This incredible linear journey through the western Lake District follows the skyline from the fells between Ennerdale and Wasdale over to Black Coombe, passing over Scafell Pike and Hardknott Pass, whilst linking together a mixture of higher and smaller fells along the way. This ultra run has slipped under my radar until recently and coming away with a new record was a bonus. This spectacular high-level, 45-mile ultra running challenge is certainly one to add to 'the list' and even better that it is linked together with public transport.
The Concept of the Lakes Sea to Summits Ultra Run
Originally conceived as a celebration of a significant milestone, the Lakes Sea to Summits route embodies the spirit of adventure and exploration. The idea was to undertake a solo, unsupported run, taking the early train from Silecroft to St Bees. The goal was simple yet ambitious: to conquer ten Marilyn summits and return to Silecroft before darkness fell (depending on the time of year. On my successful attempt on 10th October 2024, I had just enough daylight and the weather during the day was perfect, with cool temperatures (ice on the highest of fells) and warm autumn sunshine all day.
What are Marilyns?
For those unfamiliar, Marilyns are hills or mountains that rise at least 150 meters above their surrounding terrain. This designation ensures that the climbs along the Lakes Sea to Summits route are not only challenging but also rewarding, providing a true sense of accomplishment upon reaching each peak. Just a heads up, but treat Scafell like Fairfield on the Bob Graham, It's a cheeky 'out and back'.
What is The Lakes Sea to Summits?
The idea of the route is essentially a coast to coast, station to station (St Bees to Silecroft) sea and summits traverse of the high skyline of the Western Lakes, including a mixture of some of its best known areas like Scafell Pike, Pillar, Great Gable, combined with some of it's remotest including Whitfell, Ulpha Fell and Black Coombe.
The Route and Terrain
The Lakes Sea to Summits ultra run traverse spans nearly 45 miles and includes an impressive 4,500 meters of ascent, making it a true test of endurance and determination. The journey begins at St Bees train station and concludes at Silecroft train station and hopefully, you don't encounter any train cancellations like I did, although it was all worth it as on the return journey there was a spectacular Aurora Borealis display.
The route follows a demanding series of ascents over iconic peaks such as Pillar, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Scafell Pike, and Scafell. The rugged paths of these majestic mountains gradually transition into wild, trackless terrain, leading you back to the coast at Black Combe. Here, the views of the sea merging with the sky create a breathtaking backdrop, rewarding your hard work with stunning scenery.
My Experience
I'll start with who inspired me to run this fantastic route. For years I have been using GOFAR as a resource to my ultra running challenges and it has inspired me to get to some incredible places in the mountains of the United Kingdom, from the technical moutains and terrain on Isle of Skye, including rounds like The Cuillin Round and Trans Cuillin to linear journeys through Wales like The Snowdonia Skyline and The Dragons Back, along with some spectacular journeys in The Lake District, including The Bob Graham and The Cumbrian Traverse. In late August this year, Ben Mcgovn had a successful solo/ unsupported attempt and broke the previous record and lowered the record down to 12 hours and 24 minutes. It looked like a great day out, along with using the day for training for something bigger later in the month,
I had been waiting for a perfect day to have an attempt and after a little shuffling around of things, I managed to free up the Thursday to have a go. It was forecasted blue skies all day, with cold temperatures on the summits and winds reducing as the day progressed, a perfect autumn day some would say.
So my alarm that morning went off at 5am and after a quick coffee and some toast, I was out the door driving the hour or so to St Bees, frantically trying to find somewhere to park the van to start at 7am.
The time was 07:11am and I was off, it was cold and with a frost on the ground I kept my INOV8 stormshell on and it remained on for most of the day. The first 12/15km shares some of the Coast to Coast as it passes the village of Cleaton towards the Wainwright Outlier Dent, The first Marilyn of the day, also known as 'Long Barrow'. The view looking towards the Western Fell's of the Lake District with the early morning sunshine was enticing and I couldn't wait for what lay ahead. From the summit of Dent, you pick up the grassy ridges of the Ennerdale ridge, passing the summits of Whoap, Caw Fell and onto the rocky summit of Haycock, where you can appreciate the ultra-running journey that lay ahead.
