Lakeland Trails in Helvellyn
Breathtaking scenery along trails through ancient woodlands and surrounded by some of the highest and most dramatic fells in the Lake District National Park.
Starting and finishing on the shores of Ullswater in Glenridding, the 5k Helvellyn Sport Trail, 10k Helvellyn Trail Run, 15k Helvellyn Trail Race and 15k Helvellyn Trail Challenge follow circuits along well marked and marshalled footpaths and bridleways that take you into the foothills of Helvellyn, with elevated panoramic views of Ullswater, and dramatic vistas of Helvellyn and the surrounding peaks. Underfoot conditions are generally good for those used to off road running, but can be tricky in places.
Entry Options
Courses
5K
5K10K
10K15K
15KRace Day Information
PLEASE READ! Essential information about changes to parking arrangements for Saturday
If you are travelling by car, please note the route up Kirkstone Pass is closed from Troutbeck
Lakeland Trails Helvellyn – Shuttle Buses from Penrith
After several days of heavy rain and more forecast, we have taken the precaution of arranging complimentary shuttle buses to transport runners from Penrith for the 15k Trail Challenge and 15k Trail Race. There will be sufficient parking in the village for the 5k and 10k in the morning.
For parking in the morning please follow signs, follow the directions of our marshals, be patient and have cash ready for payment at King George V Playing Fields - the money goes direct to the facility.
If you are running in the afternoon and you drive to Glenridding, you will may struggle to find a space. The coach ride from Penrith is a lovely journey and you will arrive in good time, relaxed and ready for your event!
The Park & Ride will leave from outside Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Park Road, Penrith CA11 7EF using Reay’s coaches to get you to the venue at Glenridding. This is just off the main Ullswater Road which leads into Penrith from the motorway / A66. For a more precise location, follow THIS LINK.
Please first use the available public car parking in Penrith, or even use the train or public transport to get to Penrith Railway Station.
The first shuttles will give priority to the Challenge competitors. The journey to Glenridding will take 20-30 minutes, and we'll have a baggage storage facility available by the side of the main marquee.
There is a limited amount of Pay & Display car parking in Glenridding for those bringing families and spectators. Alternatively, there are scheduled bus services to Glenridding.
Please keep checking the event website for any last minute information and make sure you bring suitable clothing.
Coaches will leave Penrith at 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12pm and 12.30pm
Return coaches will leave Greenside Road in Glenridding (where you got dropped off), returning to Penrith from 3pm when full with the last coach leaving at 4.30pm.
Helvellyn - Race Day
Can you fill your car with someone from your local club or car share? We've set up a Facebook group to help arrange that. Join that HERE to save money and emissions.
Send us a photo / screenshot of your public transport ticket to the event, or a photo of your bike in the event ground HERE and we'll randomly choose someone for a FREE entry.
We won't be holding a Safety Briefing as all of the ESSENTIAL information is covered below.
Essential Information
Event Timetable
Frequently Asked Questions
Parking - Very Important
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Nearly all of our runners are kind, courteous and friendly and follow our instructions so venues look forward to us coming. It has been a HUGE challenge previously to secure parking because just a couple of people didn’t read the information about car parking and were abusive towards volunteers at the car park.
If this happens again, it will impact on everyone in future. Car parking will be CASH ONLY at King George V Fields and £5 per car (TBC). All money goes straight to the venue.
Camper vans, whatever the size, must be parked in the main pay and display car park in the village – no ifs, buts or maybes.
No exit before 1pm
Use the postcode CA11 0US (our event venue) to get you to Glenridding then follow our signs.
If our main carpark is full, we have a couple of overflow options in the village where payment may be different.
Registration
All Race Numbers must be collected from Registration in the main marquee on race day.
Registration opens at 9:00am on Saturday. You can collect your number up to 45 minutes before your allocated start time.
Start Lists won’t be on display in the marquee but are available above and we will confirm your number by email a couple of days before the event.
If you forget what your number is, you can check it on a tablet in Registration.
