Looking to hike the Cumbria Way in England’s Lake District? Check out these ten things to know before heading out!
What is the Cumbria Way?
The Cumbria Way is a 70(ish) mile hike that wends its way through England’s Lake District. The trail was devised in the 1970’s and officially blazed in 2007. This walking path is a great way to experience the small towns and nature of the Lake District in northern England. We covered this trail in five days of hiking with four overnight stays.
Because this is a newer trail, it was a little bit challenging to find certain information about the trail. We did the best we could with what’s out there but we definitely made our fair share of mistakes along the trail. I’ve put together this list to make sure that you can learn from our experience.
Read on for ten things to know before hiking the Cumbria Way!
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Ten Things to Know Before Hiking the Cumbria Way
The Weather Apps Are not Always Right
Plan for all weather, because the weather apps don’t always get it right. When we completed it in early June, we had on and off rain the entire time. I packed both my rain jacket and rain pants and was glad for both. We also had pack covers to keep our bags dry.
However, according to the locals, it had been beautiful for the six weeks before we got there. I also packed shorts as a backup (and used them for sleeping in) because that’s what I thought I was going to be wearing. I brought pants (and I was glad) because I was very cold at times.
Baggage Transfer Is Available
To make our lives easier, we did a bag transfer throughout the trip through Sherpa Van. We had our bags picked up on the morning of Day 1 and then reunited with them again on Day 3 and at the end of the trip on Day 5. This helped reduce pack weight, as I was able to ditch dirty clothes and some stuff I hadn’t used on Day 3. (And it was nice to be actually CLEAN for a dinner in Keswick!) We could have packed everything all five days, but with the weather we had, I was so glad we chose to do the bag transfer.
It is possible to get a bag transfer for all four nights. We chose to only do one because we are pretty savvy at packing smart and it was cheaper to not transfer the bags every night.
It’s Easiest to Do Bag Transfer from Hotels
If you are going to plan to do a bag transfer, keep this in mind when planning. Doing bag transfer from hotel to hotel is much easier than doing it from or to an AirBnb. Hotels are equipped to store bags in a secure location and someone is on hand to direct the baggage handler to your luggage. We had our bags picked up from our Airbnb the first day and almost had a heart attack when we got a call mid-hike saying they couldn’t find the bags. Turns out they had gone into the wrong Airbnb! With a hotel, we wouldn’t have had that issue. Thankfully, everything got all worked out, but wondering if my laptop was gone forever was NOT what I wanted to deal with on our hike.
Trying to figure out what to pack for the Cumbria Way? Check out our recommended Ultimate Hut to Hut Packing List!
Mileage Was Often Longer Than Advertised
The official mileage on the website is 15-12-15-15-15 for five days of hiking for a total of 72 miles. However, we clocked 17-12-18-16-16 for a total of ~79 miles. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things and we got wise to it early, but it’s a tough slog of a day to think you’re going to be done at mile 15 and then still have three more miles to walk. Especially with wet feet.
Book Accommodation Early
There are not a ton of options for accommodation in some of the smaller towns you’re walking through. If you don’t book early, you might have to haul camping gear for only one or two nights, which might not be worth the weight. Caldbeck and Greater Langdale were particularly tricky with only a couple of options. Ulverston was a little challenging but Keswick and Carlisle had a lot of options.
Check out the map below to see some options for accommodation in Lake District National Park!
Plan for Wet Feet
This trail is boggy, muddy, and has a ton of wet grass as you hike through farm fields. The number one challenge I had was walking in wet shoes and socks the entire time. By day 5, I had some gnarly blisters caused by wet socks rubbing.
There’s a couple of things I would have done differently. If you’re ok with hiking in boots, waterproof boots might be your best bet. However, there were times where the bog would have gone up and over the sides of boots. I prefer hiking in trail runners, so I wish I had either tried waterproof socks or had enough pairs of socks to switch halfway through the day. My best performing socks were my Darn Tough wool socks followed by my Smartwool socks.
Research Your Lunch Options Ahead of Time
While this trail goes through a decent amount of towns, there are days where it is quite rural and doesn’t go through anything. On our first day and third day, we packed lunch and we were very glad we did, because we wouldn’t have eaten otherwise.
Each of the towns other than Greater Langdale had a little shop to stop at and get provisions (though in Greater Langdale we would have been able to go to the camp shop). We usually packed a sandwich that had some meats and hard cheeses, including one we bought at Portobello Market in London, as well as chips and Cadbury’s chocolate for snacks.
The Recommended Itinerary is Recommended for a Reason
The official Cumbria Way website recommends a five day itinerary starting in Ulverston and going Greater Langdale – Keswick – Caldbeck – Carlisle. This is what we did and it was a good way to do a lot of walking. We basically walked eight hours a day every day except day 2. If you want to stay in towns instead of camping, it would be challenging to do fewer days than that, unless you went further off trail (and therefore walked more).
If you want to add in a rest day, I’d recommend doing it in Keswick. It was a nice sized town with a lot of options for food and accommodation. I would have loved to explore this area more. If you need any gear, this is a great place to get it as Keswick has over ten outdoor stores.
To check out our detailed itinerary with where to stay each day, mileage, and side quests, check out our guide to the Best Cumbria Way Itinerary!
Pack or Buy Poles
I highly recommend poles for this trail. Since the days are long and the trail is muddy and boggy, it was very helpful to have an extra point of contact. My pole stopped me from falling multiple times and I would have been significantly more miserable without them.
We do carry-on luggage only since it’s easier to manage on and off public transportation, so we couldn’t pack poles. We were able to buy them at Mountain Warehouse in Ulverston. We got lucky and it was only 13 pounds for each pole. We each bought one adjustable pole and then when I was getting tired at the end of the days, Peter gave me his pole for an extra boost. We donated them to a charity shop at the end of the trail.
If you are checking a bag, you can pack poles. These are the ones I use at home but I’ve heard really good things about REI Titanium poles as well. You’ll want to make sure it has a hand strap and is adjustable.
England Isn’t Flat
If you think this hike isn’t going to have a lot of elevation gain, think again. Every day had between 1k-3k elevation gain, with some seriously steep climbs on the back half of the hike. The trail has a few large mountain passes, including Stake and High Pike and they were not easy. Poles were extremely helpful here, mostly going down. Make sure to leave more time to get to your lodging on days with elevation gain because some of these miles are very slow going.
Overall the Cumbria Way was an amazing hike that I’d recommend to all hikers. It was a challenging, but amazing way to explore the Lake District.
Updated August 30, 2025