From the summit of Haycock, you pick up what would be known as the Bob Graham route and follow this over the iconic summits of Pillar, Kirk Fell and Great Gable, where you descend to Styhead to pick up the corridor route to the rocky summit of Scafell Pike, where it was very evident it was below freezing as all the rocks were frozen and covered with rime ice, turning it all white. A quick dash from the summit at 12:22pm and over the rocky terrain of Scafell Pike towards the entrance to Scafell via Foxes Tarn, which is stated that you must go via this to the summit of Scafell. This part of the challenge is very comparable to 'Fairfield' on the Bob Graham, it's a big out and back, but being the 6th Marilyn, it certainly feels like you have broken the back of the ultra running challenge.
From the base of Foxes Tarn, you make you way into the base of Great Moss, which is one of my favourite areas, its the feel of remoteness you have, along with many towering peaks surrounding this beautiful area. The 7th Marilyn summit Hard Knott isn't too far away, however if you've managed to keep your feet dry up to this point, you certainly won't after this section as you cross over a series of rivers and lots of boggy terrain. It was around 2pm when I reached the summit of Hardknott and with a short descent to the summit of Hardknott pass, I took a few minutes to get some food back in me and work out the remainder of the route that lay ahead.
A few short minutes had passed and off I was towards the summit of Harter Fell, I have always loved this Wainwright summit, the views from the top are spectacular and you get a real sense of where you've come from and how much is left to the final Marilyn, Black Coombe. On the way off the summit, I spotted a better line, which would cut the corner, therefore decreasing the distance, although it did mean wading through some bog, I felt the risk was worth it. Cutting the boggy ground beneath the Wainwright summit of Green Crag wasn't bad at all and I was soon at the road between Dunnerdale and Eskdale, after some more remote rugged terrain.
I knew the final bit of the ultra running journey was mostly new terrain for me and I was excited to explore some of the ground. After a rough climb to contour around the summit of Hesk Fell, I run/ power hiked my way through the rough ground to the Wainwright Outlier of Whitfell, where the views were again amazing, especially as the sun was starting to get even lower in the sky. I was surprised at how good the running was between here and the Corney Fell road, it was really enjoyable and listening to the Cumbrian Farmer rounding his sheep up with the sun's reflection on the Irish Sea was something else.
The final part of the ultra running journey lay ahead, all I had to do was get to the summit of Black Coombe and make my way to the train station at Silecroft. The early part of this wasn't quite as runnable as I had hoped and it had been some time since I last filled up my water since there weren't many streams on this section.
The area I had hoped to fill up with some water was VERY BOGGY, to the point that I was quite concerned about falling in and POSSIBLY NOT ESCAPING. It was the kind of bog where you stand on it, sink to your knees, and all feels very bouncy.
After passing this death trap of a bog, I made my way to the ridge of Black Coombe chasing the sun as it began to set into the sea, it's always incredibly rewarding getting to the final summit of a big day, it's the great sense of achievement of getting there and I was even more made up that I was up by quite some way by the time I had set myself. My aim had to try and do it under 12 hours, but looking at my watch on the summit, this soon shifted to see if I could get under 11.5 hours. On the descent of Black Coombe, I could feel myself beginning to bonk a little, so I smashed in every bit of food I had left and ran as quick as I could to the train station, finishing in a new record time of 11 hours 22 minutes, which I was happy with, considering it was only a training run for something bigger later in the month.
Thankfully there was a pub next to the train station in Silecroft, so I quickly retreated to the bar and ordered a pint of Coke to help quench the thirst I had for some time. I had been thinking about this moment for some hours and the wait was very much worth it. Kay, (my fiance) soon came to the rescue as the return train was cancelled due to a 'faulty traffic signal', this worked out in our favour as the Northern Lights show we had on the way back to pick up my van from St Bees was incredible. A perfect day with so many good memories! Hopefully, this inspires some others to give this great route a go in the future.
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