If you’ve got any questions about your entry, please go to the Enquiries desk on the right-hand side of the main marquee and a friendly face will help you.
There will be a baggage storage adjacent to the main marquee.
Please note there are no entries on the day and entries are not transferrable to another runner. Runners competing with someone else's number will be disqualified and will not be eligible for prizes or appear in the results.
We will also prevent them from taking part in future Lakeland Trails events, such is the safety risk if something were to happen to a person whose details we don’t have on our system.
Sustainable Travel
Public Transport
With bus prices capped at just £3 per journey, why not relax and take in the views along the route, save on the cost of parking and reduce your carbon footprint?
Glenridding is accessible from Penrith and Windermere on the Stagecoach 508 bus. You can find the latest timetable HERE.
Send us a photo of your public transport ticket for all or part of your journey and we'll award one lucky winner at each event with a FREE ENTRY to a future event. Email your photos HERE
Car Sharing
The environmental impact of travelling by car is much reduced if it's full so why not join up with your friends / running club members to travel together? If your car has 4 or more occupants, parking is FREE! There's always plenty to do in and around our venue and visiting local businesses helps support them too. Visit our Car Share group on Facebook HERE to start planning!
Start and Finish
Start
Saturday’s events set off from Jenkin’s Field with the awesome Boom Dang keeping you entertained on the start line.
Finish
The finish is under our INOV8 gantry. When you cross the finish line, it’s really important that your whole number is clearly visible – there are various events on the day, and failure to display your number fully will result in disqualification.
Once you’ve finished, you’ll go through the main marquee. If you've ordered a t-shirt it will be available to collect inside.
If you haven't ordered a t-shirt, please pass straight through the marquee. We have a selection of non event specific merchandise for sale in the marquee.
Results will be available in real-time via our website.
Event T-shirts
Event T-shirts can be ordered at any time up to 3 weeks before the event. You can add one to your entry online up until midnight on Sunday, 19th November so why not grab yourself a memento of what is sure to be a great day out!
If you have already ordered one, please check your account HERE to check that it's correct. The design this year is a fetching bergundy and can be viewed on our event mailouts and Facebook - it is sure to be popular! If you order one, you will collect your hard earned T-shirt immediately after crossing the finish line!
Event T-shirts
Unfortunately, the window for ordering an event specific Dirty Double T-shirt has closed.
If you have already ordered one, please check your account HERE to check that it's correct.
There will be a range of other Lakeland Trails merch available on the day to purchase as a memento.
Course information
All courses will be well marked and marshalled by our magnificent Lakeland Trails volunteers, all of whom work hard to make your run as enjoyable and safe as possible.
The courses have a variety of terrain, mainly beautiful, scenic trails with short sections of tarmac. Please stay alert near roads and keep to the right hand side on the short section near the finish on each day.
If you think the terrain is too tricky, it’s fine to slow down or walk! Some gates on the course may not be staffed so if you arrive at a closed gate, please close it after you – we want any livestock to stay in the right place. Please put any litter in your pocket until you reach a bin.
Please stay alert at the road crossing close to the finish. Our marshals don’t have authority to stop traffic, so please be prepared to slow down and wait if necessary.
For safety, in ear headphones are not allowed - but we do allow bone conductor headphones which enable peripheral sound to be heard.
Please also be considerate to other trail and road users. We share access with them and we rely on the goodwill of others to make our events possible.
VERY IMPORTANT: DOGS AREN’T ALLOWED ON THE COURSE
What to wear including Compulsory Kit
November can be cold and wet, also frost is not uncommon and there may even be some snow. On Saturday’s Helvellyn Trail you are advised, and may be required, to carry the following items: a hat, gloves, waterproof jacket and over-trousers or running tights.
We also recommend you wear suitable inov-8 trail running shoes.
Safety
Event Advanced Life Support Medics from Event Safety Group will be in attendance and our in-house Comms Team will provide radio coverage to the marshals and crew. The medics priority is medical emergencies and more severe injuries. With that in mind, they may not be able to help you with minor cuts and scrapes that you’d normally be able to sort out yourself.
