Staveley Round

The route

Start at Staveley Mill Yard and make a 17.4km round of the low fells and valleys that surround the village, linking the Kent and Gowan valleys with bridleway, lane and fell track. It stays below the high tops, so the running is forgiving and mostly runnable, a route about linking quiet corners rather than bagging summits. It is an ideal medium-distance outing when you want a proper loop without committing to the big fells.

The country

Staveley sits at the mouth of two valleys, the Kent coming down from Kentmere and the Gowan from the Whinfell side, and this round makes the most of both. The ground is a patchwork of walled bridleway, old lanes and low fell, with the higher skyline of Kentmere and the Whinfell ridge as a backdrop. It is understated country, working farms and quiet tracks rather than dramatic crag, but it is genuinely pleasant running and blissfully free of crowds even when the honeypots are heaving.

Why it works

This is a route for a relaxed medium day from an excellent base. The surface is largely good bridleway and track, the climbing is modest, and the navigation is mostly straightforward with a little care at the higher junctions. It suits a steady run, a loop with company, or a first outing into the eastern fells. The lower ground holds mud after rain and the tracks can be rough in places, so it is not always fast. Staveley itself is the real draw at either end, with Wilf's Cafe, Hawkshead Brewery and the Mill Yard for before and after, which is exactly why so many runners base themselves here. It makes a smart shakedown loop before you take on the bigger Kentmere and Longsleddale days from the same start.