In need of some recommendations for some routes in the lakes, preferably loops and north lakes, we're both pretty experienced so nothing should be too difficult in terms of descents.
Harry
Coledale Horseshoe, up Stoneycroft and down the front of Grisedale. All cheeky so best done after 2pm.
http://www.pedalnorth.com/content/lake-district-mtb-routes
http://www.mountain-bike-cumbria.co.uk
http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue.aspx?VenueNumber=180
http://fattyres.co.uk/routes/bowderdale-classic
http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue.aspx?VenueNumber=137
http://www.bike-treks.co.uk/guides/
Torver > Broughton Moor > Stephenson Ground > Seathwaite > Walna Scar Road > Coniston > Pint 😀 > Torver
One of the Best rides ever!!
Decent into Seathwaite is brilliant and technical
Walna Scar Road down to Coniston is the fastest decents I have ever done OMG beware of cooking your breaks!
****ing Epic ride 8)
If your going to be based in the North Lakes there's some gems right out of Keswick, the borrowdale bash a classic nice & techy with a few cracking descents, the best is Castle Crag, have a look on youtube.
Ride out of Keswick along the old railways line, up to skiddaw house & a great loop there taking in Lonscale Fell, great bit of riding you'll really enjoy.
Then you've got Whinlatter trail centre 10 mins from keswick, two good loops North & South to play on, I usually do the Bash in the morning & whinlatter in the afternoon, you can go of piste & do Grisedale Pike atop of whinlatter south loop, check it out on youtube all good stuff.
Cheers
Mark
See also [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/lakes-advice-please-1 ]this[/url] thread...
I did the Walna Scar route out of the mag on Weds (basically the same as badllama's route but takes the second b/way right on the way back down WS. To be honest I was a little disappointed. It's always been billed as abig day out, but despite some truly foul weather, it only took me 2hrs 40mins. The majority of the descending is of the "point'n'shoot" variety (although I did enjoy the descent to Seathwaite and then from the turnoff on WS). 50mph gusting wind/heavy rain up on the way up Walna meant I got very little pedalling done there either.
Yesterday I did the Borrowdale Bash - much better day for it, with a few additions, which to be honest made the ride for me. Some cool cheeky stuff, plus pushing up to Styhead and then riding back down again which is an ace descent. Of the official BB stuff, the descent down to Rosthwaite was lovely, Castle Crag - less so. Just a wide open rubble mess - point and hang on, no real skill in line choice needed, just big forks.
That all sounds a bit negative, but the views when you get them are stunning, and I really did quite enjoy yesterday.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7608/16813474371_c6609c82f5_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7608/16813474371_c6609c82f5_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/16192220004_b579439e33_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/16192220004_b579439e33_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Other stuff I've done/plan to do, which are good if you like tech stuff:-
4 passes loop - Seatoller->Honister/Fleetwith -> Scarth Gap -> Blacksail Pass -> Styhead. Thats a proper big day out. Expect to spend a lot of time carrying.
3 passes loop - Langdale -> Rosset Pike -> Esk Hause -> Styhead -> Stake Pass back into Langdale. I also fancy a crack at riding down Rosset Gill, which looks like it might 75% doable on a good day and 99% death on a stick on anything else.
Various loops on Helvellyn. Sticks Pass and Dollywaggon/Grizedale, both towards Ullswater are the classic descents, but I fancy exploring some of the western stuff too.
Nan Bield both ways.
I'll answer for Harry as we were riding together.
We ended up doing the 4 passes going up from honister slate quarry, over and down warnscale, scarth gap, up and over to black sail hostel, up over black sail pass, up great gable then sty head to stockley bridge, then back to seatoller and back up to the quarry where we parked.
There was a LOT of hiking up hill, some good descents, by the end of it I was knackered, and we just caught the last half hour of daylight by the time the bikes were packed up. The weather held off which was a bonus, only one flat and luckily this time Harry brought a spare rear mech!
skiddaw, carlside, ullock pike.
save it until summer tho, wish i had.
Castle crag is a dull descent, no way is it the best descent on the BB. And anyone goes to the lakes and rides whinlatter needs sectioned. BB with all the cheeky additions is great, as is ullock pike. Four passes for the first time next weekend for me, canny wait.
Donkers.... please ignore my comments from above re castle crag & whinlatter or you'll need sectioning ! but next time your up at Honister just as you get there look right, few wrire strands of a old fence follow it to Dale Head & look out towards Keswick then follow the errr (path)heading right. making sure no park rangers about... & head down to Dale head Tarn & then round the small tarn & if you've got a OS map you'll see how to re join the BDBash down through old mine workings, spot on descent, I'd recommend knee pads.
.
Yorkycsl, is that the descent that hugs the road for a bit then veers down towards the woods just south of grange? We parked near the slate mine and did that on an earlier visit along with a push up and ride back down of rosthwaite watendlath. both a real blast downhill! Harry's done the Bb before but I havent.
Still new to lakes riding, so still plenty to find, only other one I've done is skiddaw via the steep scree. Didn't do ullock though, mistakenly took the route down Dodd wood hoping to find some loam but only found fire roads
Donkers
Doing the normal BDB takes you down castle crag to grange, but imagine being at the top before castle crag descent going over the flat wooden bridge aways back up, look left high up to the slate mine & way up above is Dale head tarn, from the tarn you can't miss what would be a right ball ache of a climb with a bike, a very steep winding decent from Dale Head, some times we do the bash & straight on up the road to Honister then do a cheeky right at the fence & just follow that, if you climb towards Honister then join the track running parallel to the road & go straight back down it re joins the bash heading towards Grange but for the climbing & short descent it's not worth it, do the push up to dale head instead, another option is up Honister to the mine past slate workings bearing slight left round fleetwith descend to buttermere, nice & very techy, then road back to Honister & turn left up the fence line to Dale head then right, down to the tarn & through the old slate mine to rejoin the bash, enjoy it, I do regularly.
JonEdwards
3 passes loop - Langdale -> Rosset Pike -> Esk Hause -> Styhead -> Stake Pass back into Langdale. I also fancy a crack at riding down Rosset Gill, which looks like it might 75% doable on a good day and 99% death on a stick on anything else.
We rode a similar route yesterday, Seathwaite upto Styhead Tarn, across to Angle Tarn, down Rosset Pike towards Mickleden then back up and over Stake Pass to Stonethwaite.
Probly 50/50 push/ride, still a good day out though. As for riding down Rosset Pike ... we got a few funny looks when we were sat at the top waiting to attempt the ride down, I'd say we rode about 65/70% of it, I'm sure its possible to ride more but some of it was way to sketchy looking for any one of us to attempt.