If you are unable to finish your event and need to retire, you must report to the finish line or an event marshal and hand in your race number.
Please remember to treat fellow runners, members of the public, our volunteers and crew with respect. We want everyone to have an enjoyable day!
Event Village
Our partner, inov-8, will have their experts on hand to talk to you about their latest products, with Pete Bland Sports selling a wide range of inov-8 products and race essentials with great discounts on all inov-8 footwear and clothing – even their current season products.
There will be some great food and drink stalls including exciting offerings from our local caterers. Our regular caterers include Fiery Mammas Pizza and Mac N Cheese, with great coffees from The Coffee Bug and Podda and Wren Coffee. We sometimes have guest traders too! We use all small local businesses who sell locally sourced food.
Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team will also be on site.
A PA system with race commentary from our fantastic MC will keep you informed of progress of runners and give you a warm welcome as you cross the finish line!
Portable loos and a urinal unit are also on site.
Pete Lashley will also be playing in his usual slot when the racing is done!
New to Lakeland Trails?
If it's your first event and you want to find out more about how the event works or have any questions, please introduce yourself to one of our friendly marshals and we will be happy to make sure you get the information you need!
Exclusive Merchandise
We will have a fantastic selection of NEW merchandise available, including NEW sustainable 100% organic cotton hoodies & tees as well as Lakeland Trails' technical tees and NEW mugs. Check out our SHOP page for further information.
We'll also have some great deals on end of line products.
Children’s Fun Trails
All children Under 12 have the chance to run alongside, or maybe even in front of, Zeraffa the Giraffe and experience the buzz of racing. Entry is only available on the day and is free for competitors’ children. All the children are rewarded with a special finishers’ medal.
Please note: If the weather's bad, we might have to cancel this Race to avoid soaked children!
Après Trails Music and Prize Giving
The legendary singer / songwriter Pete Lashley will be performing live for an hour with Prize Giving following on afterwards. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow competitors, the organising and marshalling teams.
There will be a great range of Spot Prizes up for grabs. We’ll choose the winning numbers at random during our Prize Giving ceremony.
Event Photos
We will have James Kirby, our professional photographer on the course. FREE photos will be available to download from www.Facebook.com/lakelandtrails on the Monday after the event.
Prizes and Results
Results will appear LIVE on the Results page on our website.
Prizegiving is at 4.30pm and prizes are awarded as follows:
Trail Run 10k
Open Class: First 3 Men & First 3 Women
Veteran Classes: First Man & First Woman (V40, V50, V60, V70, V80)
Trail Race 15k (please note: runners in the 15k Challenge event are not eligible for a prize)
Open Class: First 3 Men & First 3 Women
Veteran Classes: First Man & First Woman (V40, V50, V60, V70, V80)
Please note that if a Vet finishes in the top 3, they will receive the corresponding Open Class prize. There is only one prize awarded per person.
V70 and V80 competitors in the 15k can compete in either the Race or Challenge to be eligible for a prize. In all other categories, prizes are only awarded for runners in the 'Race' start at 2pm.
Unfortunately we are unable to post prizes out.
Public Transport - Win a FREE entry
Why not relax and take in the stunning scenery along the route, save on the cost of parking and reduce your carbon footprint?
Glenridding is on the 508 Bus Route from Penrith - perfect to link up with the West Coast Mainline trains. The bus stopis only a few minute's walk from Jenkin's Field. You can find the latest timetable HERE
Send us a photo of your public transport ticket for all or part of your journey and we'll award one lucky winner at each event with a FREE ENTRY to a future event. Email your photos HERE before the Monday after the event.
Car Sharing
The environmental impact of travelling by car is much reduced if it's full so why not join up with your friends / running club members to travel together? There's always plenty to do in and around our venue and visiting local businesses helps support them too. Visit our Car Share group on Facebook HERE to start planning!
Ready to Run?
Lakeland Trails in Helvellyn - Saturday 31 October 2026