Join us from July to November – enjoying little adventures and making Big memories

Half of all car journeys are under five miles — let’s re‑imagine them.

Businesses and community partners across Cumbria are offering prizes for you and your friends, family or work colleagues to create an inspiring, fun and inventive five-mile Cumbrian trip by bus, wheels, horse, on foot, or via waterways – think paddleboards, canoes, bicycle, e-bike or trike, pushchairs or any transport alternatives to the car you can come up with!
As well as making the people on your journey smile, can you also make the people you meet along the way smile too?
The more people who join in, the more people we can inspire and show that alternative travel choices to the car, can be affordable, great for the environment – and are SO much more fun.
Who can join in?
The 5 Miles With Smiles challenge is open to everyone – young, old, singles, couples, families, friend groups, residents or visitors. The journeys can be for leisure, work or visiting friends and family – or simply just to take part in the challenge.
How do I take part?
To enter, all you have to do is create a short reel to share on your social media account tagging @5MilesWithSmiles so we can see your entry and celebrate your journey!
Once you’ve published your reel, you’re in with a chance to win a prize (see prize information in FAQ’s) and potentially be awarded the ‘most creative journey’ award!
Don’t forget to describe your journey with your post. For example you could tell us
  • your most memorable highlight
  • where your journey started and ended
  • was it a circular or linear route?
  • the number of miles (5 miles or less is ideal, but you can enter a journey of any length as long as it connects to, or is within Cumbria)
  • what did it cost?
  • who were you sharing your experience with?
  • anything surprising?
  • And, importantly, what made you and others smile along the way?
Join us for the challenge wrap up at Kendal Mountain Festival on 22 November.

To celebrate everyone who takes part in the 5 Miles With Smiles challenge, we are hosting a celebration event at a basecamp stage at Kendal Mountain Festival. Awards and prizes will be presented alongside snippets of entries to enjoy and together, we’ll celebrate the stories of Cumbria’s most creative travellers and share them with a wider audience. Make sure 22 November is in your diary so you can join the fun. We’ll keep you posted with the exact location and time!

Terms and conditions 
  • Ensure everyone who features in your reel/image understands what it is for, what you are doing and that they give full permission.
  • Entrants must be 18 or over. Any children featuring in the reels/images must have the permission of their parent or guardian.
  • Ensure legal compliance with your chosen mode(s) of transport (for example – follow the highway code)
  • For incentives/rewards – terms and conditions may apply and will be communicated by email or printed on a voucher.
  • The prize draw will take place at Kendal Mountain Festival on 22 November and winners will be notified by email by 1 December.
  • The deadline for all entries is 1 November.
FAQ’s
I don’t have a social account – how can I join in?
If you’d like to join the fun but don’t do social media  – just pop an email to us with your journey description as above, and if possible, send us a clip or a few images of your trip.
Email: fivemileswithsmiles@gmail.com
When will this be happening?
The challenge will run from the start of the school holidays on 20 July to 1 November 2026. Please note that children can now travel by bus for FREE in August.
The challenge runs through September Catch the Bus Month and Car Free Day as well as Walk to School Month in October – so there’s lots of information and inspiration to help you!
You can complete it at your own pace and in your own way, just remember to tell us all about it by the 1st of November!
What are the prizes?

Each submission (reel or email) will be entered into the prize draw, winners will be announced at Kendal Mountain Festival. In addition a small judging panel will also award prizes for the most inspiring reels or images.

Prize draw incentives kindly donated by our partners:

Award prizes:

Journey Inspiration

Visit the 5 Miles With Smiles Instagram and Facebook pages.
Get lots of ideas and inspiration from the Travel Actively website.