Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape.
The Crossing at the Dartmoor Big Day Out covers about 55 km of marked trail from Belstone in North Dartmoor to Ivybridge Rugby Club. You reach the highest ground after little more than eight kilometres and the lowest only at the finish line, so the preparation has to cover a hard opening and a long descent that arrives on tired legs.
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
As a point-to-point the course loses about 200 metres net, which does not make it a gift. The climbing starts straight out of Belstone: four ramps lift you from around 300 m to almost 600 m, and the last of them, just below the high point, is the steepest at nearly ten percent on average. From there the route drops steadily to about km 18 and stays restless towards halfway.
A low point around km 25 sets up the second block: a short steep ramp, a little over two kilometres of even climbing, then another ramp just past km 30. From about km 32 you stay on rolling ground between 400 and 450 m for more than ten kilometres, before the final section sheds over 300 metres down to Ivybridge.
The Crossing is a wilderness route through remote, exposed parts of Dartmoor, with Postbridge, Whiteworks, Eylesbarrow and Leftlake as its markers along the way. The course is marked and has been amended since 2022 under Dartmoor National Park directives. Two aid stations with food and refreshments plus two drinks stops supply you en route. The last 25 km are also the course of The Great Escape, which begins in Princetown.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 0.1 | 0.9 km | 5.9 % | 16.5 % | +55 m | — |
| km 2 | 0.9 km | 7.4 % | 15.8 % | +69 m | — |
| km 5.7 | 1.2 km | 6.4 % | 12.5 % | +76 m | — |
| km 7.6 | 0.6 km | 9.9 % | 16.5 % | +60 m | — |
| km 25.1 | 1.1 km | 7.1 % | 13.3 % | +75 m | — |
| km 27.1 | 2.4 km | 3.2 % | 4.7 % | +75 m | — |
| km 30.6 | 1.1 km | 5.5 % | 10.5 % | +59 m | — |
| km 39.8 | 1.2 km | 5 % | 9.6 % | +58 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape.
Start under control
About a third of all the climbing sits in the first eight kilometres, and you meet it on fresh legs, which is exactly why any pace feels too easy there. Take the ramps at an effort you could still hold five hours later, and walk the short pitches above 15 percent rather than forcing them.
Hold your rhythm
The day is decided between km 25 and the end of the high section at around km 45. No single climb in that stretch is hard on its own, but a long rolling passage follows with no real recovery in it, and that is where you find out whether you are still running. The published distances are approximate, so time your eating and drinking around the stops rather than the kilometre count.
Spend what is left
The trap is the downhill. Almost half the course falls, which looks friendly on paper. Let yourself run freely on the long descent to km 18, though, and you pay later, because your quads are needed for a finale in which the last four kilometres alone drop more than 200 metres into Ivybridge.
Training plan for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape: 12-week build
Build the base
Age-group runners should expect roughly six to nine hours. The effort is mostly steady and aerobic, broken up by many short ramps: apart from the ascent to the high point there is no long mountain here, but the climbs keep returning, most of them under 100 metres at a time. Endurance for a day this long therefore matters more than peak climbing strength.
Train race pace
The long run is the key session. Build it to around 35 km on trails and put the hills deliberately into the final third, so that you have felt the rolling stretch between km 32 and km 45 at least once: run, walk briefly, start running again when the legs would rather not. The switch between hiking and running on ramps deserves as much practice as pace itself.
Rehearse the course
The finale asks for strength going downhill. Add descents on purpose and place them at the end of long sessions, supported by lunges and step-downs for the quads. Descending only when fresh will not teach you what the last kilometres into Ivybridge do to tired muscles.
Arrive fresh
In late July you cross remote, exposed sections, and while the course markings take care of navigation, they do nothing for self-sufficiency between the four stops. Train with the kit you plan to carry on race day, and test food and drink on your longest runs until you can rely on them hours in.
Courses
Download the Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
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Everything about Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape.
How long is Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape is 55 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape have?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape has around 936 m of elevation gain over 55 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape is classified as Rolling, averaging 17.4 vertical metres per kilometre. 17% of the route is flat, 30% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 6% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape have?
The hardest climb of Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape starts at kilometre 5.7, runs for 1.2 km at an average of 6.4% and gains 76 metres. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape a loop course?
No, Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape is a point-to-point course: start and finish are in different places.
Is there a GPX file for the Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape course?
Yes. The Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape?
Preparation for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape should account for 55 km, 936 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape?
The pacing strategy for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape should reflect 55 km, 936 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape take place?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape takes place on July 31, 2027.
Where does Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape take place?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape takes place in Ivybridge, United Kingdom.
Which distances does Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape offer?
Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape offers 2 distances — The Crossing: 55 km; The Great Escape: 25 km.
How do I register for Dartmoor Big Day Out — The Crossing / Great Escape?
Registration runs through the organiser: outeredge-events.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
