Riding near Center Parcs, Penrith

Someone more local than me will be along to come up with better options but a classic is a loop of Skiddaw. Starting in Threlkeld or Keswick, loop clockwise up to High Side, then up Dash Beck to Skiddaw House. Then down Glendaterra Beck either side and back to the starting point. Pretty sure the old railway line is back open again too now.

Definitely ticks the big pedally loop with views box.

Obviously there's a wealth a natural rides you could access. If you wanted to do a combo you could do Whinlatter and Grisedale Pike to Hobcarton End.

Its 30 mins away.
Grisedale Pike would add in some natural riding and views without ever getting too remote. Whinlatter is one of the most fun trail centres and you can do any combo of the loops and shortcuts to the best two descents to fit your available time.

I’d be a bit wary of keeping a nice bike outside at CP - will you be able to keep it in the chalet?

Ullswater has classic rides - High Street, Askham Common, South lake path, Helvellyn, etc etc

Head to Ullswater.
Cockpit to Howtown is lovely, and easy.
Extend it down Ullswater [ east] bridleway, which is awesome and hard. Return over Boredale Hause.
High Street only if it is very dry and you're not after Gnarr.
Then Helvelyn on the other side of Ullswater...
Up keppel Cove and down Sticks East. Or down Dollywaggon/Grisedale if you want very hard
Or if you want hard and long then Keppel, Birkside[ to Thirlmere] up Sticks West, down Sticks East ( perhaps with a Seldom Seen cheeky.....)
Or if you have an eeb and it's dry go up the dodds ridge of Helvellyn.
Or if you want long then do High Street and Helvelyn.

There you go.... reckon I've covered Ullswater. If you need ideas on the rest of the Lakes then....

Yes, you can keep bikes in the chalets no bother.

Don't do what I did last year and set off riding from Center Parks aiming for the trails in the forest nearby that you remembered from 25 years earlier. That was Sherwood Forest thicky!

Take a road bike and the Top of Great Dun Fell is within range btw.

Don’t do what I did last year and set off riding from Center Parks aiming for the trails in the forest nearby that you remembered from 25 years earlier.

There were trails in the Penrith CP forest and locale 30 years ago. It may have been the first trails I decided to 'create' by clearing some sticks and smoothing some bumps...

They're not on the Strava Heatmap unfortunately, maybe you need to pop back and reinstate them!

For a big pedally loop from whinfell forset, no need to drive.

Go out of forest, cross A66 and head north to Kirkland, pick up bridleway that goes over cross fell (you don't actually summit it), down to Alston, take the B6277 east, until you pick up footpath (bit cheeky) but it's just a land-rover track jut after the county Durham border, to cowgreen reservoir, then bridleway over to high Cup nick (amazing views), follow the bridleway down to dufton. Road back to Kirkland and back to whinfell forest. Probably be a nice 40mile round trip.

Great views, big climbs and long descents. Can get a bit wild up cross fell, so save it for a nice day if you can.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I haven't had a chance to look at anything yet. I started a new job today and my idle Googling time was cut to zero.

I have seen the ride that goes out the top of the south loop at Whinlatter onto Grisedale Like, I remember seeing it on YouTube. That might be a goer.

Yes, you can keep bikes in the chalets no bother.

Oh, I know it’s possible, it’s whether the OP’s partner/in-laws will let them…

Oh, I know it’s possible, it’s whether the OP’s partner/in-laws will let them…

They have no choice. I'll be taking 2 decent bikes for myself and the Mrs and I'll be sleeping with them if I have to.

I did once see an Intense Spider chained up with a cable lock by the CP centre, which seemed… brave.

Take a road bike and the Top of Great Dun Fell is within range btw.

Better still, take an MTB for more appropriate gearing and ride back down the pennine way.

You can do a quick lap of the perimeter of CP forest (clockwise for the singletrack), and follow your nose in the woods to find locals tracks if you feel like pottering.

You are only 6km from Askham, ride from your chalet, exit CP via the quad bike track entrance and pick up the footpath to the road, then ride over to Ullswater and save the faff with the car.

I often think CP looks like a prison camp with the tall fences stopping anyone getting out.

Lots of options: Helvellyn, Ullswater & Boredale Hause, Skiddaw & Ullock, Grisedale Pike, Borrowdale Bash, Blencathra.

I’ll be sleeping with them if I have to

Please clarify "them".

I love Whinlatter, and it stops the Missus worrying about me dying in a ditch somewhere. But I'd love to try some of the suggestions on here.
I'm not opposed to CP holidays, but the thought of being that close to the proper hills and the wrong side of the fence sends shivers down my spine.

its not that far (by car) to Rydal where you can do a Loughrigg > Langdale > Hodge Close > Iron Keld classic ride too. Just go early to get quiet trails at the Loughrigg end.

its not that far (by car) to Rydal where you can do a Loughrigg > Langdale > Hodge Close > Iron Keld classic ride too. Just go early to get quiet trails at the Loughrigg end

This seems like such a bizarre suggestion. It's three times as far as the close lake district stuff. Why waste so much riding time and money driving past so much brilliant riding?
And then he'd be on loughrigg terrace in the middle of holiday season.

So much no

( all IMHO of course 🙂 )

And also Loughrigg terrace is none of the following:

big pedally loop .... I also like steep, sketchy, tech stuff.

Though it is scenic as you say 🙂
And indeed a lovely cycle ride, but not yhe best for the OP's stated needs.

Trails already mentioned above by a few but we started a ride out from Askham Hall last weekend that might fit... included the descent down from the Cockpit and the Ullswater singletrack then over Beda Fell and back. 40km. We enjoyed it and a nice pint at Askham to finish.

the Ullswater singletrack then over Beda Fell

That's what I meant by Ullswater & Boredale Hause, cracking ride. Absolutely lovely and alpine feeling up the top, eh?

That’s what I meant by Ullswater & Boredale Hause, cracking ride. Absolutely lovely and alpine feeling up the top, eh?

That's what we all meant. Cos it's the obvious number 1 option from Penrith. 🙂

Must be that time of year again.

Have a search on Google as there has been many threads on this.

I just thought I'd give a quick update to say that this plan has gone belly up.

I can't drive my car. Long story but back in October we were run off the road by a crackhead with no licence, no insurance, driving a borrowed car insured by a 3rd party. Anyway, I thought we were all squared up until my insurance renewal came in, well over 4 figures. Turns out that 8 months later nothing has been settled, I have a 50/50 fault claim hanging over me and it's totally unlcear exactly which insurance company has been sitting doing nothing for the whole time. No amount of phone calls or emails could speed anything up so I've been priced off the road until I clear my good name.

Long story short...only the mrs can drive the car so my plans of escaping the overpriced bio-dome have become improbable. Unless the whole family fancies a day out in the real world I'm knackered.

Great Dun Fell out the gates it is then!
Insurance is shit.

Ride to Askham (6km, flat) as wzzz said. Or get a lift. Then do the ride. Go early and you’ll be back early afternoon?

That's a possibility. I'm only taking a mountain bike with knobbly tyres so I want to minimise road miles.

Any links to any maps for the stuff around Ullswater?

Edit: I just discovered Komoot. I'll have a browse

Used to go to Whinfell a lot when kids were young, so not in past 5 years…

honest opinion, just go soak it up, faff about on the slides and in the pool, go play some table tennis and have some beers in the Sports Bar and have some good walks around the place. It’s ok really, for 5 days..