Macmillan Way
402 km (250 miles), in England.
- Distance
- 401.8 km
- In miles
- 249.7 mi
- Day stages
- 20 at ~20 km
- Typical trip
- 15–20 days
- Countries
- England
- Listed summits within 2.5 km
- 0
- Managed by
- Macmillan Way Association
How long it really is
We measure Macmillan Way at 401.8 km (249.7 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point. The route is tagged in OpenStreetMap as 290 mi; where that differs from our figure, the difference is usually alternative sections, spurs, or a published distance that rounds.
This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 96 h 41 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.
Access rights along the way
The route stays within England, so one access regime applies along its length.
England
Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Conditional Wild camping: Permission needed — except on the Dartmoor commons.
A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.
The route in day stages
Macmillan Way cut into 20 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.
OpenStreetMap does not hold Macmillan Way as one continuous line, so the stages below run through the pieces in order of length and the joins between them are not walking distance. Treat the stage boundaries as approximate, and check the official route for the sections between them.
| Stage | Distance | Cumulative | Starts near | Ends near | Flat-ground time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.6 km | 20.6 km | SP 6425 5989 | SP 5223 5004 | 4 h 32 min |
| 2 | 20.6 km | 41.2 km | SP 5223 5004 | SP 3614 4640 | 4 h 32 min |
| 3 | 20.4 km | 61.7 km | SP 3614 4640 | SP 2925 3383 | 4 h 29 min |
| 4 | 20.1 km | 81.8 km | SP 2925 3383 | SP 1712 2343 | 4 h 25 min |
| 5 | 20.1 km | 101.9 km | SP 1712 2343 | SP 0516 1190 | 4 h 25 min |
| 6 | 20.6 km | 122.5 km | SP 0516 1190 | SO 9617 0024 | 4 h 32 min |
| 7 | 20.2 km | 142.7 km | SO 9617 0024 | ST 8410 8992 | 4 h 27 min |
| 8 | 20 km | 162.7 km | ST 8410 8992 | ST 8408 7488 | 4 h 24 min |
| 9 | 20.1 km | 182.8 km | ST 8408 7488 | ST 8041 5998 | 4 h 25 min |
| 10 | 20.2 km | 203 km | ST 8041 5998 | ST 7362 4719 | 4 h 27 min |
| 11 | 21.8 km | 224.8 km | ST 7362 4719 | ST 7032 3332 | 4 h 48 min |
| 12 | 20 km | 244.8 km | ST 7032 3332 | ST 6311 2481 | 4 h 24 min |
| 13 | 20 km | 264.9 km | ST 6311 2481 | ST 5952 1076 | 4 h 24 min |
| 14 | 20 km | 284.9 km | ST 5952 1076 | SY 5969 9516 | 4 h 24 min |
| 15 | 21.2 km | 306.1 km | SY 5969 9516 | TF 3602 3997 | 4 h 40 min |
| 16 | 20.7 km | 326.8 km | TF 3602 3997 | TF 2469 2783 | 4 h 33 min |
| 17 | 20.1 km | 346.9 km | TF 2469 2783 | TF 1122 1543 | 4 h 25 min |
| 18 | 20.3 km | 367.2 km | TF 1122 1543 | TF 0002 0406 | 4 h 28 min |
| 19 | 20.2 km | 387.4 km | TF 0002 0406 | SK 8612 0898 | 4 h 27 min |
| 20 | 6 km | 393.3 km | SK 8612 0898 | SP 0973 1624 | 1 h 19 min |
Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.
Conditions on the route
Weather at the route midpoint live
Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…
Forecast for the midpoint of the Macmillan Way, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Daylight at the midpoint today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 51.523, -2.246. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.
Plan this walk
- Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
- Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
- Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
- Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.
Other long-distance paths nearby
Sources for this route
- Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 1149730 — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
- Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
- Official route website: www.macmillanway.org
- Background reading: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.