SILVA Dales Traverse™
Sunday 6th April 2025
A 55KM ULTRA FOLLOWING WAINWRIGHT’S COAST TO COAST ROUTE between Kirkby Stephen and Richmond
The SILVA Dales Traverse™ is a 55km ultra following Wainwright’s coast to coast route from Kirby Stephen to Richmond. The event has an adventurous ethos and culture of self-sufficiency.
Following the same route as SILVA Northern Traverse™, the Dales Traverse™ starts from Kirkby Stephen, passes through the North Pennines Area of Outstanding National Beauty, over the iconic Nine Standards, and into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park weaving through Swaledale to a stunning finish below Richmond Castle. This is an achievable and beautiful ultra and a great stepping stone for those aspiring to enter the SILVA Moors Traverse™ or SILVA Lakes Traverse™.
We want to make this the best ultra you have ever done! We can’t take credit for the route, this is down to Alfred Wainwright – but he got it right, which is why the coast to coast route is Britain’s most popular long distance path.
THE ROUTE
Tip: click/tap on "Learn more" then expand the map to get more route details.
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The race route is not marked but it is usually straightforward to following because it is a well established national hiking trail. Each year, more of the route is waymarked with official Coast to Coast signs.
We provide the following options to assist participants:
An official waterproof race map collected at registration.
A digital version of the race map via the Avenza app, which displays your location in realtime on the race route.
A downloadable GPX file of the race route to use with your preferred device (watch, phone) or mapping software.
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We recommend using the Avenza App which can be downloaded HERE.
Participants will be emailed prior to the event when the Avenza digital mapping is ready.
It is available free of charge to participants.
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The draft route dated 04/12/2023 is available to download HERE.
Please be aware that this is a provisional route and subject change. It does not entitled you to any special access and if you are recce’ing the route please ensure that observe The Countryside Code at all times.
A GPX file of the final version of the route will be emailed directly to participants about 10-days before the event.
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There will be discrepancies between the GPX download, the Outdoor Active and Avenza digital mapping and the information on this website.
The distance and height gain of the route change one year to next, because the route varies from one edition to the next, which is due landowner permissions and consultations.
The headline 55km is a slight over estimation of the route distance in 2024, but the estimate height gain of 1,400m is accurate.
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The route is mandatory and defined by Checkpoints and Support Points. Checkpoints are virtual (i.e. not manned) and help participant gauge their progress between Support Points and generate meaningful results.
We do have some generous cut-offs in place, and allowing extra time for ascent.
You must have left the respective Checkpoint or Support Point by the following time:
Nine Standards Checkpoint
Distance from start: 7km
Distance from Kirkby Stephen: 7km
Height gain since Kirkby Stephen: 488m
Cut Off: Sunday 11:30
Tan Hill Road Checkpoint
Distance from start: 18km
Distance from Nine Standards: 10km
Height gain since Nine Standards: 18m
Guidance time: Sunday 13:30
Ruin Checkpoint
Distance from start: 27km
Distance from Tan Hill Road: 9km
Height gain since Tan Hill: 490m
Guidance time: Sunday 15:00
Dales Bike Centre* (Reeth)
Distance from start: 37km
Distance from Ruin: 9km
Height gain since Ruin: 72m
Cut Off: Sunday 17:00
Richmond Finish
Distance from start: 53km
Distance from Dales Bike Centre: 16km
Height gain from Dales Bike Centre: 72m
Cut Off: Sunday 22:00
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We do have a generous cut-off in place.
You must have left Reeth Bike Shop by the following time:
Reeth Bike Shop (37km) – Sunday 17:00
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You must have reached the finish in Richmond by 22:00 on Sunday – this is the course closure time and anyone arriving after this time will finish ‘non-competitively’.
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It is only possible to retire at the Support Points.
In an emergency, our professional event Response Team will assist participants whilst they are on the course.
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The SILVA Dales Traverse is worth TWO ITRA points and THREE mountain points - find out more here.
Average terrain type
Where and when?
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SUNDAY
sfer arrives in Kirkby Stephen
08:15 - 09:30 – Registration open
09:45 – Briefing (startline)
10:00 – START
15:00 First finisher expected in Richmond
22:00 Course Closure Time
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Both registration and the start happen at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Sports Hall
Kirkby Stephen Grammar School, Christian Head, Kirkby Stephen CA17 4HA
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The finish location is at Richmond Town Football Club (HERE)
Richmond Town Football Club, Slee Gill, Richmond, DL10 4RH
Friends and family are welcome at this location to cheer finishers in. However, the marquee are small and therefore spectators are not allowed in these structures.
