How we grade routes
Every route gets two independent scores: one for how hard your body works, one for the ground underfoot. The overall grade is the higher of the two.
The five grades
Achievable for most active people. Short distance, gentle terrain.
Effort: Moderate distance, manageable climb
Underfoot: Some uneven or off-path ground
E2·T2 — how we grade routesA decent challenge. Some hill and rough ground but nothing extreme.
A proper mountain run. Good fitness and trail experience needed.
Effort: Long day out, serious climb
Underfoot: Technical, navigation required
E4·T4 — how we grade routesDemanding on every level. Substantial training and mountain skills required.
Effort: Ultra distance or major ascent
Underfoot: Exposed, scrambling or very rough
E5·T5 — how we grade routesTop-end physical and technical challenge. Not for the uninitiated.
Effort score (E1–E5)
Calculated from the GPX file — distance and total ascent. Never hand-entered.
Easy effort
Under 500m ascent, short distance. Fine for regular walkers stepping up to running.
Moderate effort
500–1,000m ascent or 15–25km. A solid day out for fit beginners.
Hard effort
1,000–1,800m ascent or 25–40km. Expect to work. Good base fitness needed.
Very hard effort
1,800–2,800m ascent or 40–60km. Serious training required. Not to be underestimated.
Expert effort
Over 2,800m ascent or 60km+. Ultra-distance or mountain day. Multi-year running background assumed.
Terrain score (T1–T5)
Set by our editors based on path quality, exposure, and navigation difficulty.
Easy terrain
Maintained paths, clear waymarking, no route-finding. Trail shoes or good trainers fine.
Moderate terrain
Mostly clear paths with some rough sections. Trail shoes recommended. Basic map reading helpful.
Hard terrain
Rough paths, open fellside, stream crossings. Trail shoes essential. Navigation skills needed.
Very hard terrain
Exposed ridgelines, scrambling sections, pathless ground. Mountain experience required. Full nav kit.
Expert terrain
Serious mountain ground, genuine exposure, technical scrambling. Only for experienced mountain runners.
Why two scales?
A short route can have serious terrain. A long route can have simple paths. Using just one number hides that.
Example: a 10km ridge run with exposed scrambling might be E2·T4 — not very far, but technical enough to demand mountain experience. A 50km route on clear forest paths might be E4·T2 — a big physical effort on straightforward ground.
The overall grade label uses max(E, T) — whichever is higher sets the grade. But both scores are shown so you can read the full picture.
Questions about a specific route's grade? Get in touch.