The Abraham's Tea Round (or George Fisher Tea Round), is a 30 mile (50km) route with 12,000ft (3600m) of climbing that encompasses 10 mountains within the Lake District. The route starts and finishes in Keswick, the route starts and finishes in Keswick, and visits Catbells, Robinson, High Stile, Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Eel Crag, Sail, Causey Pike, Rowling End and Barrow. The route was devised by the Abraham Cafe in Keswick as it was all of the peaks you could see from the Cafe window.

Attempt 1 - Summer 2020

Preparation

Originally, my first ultra was going to be Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 50km, which is similar in climb and distance to the Tea Round. Unfortunately, due to Covid Lockdown, the event was postponed. With a bit of training already under the belt, I decided to find an alternative. I then read online about the Tea Round and decided that it would be a good target to do in replacement, with the idea of a support stop in Buttermere.

I was very apprehensive about the whole run, with it being my first ultra and I was under the impression that I was going out for 10 hours alone in the mountains. I had done some running in the hills over lockdowns so was a bit used to it, but usually with a few friends. It would also be my first time in the Lake District, so I did not know apart from watching videos or reading what it would be like.

Preparation was key leading up to it, coming from a road cycling background and only switching to running in the hills as my main sport in late 2019, I had to let my body accustom to the intensity of it. I aimed to do a long run on my local training hills, the Long Mynd, every two weeks doing around 20km with 1000m of climbing, I was always wiped out after these sessions in the winter, and also did a few local races including the Long Mynd Valleys. Then, as lockdown came into effect I was restricted on where I could go, but did have more time to train with free time. I did manage a few mountain running days with a small group when the restrictions allowed, which was quite scary at times moving into more technical terrain. The longest route, over the Rhinogs, was probably one of my longest runs at 15 miles, which was an eye opener.

The run

I decided to start early, so I got dropped off at around 6am, where I quickly started the jog along the Cumbria Way towards Catbells, my first summit. The first 4km was solo but then I bumped into two other runners from Lonsdale Fell Runners, who I asked if I could tag along, and we spent the rest of the day together. The fact I was with other people made me feel a lot less pressured and we soon made a steady climb up over Catbells and then Robinson, where after they shown me a shortcut that was technically trespassing but seems to be the known line and accepted (hopefully) by the farmer.

We then made our way past Gatesgarth up to High Stile, boy was this climb steep. We made slow steady progress, stopping every now and then due to the sheer gradient. Reaching the top felt good, and then you run across to Red Pike, and then make your way down to Buttermere. One issue I have had with the descent into Buttermere on both attempts, is there is stone steps towards the end which are extremely slippery, and awful in Mudclaws. In retrospect, I would opt for a trail-like shoe just for this section, and accept I may struggle on steep grassy descents.

In Buttermere, we had a quick break, and Mum met with me for support, and then it was back to it. The climb up to Grisedale Pike and Hopegill Head is long, but not too steep. This section is very undulating in general, and with a few big climbs already in the legs it is where you start to really get tired. A highlight of this section is Eel Crag, where I was a bit nervous about the technical scramble, but once I got to doing it actually enjoyed it.

It was then a long, flowing descent to Rowling's End, we did stop occassionally and I remember my legs aching a great deal every time we did. It was then a rough bracken bash from Rowling's End to Barrow, which was pretty tough going, and then a good descent followed by a long run in back to Keswick.

Overall it was a fantastic day in the hills, and I am glad I had company to do the run with, of which Ken I met a few years later and caught up with at the Lee Mills Relay. On this attempt I believe we did around 12 hours and 24 minutes. The weather played ball too, with only being a slight bit cold at the end.

Attempt 2 - Summer 2021

With my first 50 mile done back in early 2021 being the alternative Long Mynd Hike (blog post in the future!) route set out by Tim Parker (known locally as Dr. Tim), and the delayed UTS 50 coming up in September, I decided to give the Tea Round another go, seeing if I could improve upon my first time.

For this attempt, I decided to go clockwise again, just for familiarity's sake. Preparation had been a bit different this time, being a bit more relaxed as I was more confident, and deciding not to have support this time around.

I started again at the break of light, making a steady jog across the Cumbria Way, where I saw a ginger guy walking towards Keswick. He would later go on to overtake me, where I found out he was also doing Lakes in a Day that October, and I bumped into him again. He was strong in both routes.

The weather was more challenging this time, with it being claggy on the tops and quite windy. I also felt I had to be more tactical with water stops, finding taps and streams to fill up from. The challenge eventually did step up as I had to be careful with navigation on High Stile, where I took a compass bearing as one side of the summit is a long drop and the other is a plateau where you could easily get lost.

I made steady progress, but did not look after myself, a mistake I have made many times in my first few ultras where I was left to my own devices. I struggled greatly on the second half, opting for a longer but safer line around Eel Crag as it looked ominous in the clag and wind. This section I also had great stomach problems, again, a recurring theme that I am working hard to fix in my long distance running.

I felt a slight lift on after seeing a support crew at the base of Barrow, the idea that I have done my first solo unsupported ultra distance made me feel more satisfied, as I hobbled back to Keswick, also knocking over an hour off the last time! I really recommend having a go at a solo, unsupported long distance run, it adds a deal of complexity but I feel it is quite empowering.

Summary

I highly recommend the Tea Round, a 10/10 from me for both experiences. Looking at the completion log it is a very popular challenge so it is likely you will see people attempting it enroute. It is also good you can do it the way you want to, and there is no time pressure.

I hope one done to have another go, and see if I can get a faster time. Who knows, maybe I'll even go counterclockwise.