[Closed] Lakes Riders: plz critique this Coniston loop.

Your kinda missing a lot of stuff towards hodge close and ironkeld imho

Pretty standard Tour of Coniston. Hardly any tech - just the drop to Nibthwaite really.

Couple of suggestions - when you get to the car park at the foot of Walna Scar, turn left, follow that round Crowberry Haws and pick up the FP which descends alongside Church Beck towards Coniston. You can leave it at the miner's bridge and pick up the track to Tilberthwaite.

In Grizedale, rather than slog all the way from High Cross to the Parkamoor turnoff, pick up a BW descent all the way down to the VC (called Bacon Slicer on Strava). The first bit of the North Face trail will take you back up to the Parkamoor turn.

Oh, and when you cross Woodland Fell, I don't turn off the BW on the descent, stay on the main BW all the way down to the farm at Green Fell, through the woods then back to rejoin the BW as it climbs over the Knott. Better IMO, drier too.

I'd second Martin Hutches suggested detours. Also bear in mind the climb up from Tilberthwaite farm is being flattened/resurfaced at the moment so may have sections of deep soft shale to climb (it was just starting this week). Also the Parkamoor descent to Nibthwaite is getting the flattening treatment at the moment too, so may be less techy than expected.

Also the Parkamoor descent to Nibthwaite is getting the flattening treatment at the moment too

WTF?

What are they doing to it? This is starting to get beyond ridiculous.

Add as many footpaths as possible its WAR!!!!

I'm just hoping this just means they're doing some work to drain and fill the trenches of water that build up lower down on it. Please...surely they can't be messing with the bedrock sections?

Not sure you're gaining much climbing up past Tranearth onto Walna Scar, just to descend the road again to Coniston. The footpath to Church Beck mentioned is an option, or spin along the pleasant cycle path from Torver, through the NT campsite and along the lake side.

Other suggestions would be following the bridleway parallel to the road on the other side of the beck at Tilberthwaite (through past Holme Ground) to Hodge Close. Once off the Monks road behind Tarn Hows, pedal the road to the parking for Tarn Hows and descend through the woods to the top of Coniston Water, then climb up the bridleway past Lawson Park to reach the Parkamoor descent.

The Coopermines descent is well worth the detour!

I like the Tranearth climb - it's a decent challenge to clean without being desperately hard anywhere. You do get the most boring bit of Walna Scar to descend afterwards, though, and heading down the road to Coniston makes it even more unsatisfying.

I'd bin the top part of the loop around tilberthwaite and Hodge close and Do Walna and Seathwaite instead. From Torver head over to Stephenson ground and either go up the Likkle valley and join walna at the quarries or drop into Seathwatie and do the full Walna back.

Its nice round Tilberthwaite and Tarn Hows, but doesnt compare to walna in my opinion.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1141582004

Also the Parkamoor descent to Nibthwaite is getting the flattening treatment at the moment too, so may be less techy than expected.

I don't ride in the Lakes loads but I bloody hope not!

Tranearth Climb then do the Coopermines descent you miss the very dull way back to Coniston.

Seathwaite/WS is a cracking ride, not sure how fast and flowy it is though!

Basically in that area you can add as much/little tech as you want. If the return via Oxen Fell/Knipe Fold is a bit boring for the OP, he can always ride into Tilberthwaite, then double back via Hole Rake towards Coppermines again, then up into Grizedale via Lawson Park.

Last time I went over into Little Langdale and Elterwater then back via Iron Keld, and that at least gives the OP the chance to ride what's left of the LL descent before it's gone.

If Nibthhwaite is flattened now, just take Golden Shower / Supanoodle or Viking from Parkamoor down to Coniston water. Bit of road work to the bottom of the lake but all three great descents.

Regarding the repair to the Parkamoor descent to Nibthwaite, it appears to be the farmer, not Fix the Fells (or similar) that is quite reasonably doing some repairs to help him access his land. I'll update if anything dramatic happens but at the moment it doesn't look anything like as extensive as the Tilberthwaite high road works. So keep the pitchforks in the shed for now, or take them to the three rivers descent 😉

@lowey the OP said

The aim is for fast and flowy rather than tech heavy, although I don’t mind a bit of tech

Perhaps the Enduro shoot down to Coniston is not quite what is desired!

As for Parkamoor, drainage improvements would be welcome and the only alternative transport improvement I see is installing lock gates.

I'd do like a bit of Wanna Scar. It has an old school feel about it and that climb from Seathwaite is a beaut if you don't dab. Not the greatest descents but it is a good pub ride 😎

Ok so, red Lion, Wilson's, church house, sun inn, black bull, crown, yewdale, drunken duck.

Yeah, that sounds ok

and that climb from Seathwaite is a beaut if you don’t dab.

Now you're just showing off.

and that climb from Seathwaite is a beaut if you don’t dab.

Not many. Fair play tomaso.. I wouldnt be able to clean that in my wildest dreams.

The worst bit is the bottom grassy stuff and up through the gate. I have failed many times. The last bit is manageable in a heart attach inducing way as you try and get round the switchbacks.