The night route book
From the night the clocks go back until the light evenings of spring, we run the fells by headtorch. Every route in this book has been run after dark on club nights. Filter by how far and how much climb you dare, study the profile before the shadows do, and take the GPX with you.
5 routes 74.0 km documented 2,076 m of recorded climb
Showing 1 of 5 routes
Starts at Rothay Park gates, Ambleside
The club's gentle night out: along the River Rothay, around the Under Loughrigg lane and back over the stone footbridge, with lights flickering on the water the whole way. Barely a climb worth naming, though the two short rises past Fox How will still make you jump. Runnable end to end in road shoes, and the route we use for the All Hallows' Run.
Starts at White Moss car park, between Rydal and Grasmere
A proper little circuit with one honest pull up to Loughrigg's summit cairn, then the terrace path with the lights of Grasmere laid out below. The drop past Rydal Cave is steep and loose, and the cave has a habit of echoing back footsteps that are not yours. Trail shoes and a strong headtorch after rain.
Starts at Market Cross, Ambleside
Up the stone steps out of town and onto Wansfell Pike the direct way — half an hour of proper climbing in the dark — then over the top and down through Troutbeck's lanes and Skelghyll Woods, where the owls are louder than the runners. On a clear night the moon lays a silver road down the length of Windermere.
Starts at Rydal Road bridge, Ambleside
The classic horseshoe over eight named tops: up by Nab Scar and Heron Pike, along the ridge to Fairfield's broad summit plateau, then back over Hart Crag, Dove Crag and the Pikes. After dark it is easy to lose your head for navigation — the plateau is featureless in mist. Full fell kit, a spare torch and a running partner, no exceptions.
Starts at Elterwater village green
Our long steady one: valley tracks and bridleways linking Elterwater, Great Langdale, Little Langdale and Skelwith. Nothing steep and nowhere technical — just honest distance, with the Langdale Pikes looming black against the stars the whole way round. Two sensible exit points if the night stops being fun.
Nothing lurking down that path.
No routes match those filters. Widen one, or ask the keeper of the route book for a suggestion at routes@hollowfellnight.example.
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The club
We are forty-odd runners who think the fells are at their best by moonlight. The club has kept a route book since 1978, written up by lantern after every All Hallows' Run; this is the same book, typed up, measured properly and shared. Visitors are welcome to borrow a route or join a night run — bring a headtorch, and a spare.
Market Cross, Ambleside — We gather ten minutes before each run for a headtorch check. No light, no run.
Before you ask
No. The whole book is public and every route follows public rights of way or open access land. If you enjoy them, come along to a club night — your first three runs with us are free, and we will lend you a headtorch for the first one.
For the riverside and valley routes, 200 lumens is plenty. Anything graded Moderate or Hard wants 400 lumens or more and a spare battery or second torch — the fells are far darker than town, and mist swallows light.
Waterproof top and bottoms, hat, gloves, map, compass, whistle, food and a fully charged headtorch plus a spare. On the Headless Horseshoe we also ask you to run in pairs — nobody crosses Fairfield's plateau alone after dark.
Optional, but encouraged. Capes and masks are out on safety grounds, so expect glow-in-the-dark skeleton tops and pumpkin hats instead. We run the gentle Will-o'-the-Wisp Loop, so nobody needs to be quick — just home before the witching hour.
Tuesdays at 18:30 for lantern hill reps and Fridays at 19:00 for the moonlit long run, both from the Market Cross in Ambleside. No need to book — just turn up ten minutes early with your torch charged.