Northern Traverse
- Total distance: 300 km
- Location: Rottington
- Race Date: 3 Apr 2027
- Finish rate: 75%
- Navigation: Partial Self-Navigation
- Nearest Station: St Bees (1.4 km)
- Aid Stations: 18
- Night Running: 41.9% in darkness
- Pacing Complexity: Moderate (46/100)
Northern Traverse
- Distance
- 300 km
- Total ascent
- 8,554 m
- Cut-off
- 102h
- Town/Village
- Rottington
- Date
- 3-7 April 2027
Overview
No overview text has been written for this race yet.
Quick Facts
- Entrance Cost: Unknown
- Organiser: Ultra X
- Start Town: Rottington
- Dogs Allowed: Unknown
- Start Date: 3 Apr 2027
- End Date: 7 Apr 2027
- Start Time: 12:00 PM
- Final Cut-off: 102h
Navigation
- Type: Partial Self-Navigation
- Closest Train Station: St Bees
- Distance from Start Line: 1.4 km
Eligibility
- Minimum Age: 18 years
- Gender Eligibility: All genders
- Minimum Entry Criteria: Unknown
Toilets
- Hand Washing Beyond Sanitiser: Unknown
- Period Products Provided: Unknown
- Female Only Toilets: Unknown
Family & Spectators
- Baby Changing at Start: Unknown
- Family Friendly Spectator Areas: Unknown
- Flexible Deferral or Cancellation: Unknown
Safety
- Marshalls at Isolated Areas: Unknown
- Safeguarding and Reporting Policy: Unknown
- Can Hide Location from Public Tracking: Unknown
Terrain & Elevation
The course covers a genuine mix of surfaces, with gravel (27%) and trail (26%) being the most common and neither clearly dominating. The terrain is highly fragmented, switching roughly every kilometre. This demands constant mental engagement and limits the ability to build a sustained rhythm from surface consistency alone. The longest unbroken stretch is 5.7 km of gravel. Ascending sections cover a varied mix of surfaces with no single type dominating the climbs. Downhills are spread across a mix of surfaces, with trail most common.
Northern Traverse has 69.3 km of gravel / track, this is in the top 1% of all our races.
- Gravel / Track27% · 69.3 km
- Trail / Path26% · 66.7 km
- Paved Road16% · 37.4 km
- Off-road / Unknown14% · 34.8 km
- Grass12% · 31.2 km
- Rocky5% · 13.7 km
Distance
290.5 km
Ascent
8554 m
Descent
8558 m
High Point
790 m
Source: GPX Data
Gradient
6.22%
Average climb gradient
Do you have experience of moderate climbs like Northern Traverse's, which average 6.22%?
Northern Traverse's climbs average 6.22%. If your training never rehearses sustained climbing at that gradient, race day will be the first time your legs meet it.
3.33%
Average descent gradient
Do you have experience of gentle descents like Northern Traverse's, which average 3.33%?
Northern Traverse's descents average 3.33%. If your training never rehearses sustained descending at that gradient, the downhills will empty your quads long before the finish.
Source: GPX Data
Climate
Pacing Complexity
Northern Traverse scores 46/100 for pacing complexity, rated moderate.
Similar-distance races score a median of 47/100 (5 races compared).
Northern Traverse's pacing demands are typical for races of this distance. The complexity pattern should feel familiar if you have raced at this distance before. The key driver is terrain type changes — worth building into long runs, but not a major departure from standard preparation at this distance.
Source: GPX Data
Aid Stations
Stations
You'll need to keep an average pace of between 1.6 km/h and 3.1 km/h between aid stations to make the cut offs.
Stations
| KM | Name | Gap from Prev | Cut-off | Water | Cold Food | Hot Food | Hot Drinks | Gels | Medic | WC | Bags | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.0 | Ennerdale | 24.0 km | 0h | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 47.0 | Rosthwaite | 23.0 km | 14h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 69.0 | Patterdale | 22.0 km | 21h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 77.0 | Kidsty Pike | 8.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 94.0 | Shap | 17.0 km | 29h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 125.0 | Kirkby Stephen | 31.0 km | 39h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 132.0 | Nine Standards | 7.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 142.0 | Tan Hill Road | 10.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 152.0 | Hard Level Gill | 10.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 162.0 | Dales Bike Centre | 10.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 178.0 | Richmond | 16.0 km | 62h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 200.0 | Danby Wiske | 22.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 227.0 | Lordstones | 27.0 km | 78h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 246.0 | The Lion Inn | 19.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 261.0 | Glaisdale | 15.0 km | 90h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 274.0 | Falling Foss | 13.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 285.0 | Hawsker | 11.0 km | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 290.0 | Robin Hood's Bay | 5.0 km | 102h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
None of the aid stations on this course are confirmed to offer vegan food, so vegan runners should plan to carry their own nutrition.
Source: Not recorded
Night Running
Northern Traverse starts at 12:00 local time, with sunset around 19:54. Based on the median finisher time of 82:07:14, a runner at that pace would finish around 22:07 — after dark, spending around 34h 22m (42% of their race) running in darkness and covering roughly 111.4 km of the course after sunset.
Shaded stretches are expected to be run in the dark
Are you ready for Northern Traverse?
Compare it to a race you've already run, or connect Strava and see the three biggest gaps between your training and what this course will ask of you.