No is no parking at this location and all spectator parking, including collection of participants, must be done from the various (very close) public car parks.
Dales Bike Centre Support point
You can expect a warm welcome from our Event Team at the Dales Bike Centre Support Point. A combination of our professional staff and volunteers will be in attendance at this location. The Dales Bike Centre Cafe will be providing hot soup, cakes and hot drinks at this location and there will be an outside gazebo for participants to rest in. There is almost always a medic at this location to provide advice and emergency care. If you need to retire, this Support Point is the only place on the course where you can do this.
Impressions of the Dales Bike Centre Cafe ©The Dales Bike Centre
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There is almost always a medic at these locations to provide advice and emergency care. However, the medics may be called away to deal with an emergency and they will always triage participants based on clinical need.
Whilst the medics will endeavour to provide blister care at each Support Point this is not their priority and you should come to event ready to manage your own blisters in the first instance.
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Facilities: Indoor and outdoor covered space and toilets
Snacks: Limited, but yes
Drinks: Hot and cold
Hot meal: No
Soup: Yes TBC
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Facilities: Marquee space, toilets and showers
Finishers Bag: Yes
Sleeping: No
Snacks: Wide range of sweet and savoury food
Drinks: Hot and cold
Hot meal: A tasty and flavoursome vegetarian curry served with chips
Soup: Yorkshire vegetable soup
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Sorry, there are no provisions for sleeping at Start, Support Point or Finish locations for SILVA Dales Traverse™ participants.
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For all meals, there will be gluten-free and vegan alternatives available.
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Any allergies/intolerances you tell us about in your entry will be noted, but we are otherwise unable to give special dispensation for participants with personal dietary preferences that fall outside our menu, with the exception of being able to provide gluten free options.
We will of course do everything reasonably practicable to accommodate the requirements of the participants within the boundaries of the menu being offered.
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Sustainable food is a fundamental component of our sustainability strategy. It affects everyone because our staff, volunteers and participants rely on the food we provide to fuel them through our events.
We have served a meat and fish free menu to participants since our first event in 2012. Over the years, we have worked hard to develop the menus we provide for our participants, to ensure the meals are nutritionally balanced for their needs.
A meat and fish free menu is the cornerstone of reducing the environmental impact of our event catering, because livestock production takes up around 80% of the world’s agricultural land and is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
Our ‘Food Sustainability Policy’ (HERE) covers this in more detail.
Kit requirements
Please download the following clothing and equipment checklist. The items listed are mandatory and must be worn by the participants or carried at all times for the duration of the SILVA Dales Traverse™. Your kit will be checked at registration. If we determine that your kit is not sufficient, you will not be able to start.
DOWNLOADABLE CHECKLIST
The current Downloadable Checklist is version 2, dated 11/04/2024.
We know that kit and clothing requirements can be a bit confusing and we hope that the downloadable checklist will help you select and pack the correct clothing and equipment. We would recommend that you read our comprehensive guidance article on clothing and equipment.
Comprehensive Clothing and Equipment Guidance
Finishers Drop Bag
A ‘Finishers Drop Bag’ will be transported from the start to the finish for each runner. There will be no access to this Drop Bag during the race at any of the Support Points. The maximum weight of a Finishers Drop Bag is 5kg (they will be weighed!) and they can be dropped off during registration hours at Kirkby Stephen on Sunday morning (see timings above). This bag should be robust and waterproof to withstand handling and outside storage. At registration, we will attach a sticker to this bag so that we know it is yours.
Kit Recommendations
We are fortunate to work with a great brand, SILVA, and would like to recommend some of the excellent items they make that are well suited to the Dales Traverse™:
SILVA 6L Terra Dry Bag and SILVA 6L TPU-V Compression Dry Bag for your ‘spare synthetically insulated layer’ which must be packed in a waterproof bag.
SILVA Strive Mountain pack 17+3 or 23+3 for carrying all the mandatory kit comfortably whilst leaving room for any additional items.
SILVA Trail Runner Free 2 HYBRID headtorch combined with a spare SILVA Hybrid Battery 1.25 Ah and a SILVA Scout 3 as a spare headtorch.
SILVA EXPEDITION 4 or EXPEDITION compass. Your compass must be magnetic and full-size (i.e. not out of a Christmas cracker).
A common mistake we see at kit check is participants bringing a survival blanket rather than a survival bag. A survival bag is far superior in an emergency and is mandatory. We recommend the SOL survival bag available for purchase in our shop.
