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Hi folks,
I'm off to the Lakes this weekend, mainly to do a big walk with mates on Saturday and then drink beer. We're camping at the national trust site in Langdale. On Sunday morning I'd like to do a ride before coming home - my first thought was to head to Grizedale forest but the website site says that it's only 10 miles long, so would be over a bit too quickly. I've no knowledge of mountain bike routes at all in the Lakes but I can read maps and navigate! I'll have another guy with me who is a mate but whom I've never ridden with before. We're too averagely fit blokes, me 41 years old, him 50 I think. So no going over Black Sail Pass or similar for us...but a leg-burner here or there is ok...
Looks like we'll have cracking weather!! 😀
Your suggestions will be gratefully received, with approx. mileage/timing ideally!
Biketreks do a wee map with some good rides marked up for you.
So they do, available on their website. Cheers for that.
Any other suggestions more than welcome.
I think we'll give Biketreks' Demo of Doom route a go. Thanks for the nod in the right direction nonk.
I did this one recently around that part of the Lakes after asking on here:
http://app.strava.com/activities/53445542
Not sure if you can grab the route from the strava link? Anyhow, it was a good 20 miler, 3 hrs or so. Start and finish at Grasmere but easily adapted to Ambleside.
Looked at that on strava, Garry, helluva sawtooth profile! I'll see what my mate thinks to that. Might be a bit much if we've had a few jars the night previously...
Head to Elterwater, up Red Bank on the road and down Loughrigg Terrace early before the hordes get there, spin round the back road to Ambleside and come and see us in Biketreks. From there we can point you over to Iron Keld and the Roller Coaster before heading towards the quarry at Elterwater and back towards the campsite.
I'd get out early if you can. The Terrace at midday can be a nightmare with walkers, same with Jenkins Crag.
I've done this - [url= http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1356827 ]Loughrigg - Iron Keld - High Tilberthwaite[/url] - a couple of times and it's great. Plenty of scope for variation too if you have a nose round on Google.
Don't rule out Grizedale - you don't have to touch the North Face trail to construct a brilliant loop lasting 2-3 hours or more on bridleways, and it might be handier for you than Ambleside, and certainly quieter than trying to plough down some of the bridleways around there.
The Loughrigg Iron Keld route mentioned above is great though if you don't mind the walkers.
Cheers for all that extra info. If we set off at 9am are we likely to meet lots of walkers? If so will probably go to grizedale and do as martin suggests.
It's a shame the walkers cant be made to stick to footpaths only!
Grizedale, have a look here:
http://www.ridethelakes.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=704
Follow the links to see where each bway is on a map and make your own loop linking the bridleways. You could do worse than link up the Riverbed, Parkamoor and then down Dad, Grandad and The Dentist.
I saw next to no walkers on that route up there, because it was pishing rain from start to finish 🙂 Love the Lakes - best riding destination in the UK IMHO - but it can be a real zoo when the sun's out. Can't move for pensioners brandishing trekking poles.
We did Loughrigg Terrace on the last bank holiday sunday (blazing sunshine) starting Elterwater 9am. Saw just one small group of walkers and got a totally clear run. Same again late afternoon on another day.
Any and all variations on the above suggestions are good. The 2 bridleways into / out of Grizedale at the north end of Coniston (Lawson Park and the other rockier one) are supposedly both shut for 6 months due to tree felling. However both seem to be getting ridden at weekends (and virtually no evidence of tree work).
That "sawtooth" strava ride plus all others in the area are all doable singlespeed 🙂
Lots of natural bridleways in Ambleside which are great fun! Grandad, dad and dentist into Breasty Haw descent (yes, you read that right) are my favourite. And there's also Hodge Close, Elterwater etc which are great. I'm a local and usually find places like the terrace get very busy on a sunny weekend whereas Grizedale still remains quietish off the beaten track!
OP I have got one of those maps somewhere, if I can find it did you want to borrow it?
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