route, as well as the equipment they plan to carry, to the prevailing weather. In the winter months the fell top assessors report from the summit of Helvellyn (www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk) on conditions underfoot and the weather.
As well as rain, we do (more often than you might think) get beautiful weather in the Lake District, and these days make every second of the wait worthwhile. It’s easy to get sunburnt and dehydrated on the fells, even on cloudy days, so runners need to study the forecasts carefully to decide what to wear, what to carry, and if they need any extra safety kit.
Maps
Each route description is accompanied by a 1:50,000-scale map blown up to 1:40,000 for ease of use, but runners should always carry a separate sheet map of the area in which they’re running. For the Lake District there are two key choices of map: Ordnance Survey (1:50,000 or 1:25,000-scale maps) or Harvey (1:40,000-scale map). For micro navigation specific to small areas, you can also get the excellent Yellow Publications (1:16,000-scale maps, www.yellowpublications.co.uk), which are ideal for runners as they fold up very small to fit into your hand or pack. The relevant sheet maps are listed at the start of each route description, and all the maps you’ll need are readily available on the internet from retailers such as Stanfords (www.stanfords.co.uk), the Map Shop (www.themapshop.co.uk) as well as in outdoor stores and other places throughout the Lake District.
Never, ever consider relying solely on the mapping provided on a smartphone, due to the lack of phone signal in the fells, the effect on battery life, and the effects of inclement weather. If you have downloaded offline mapping, ensure that your device battery strength is sufficient. Always take a paper map with you when running; it’s not there just in case of an emergency, but will help you explore the fells, learn about the region and learn that navigation is quite simple and not the black art it is often perceived to be.
Micro navigation skills will enhance your experience of fell running
Safety and mountain rescue
Always carry the safety equipment outlined in the checklist below (see ‘Trail and fell running kit‘). In the event of an accident you’re not guaranteed a phone signal, so a good level of autonomy and experience is required for the more remote mountain runs. Where you can make a call, the emergency phone number is 999. Ask to speak to the Police, then inform them that you need Mountain Rescue. You can register your phone at www.emergencysms.org.uk; this will enable you to contact the emergency services by text when signal strength is weak in the fells.
If you’re out of phone signal and you can’t move, use your whistle to blow six times in succession each minute. This is the international signal for rescue. If a rescue is likely to be made by helicopter, secure all loose clothing and try to get into an open area free of obstacles, and turn your back to the prevailing wind. When a helicopter approaches, raise both arms above your head in a Y-shape to indicate you’re in need of assistance.
If you’re running alone, it’s always worth letting people know where you’re going and what time you plan to return. Many people use social media or email to enable their friends to raise an alarm if they haven’t checked back in by a certain time. Remember that in the UK the Mountain Rescue teams are all staffed by unpaid volunteers, and so you should always turn back if in doubt, if you think the conditions are worsening, and never consider a call-out unless you really need it.
Mountain Rescue teams are frequently using smartphone technology and the SARLOC app to pinpoint callers’ exact locations. In some cases this has been used to remotely monitor casualties off the hill in case their condition worsens.