Whilst the built-in whistle on your rucksack or vest is acceptable we do recommend a purpose-made device such as the Lifesystems Whistle.
Finally, if you want to enjoy a warm drink at our Support Points, you’ll need to be carrying your own mug. We recommend the Lifeventure mug.
Exceptional Weather Kit
We are prescriptive about the clothing and equipment that we will mandate that participants carry in the event of exceptionally cold and/or wet, or hot weather. When notified, these additional items must be carried in addition to the standard mandatory kit, and are included on the downloadable checklist linked above. Please ensure that your vest pack or rucksack is large enough to fit everything in!
We will notify SILVA Dales Traverse participants 24 hours before registration whether they need to carry this kit with them.
Additional recommendations
Finally, we would like to share some further recommendations and insights, which we have seen participants successfully employ over the years. These items are not mandatory but might help you to critically appraise your clothing and equipment choices.
RECOMMENDED COLD WEATHER CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
Heavy-weight mountaineering-style waterproof jacket. Especially if you are likely to be walking rather than running.
Waterproof cap. Brilliant for keeping driving rain off your face - worn under the hood of your waterproof jacket.
Second waterproof jacket. Layering two lightweight waterproofs is an old trick that keeps you drier whilst adding warmth.
Winter underwear. Windproof and/or insulated underwear for staying comfortable in very cold conditions.
RECOMMENDED HOT WEATHER CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
Sunblock. Factor 50 and waterproof. We recommend the Lifesystems Sports Suncream
Long-Sleeve Top. A loose-fitting and lightweight long-sleeve top to keep the sun off your skin, and reduce sunburn risk.
Sunglasses. Helps reduce fatigue in bright conditions.
Headband. Salty sweat running into your eyes is seriously unpleasant.
Thin socks. In hot weather, your feet will swell, and swapping for thinner socks helps with comfort.
EVENT RULES
We are keen to keep these simple. If you have any questions about these rules please query them before the event rather than after you have broken them. It is the participant’s responsibility to understand and follow these rules:
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Participants must follow the >> universal event rules << applicable to all events organised by Ourea Events.
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• Retiring: if you retire, you must inform race control (the number is on the race map).
• Race numbers: participants must display one race number (supplied at registration) on their front at all times and a second race number (supplied at registration) must be attached to their rucksack. Race numbers can be obscured by waterproof clothing only. Race numbers must not be folded (or cut) to obscure any logos or information.
• Route safety: the route, within a corridor of 200m, is mandatory, but we understand that sometimes the safest course of action might be to deviate slightly from the prescribed route, such as at a river crossing. Please prioritise safety and then return to the route as soon as safely possible.
• Sleeping: strictly no sleeping inside any of the venue buildings.
• Headphones: participants must NOT wear headphones or listen to music on any road sections/crossings along the route.
• SOS button: the SOS button on participants’ GPS trackers is for true emergencies only (e.g. a life or limb threatening incident) – if it is pressed in order to alert us to a participant’s condition, then it will be assumed that the participant in question will not be able to continue with the event.
• Race briefing: the briefing given before the start is compulsory – a register will be taken and any participant not in attendance will not be allowed to start.
• Healthcare professionals: the event medics must maintain oversight of the health and wellbeing of everyone on the event and keep accurate records of all medical treatments. Therefore, unless it is an emergency situation, any healthcare professional alien to the event’s medical team that provides prescription-only medication (or any other significant medical intervention) to another participant will be disqualified from the event. The participant receiving the medication is also likely to be penalised for having accessed a service which is not available to all participants equally.
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• Participants may take advantage of certain facilities that are available to all participants – this means that you may make purchases from shops, hotels, pubs, bars, cafés (where they might occur on the route, and are open). The exception is that you may not purchase or negotiate for showers / accommodation / cleaning / laundry at any facility.
• Participants may not access any services that are not commercially available to all i.e. you cannot take any support from supporters, public, and stores by friendship, arrangement, bartering or coercion!
• Participants may not leave (or arrange to have left for them) equipment or food along the route.
• Participants are not allowed support runners. Any person attempting this will cause their officially entered associate(s) to be disqualified immediately and all the runners involved may receive life bans from Ourea Events Ltd. events.
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We encourage participants’ supporters, as long as they and the participants follow all of the event rules – i.e. they may not run with the participant, carry any equipment for them, or give them any food, drink, kit or other supplies.
Supporters must not enter Support Point buildings and facilities used exclusively by the event.