I love hiking in the Lake District. But I’m generally a solo hiker, so when I signed up to do 3 x Marathon distance MacMillan Mighty Hikes this summer, I knew that the crowds would likely be as big a challenge for me as the distance.
I completed the Lake District one on Saturday 6th June. Here’s how it went.
Lake District Mighty Hike: By The Numbers
Distance
Total Ascent
Chip Time
Official Position
Solo Hiker Health Warning: This review is entirely written from the perspective of someone whose natural mountain habitat is total, blissful solitude. If you are used to navigating the fells with nothing but the wind for company, stepping onto a trail with thousands of charity hikers is a brilliant, emotional and occasionally jarring shock to the system. Here is the unfiltered truth…
So, let’s take a look at some discrepancies first.
My Garmin data picked out just under 26 miles with over 1000m of elevation. The advertising says just over 25 miles and 800m. I couldn’t tell you which is more accurate.
Here’s the stats from Strava (taken from my Garmin).
The Lake District MacMillan Mighty Hike Route
You can choose to sign up for a half or a full marathon distance. I opted for the full marathon and essentially you’re taking a stroll around Ullswater.
This is the route:
It’s a beautiful route, starting from Dalemain House and heading right around Ullswater.
MacMillan Mighty Hike Lake District – an Honest Review
I thought this was a remarkably well organised event. Despite the crowds, the start waves were organised well, parking was plentiful and the two pit stops, plus lunch and a hot meal at the end were all fab.
For me, the hardest part was dealing with the crowding early on. Naturally when you have a few hundred people setting off on a hike at the same time, it’s going to be crowded early on. I started in the 6:50 wave, which left right on time. For the first kilometre it proved difficult to find much space. But after that I was able to pick up the pace a bit.
After the first incline, I found I had plenty of space and for much of the rest of the route I saw only the odd hikers here and there. In other words, picking up the pace and getting out ahead meant I spent large chunks of the walk hiking solo.
Organisation was a solid 10/10 for me. And the choice of route similar as well.
It’s worth saying as well that Mighty Hikes provides your photos free of charge after the event as well! So you can look back, without charge and see how much your were regretting yout
Is the Lake District Mighty Hike difficult?
Well, that depends on your fitness level. I pulled all the finishing data and the average course finishing time this year (2026) was 10 hours and 25 minutes. So the full marathon is a long way for sure.
How difficult you find it will depend on your fitness, hill walking experience and even the weather.
I found it tough towards the end despite hiking a lot. But it’s also worth adding that I was power walking it which you do not have to do. The cut off time to be back at the start is 9:30pm so nobody has to rush this.
My desire to do so was down firstly to a desire to get out and get a bit more space and fewer crowds and secondly to test myself a bit.
The scenery was stunning which helped a lot. The route is well marked and sign posted, which again helped a lot when I got out ahead a bit and wasn’t able to simply follow groups in front.
But difficulty is subjective, of course.
What Food and Drink is Provided on the Mighty Hike?
There was coffee and light food in the tent in the morning before leaving.
- Pit Stop 1, just over 4 miles in, had water refills, fresh fruit and things like flap jack and cereal bars plus popcorn
- Lunch was just over 12 miles in and was the end point for the half marathon. There was again tea and coffee here, water refills and a range of cold sandwiches and salads
- Pit stop 2 was at around mile 17 and had water, fresh fruit, flapjack and chocolate!
- End point for the full marathon had hot drinks again plus hot meal options for finishers (fish and chips, burritos or meatballs and pasta).
Special dietary requirements were also catered for.
What’s the Course Average Time for the Lake District MacMillan Mighty Hike?
I crunched the numbers from the Results Base link and the 2026 course average time was 10 hours and 25 minutes.
There’s no rush though. I saw plenty of people enjoying a leisurely walk and it’s up to you if you want to push it for speed or not.
Do Finishers Get a Medal?
Yup. There’s a medal provided when you cross the finish line.
What’s Parking Like?
The start and end point for the Lake District hike is Dalemain House. I had no problem parking at all.
You finish the hike at the same place you started if you do the full marathon.
Half marathon-ers get a shuttle bus back to the start.
Would I do it again?
I mean, I’ve still got 2 more Mighty Hikes to go this summer (Peak District and Northumberland). So yes, I’d do another Mighty Hike. It’s an incredible fundraising activity for MacMillan, really well organised and I am (in a weird way) looking forward to the next one.
