The route
Next edition23-25 July 2027
A loop through the Lake District fells, where the high point doesn't come until three-quarters in: 6,053 m of vertical gain over 167 km.
Drawn with a pen, line by line
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Indicative figures computed by Plotrek on its illustrative route, with altitudes from a terrain model. They may differ from the organiser's.
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On this loop, the climbing adds up without ever being dominated by one peak: it's the endless ups and downs of the fells that make the difficulty, more than any single summit. It's at 6 pm that the John Ruskin School, in Coniston, gives the start.
The route crosses Boot, then Buttermere, on public paths and technical terrain, before passing Dockray and Pooley Bridge, near the lakes of the Lake District.
The route's high point doesn't come until late, three-quarters of the way through, before the route drops toward Kentmere then Ambleside.
The finish is back in Coniston. Runners are allowed 40 hours.
Paths and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Altitudes measured on the route.
03 · Your poster
The relief of the course, a loop from Coniston, takes shape as contour lines: our pen plotter draws it with a pen, line by line. Your finisher name and time go in the title block, in A4, A3 or A2.
Shipped from our workshop in Le Bouscat
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Updated Route and text: Plotrek workshop (Fabrice Jolivet)
The organiser announces 161 km and 6,300 m of elevation gain for the 2024 edition. Plotrek's illustrative route, redrawn on OpenStreetMap paths, measures 167 km and 6,053 m of gain. It is a loop, with Coniston as start and finish, Dockray at km 79.8 and Kentmere at km 130.5.
40 hours for the 2024 edition, according to the organiser's website, read on 17 September 2026. That is the time allowed to cover the announced 161 km. Start: Coniston, at 6 pm. The time limit can change from one edition to the next; the organiser's rules prevail.
The highest point of Plotrek's route is at 666 m, at km 110.4. The high point lies between two landmarks of the course: Pooley Bridge (147 m, km 97.6) and Kentmere (190 m, km 130.5). The start and finish are both at 53 m. Altitudes measured on the route, with a terrain model.
513 m of elevation gain in one go, from km 105.8 to km 110.4 of Plotrek's route. No other climb on the 167 km loop is as long. Average gradient of this section: 11.2%. It accounts for 8% of the route's elevation gain. Altitudes measured on the route, with a terrain model.
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