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We fancy a trip to Keswick and want a ride straight from the Camping and Caravanning club site, so we don't have to move the van. What's Skiddaw like as a ride and are there any better options?
Cheers
Up from Spoony Green/Latrigg. Then once you're at the top you can head back down the same way for a easy descent or drop down the scree on to Ullock Pike for a great bit of (cheeky) riding.
Some suggestions here. Ton's route is a great descent if you don't mind a long drag up and a bit of scrambling with your bike.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/rides-from-keswick
+1 for skiddaw and ullock pike.
Can make it a bit bigger by skirting round the back of skiddaw (anit-clockwise) up past skiddaw house. Less pushing and less steep but a bog fest - depends on your outlook:)
Could do the Borrowdale Bash from the campsite easily.
Or maybe head west to Whinlatter some nice riding to get there too.
For the win there is always Grizledale pike and the ridges over towards Buttermere.
(Bloody love that campsite, keswick and riding round there)
Skiddaw is not a ride, it's a walk, where you also happen to be pushing a large piece of metal with wheels.
It was totally underwater on Sat/Sun when we were there ....
Must have been wet, it’s 931m high...
Must have been wet, it’s 931m high…
Have you seen the rain in the Lake District??? LOL!
Rode Ullock Pike earlier this year. Definitely cheeky so expect some grumpy hikers.
In terms of views and epicness it is ace.
The ride/push up Skiddaw is fine. I used walking shoes on the way up as I only have stiff SPD shoes which was a good move. Depends how much you expect to ride.
The first part of the descent is a sketchy scree slope. Then onto the ridge gets more fun, but a few sections are not rideable, at least not for me when you add in the risk factor of being up a mountain! But there are some good bits and it's certainly a ride I will always remember.
Cheers all. Dont mind pushing, to be honest its one of our signature moves. How difficult are the descents? We aren't hard core downhill types.
We are taking kayaks so planning to paddle for a couple of days but want a mountain bike day in the middle, hopefully on a weekday so should avoid the worst of the crowds.
Dinner will be pie in the George every night.
Can't wait.
Speaking as a fairly capable but risk averse xc rider I would say that the ridge is pretty technical/steep/impossible in places. We pushed quite a lot to be honest but it was still good fun.
Personally I wouldn't take a canoe with you either...
Personally I wouldn’t take a canoe with you either…
Getting mixed messages here...
It was totally underwater on Sat/Sun when we were there.
Have you seen the rain in the Lake District???
Ullock Pike is mostly rideable, couple of bits are a push down. I've done it several times but never met any unhappy walkers on it. Always rode mid-week.
The scree descent is more about commitment. It's easier to ride down it than push.
Check the weather (wind mostly) on the tops, I use www.mwis.org.uk - when it's windy up there things get a little blowy!
I love Skiddaw. It dominated the skyline of my childhood.
There's better gnar elsewhere if that's what you want. The "round the back of Skiddaw, figure of 8" is one of my fave reliability rides. You can do "super" figure of 8 by going up the summit via dash falls.... loads of options. 🙂
Speaking from experience... stay away from the Snek Lifter in the George. 😉
I think if I came to Keswick and had 1 day for a ride from town I’d do the bash with extensions rather than skiddaw, unless the summit thing is important (in which case there are better high mountain rides). However, it’s BW, easy nav and cracking views if clear, and riding back down the BW is easy descending from a technical point of view, making it accessible to most. Ullock Pike is lovely, just be sensitive to walkers. Bit of road work to do from the end of Ullock descent back to Keswick, be aware of timings/need for lights if late etc.
Thanks. I think that settles it for me. Most of our recent riding has been in places like FOD. I'm really craving some big mountain views. If it's clear, we will do Skiddaw up the bridleway and decide at the top (dependent on time, energy, weather, busyness) which route back down.
If it's cloudy I'll look at the Bash.
Nice video. I presume that's the bridleway decent? Lots of scree. Is there an easy way to cut back from Ullock to Keswick along the fire roads or would we be committed to using the main road?
That's the scree descent, not a B.W. but that's a grey area anyways.
but that’s a grey area anyways.
Not really grey, just deliberately ignored.
I presume that’s the bridleway decent? Lots of scree.
The BW is scree for the top half too, you just turn around and come down the way you came.
Biggest legal decent in England (I think Helvellyn is higher but doesn't descend as far). I quite enjoyed the descent, just make sure your tyres are tough enough to withstand the constant bashing from the scree!
What are good possible extensions to the Borrowdale Bash route?
Walla crag to ashness bridge, west side of watendlath Beck to watendlath. BW from rosthwaite to stonethwaite then up the r side of langstrath to stake pass, up that and along to angle tarn, elk hause, styhead, seathwaite, seatoller then rejoin bash. Big day.
Start via walla crag to ashness bridge is the most obvious.
What are good possible extensions to the Borrowdale Bash route?
Walla Crag at the beginning of the ride, loop around the back of Stonethwaite mid ride then up Rigghead Quarries from just before Castle Crag, takes you up on to High Spy then Maiden Moor then down towards Little Town, Fix the Fells have done a lot of work on Maiden Moor recently so not as good / techy as it used to be.
I always think of the ride down Skiddaw BW as quite hard core but then the last time I did it I was on a rigid GT Outpost.
Hard core? It's a gravel path. The worst way off of skiddaw, until the spoony that is, then it's only fun late at night, or it's too busy.
I always think of the ride down Skiddaw BW as quite hard core but then the last time I did it I was on a rigid GT Outpost.
Hard core? It’s a gravel path. The worst way off of skiddaw, until the spoony that is, then it’s only fun late at night, or it’s too busy.
Chances are, if they were riding a GT Outpost it was quite a while ago, probly long before they put the zig zag gravel path in (early 00's?), it used to be all natural and quite rough in places.
Fair enough, only pointing out to OP not to do this, that's all!
If you wanted a trail centre ride (and some people do - let’s not open that can of worms) and don’t want to move the van then Whinlatter fits the bill. Ride up the road to the pass, do all three loops (don’t miss the blue it’s great fun) then when you’ve had enough there’s a bridleway through the woods to Thorneythwaite, then road back to Keswick. There’s even a cycle path alongside the A66, a road that wouldn’t be my first choice to cycle!
And the pub in Braithwaite is rather nice!
Chances are, if they were riding a GT Outpost it was quite a while ago,
1997 I reckon, hands were like claws on the vee brakes by the bottom!
Skiddaw and the descent via ullock pike is one of my favourite all time rides. The riding is good, but the epic views and combination of a big mountain summit, scree slope crazyness and the ridge that keeps on going and going is what does it. If the weather is good then go for it.