Hi, I'm staying in hawkshead for the week in a may, will be taking the bike and looking to head into Grizedale.
Hoping to ride in from Hawkshead and want to try and do a good ride of the off piste/enduro tracks from the doorstep.
Also good trail/bridleway loop with some decent tech in it from the doorstep.
Another option is drive and park somewhere fairly local too there if its a better option.
Seen some great trails on insta and youtube etc but no idea where they are, strava heatmap is just a mass of trails around there.
Any route advice or gpx routes would be much appreciated, PM me if needed.
Cheers
Mark.
Does this work?
https://strava.app.link/Lsd4cS3Qoob
Seems to.
There are some other good bridleways in Grisedale which you could tag on, but depends how far you want to go.
That route above includes three witches ( or whatever people call it) and Breasty Haw, which are the two best IMHO.
Also includes Hagg Wood/ Colthouse and the one that drops down to Grisedale visitors centre from the NE
By all accounts three witches (etc) is still fairly blocked by trees and I doubt that will have changed in May, I haven't been myself because I can't be bothered starting something only to discover it's blocked but groups are saying it's fairly ruined currently.
Go to Poppi Red cafe in Hawkeshead, not cheap but the food is absolutely delicious!
I'd maybe consider driving over to Coniston and doing the circular around the Coniston lake just to have less chance of blockages. Kinda depends what you want to ride when you say 'off piste' and 'enduro' you may be wanting to do stuff like Viking (which is toast) rather than bridleways though. By all accounts avoid anything on the west side and the east is clearer.
You could make your way into the forest, there's a bridleway runs out the back of hawkshead directly into grizedale and you can pick up part of the north face, then do the tour de coniston. Takes in walna scar.
Park up in Hawkshead, don’t move car, look at map and ride east over Claife, north towards Iron Keld/Elterwater or west into Grizedale taking the bridleway from the village (felled trees aside) you really can’t go wrong. Great area for riding from base (the campsite is our default Lakes weekend).
And +1 for Poppy Red. Probably one of the best breakfasts of my life. We’ve been a lot!
Check back in nearer the time to find out what's running well/open. You can't go far wrong with that tour of Coniston ride, but it's a hefty route, especially climbing up from the Hawkshead side.
Has anyone else tried to ride some of the west-side BWs? Particularly Bacon Slicer/Riverbed, out towards Parkamoor and the two near Lawson Park? Was thinking of heading out that way myself soon.
Lawson Park upper after the Farm is blocked.
Parkamor Bridleway from the fireroad is devastated.
All the Coniston side Enduro tracks have gone. Grandad Dad and Dentist is impassable.
Generally west side is knackered and needs avoiding.
Boggle Crag trails are all ok.
Cheers. Just working out how to cross that section to get somewhere else!
Are the fire-roads generally clear, or are there some closures there too?
Fireroads I went on were clear. They have the Malcolmn Wilson rally over the weekend so that probably indicates that they will be ok. Biketreks at Grizedale will know better though.
Cheers for the advice guys, sounds like I'm best checking back in nearer to the time for an update on the state of the storm damage and see whats been cleared.
Shame about the coniston side enduro tracks, I'd heard good things about them and looked forward to trying them.
I was just aiming for a day of off piste type winch and plummet enduro tracks and then a sperate day with a good bridleway loop.
Also what might be useful is any short 1 or 2 hour loops from hawkshead that are good for a early morning or evening ride when the rest of family are chilling.
Both the strava routes look good cheers.
Red Poppy cafe sounds to good to miss, we will try it for sure !
Also what might be useful is any short 1 or 2 hour loops from hawkshead that are good for a early morning or evening ride when the rest of family are chilling.
Claife is perfect for that. As is the east of the forest.
Standard Claife loop would be across to Far Sawrey, BW to Lakeshore, follow lakeside track north, up past the Base Camp hut, Colthouse descent. Two good descents, probably 1hr30?
East of the forest, climb BW direct from Hawkshead, fireroad then pick up NF trail down to visitor centre (or Bacon Slicer if it's clear), up Bogle Crag fire road, head for Breasty Haw/Great Wood descent, turn left up the road, climb up again, then traverse over to finish down the Fox which pops out just south of Hawkshead.
I was just aiming for a day of off piste type winch and plummet enduro tracks and then a sperate day with a good bridleway loop.
Boggle cragg will fit the bill for you.
Reading this is making me reassess my plans for May half term. Hawkshead is a great place to be for riding...
Update Saturday 19th - Bresty Haw descent (east) fine, just two trees to hop over; Parkamoor also fine and forest section to top of open area now clear. All forest roads we rode clear. What a gorgeous day.
Thanks Will.
Update from today's ride: Fox to Esthwaite fine, Harrow Slack descent to the side of Windermere pretty bad, several trees down. Colthouse descent, just a small area of blockage near the top. Iron Keld up and over to the A593 is fine.
Lower section of Lawson Park (up to Lawson Park itself) is clear, upper section looks like it's been nuked, totally impassable, the big fire road just south is clear. Bacon Slicer/Riverbed completely clear.
The view from the Windermere lakeside track has changed a bit, you used to not be able to see the lake from quite a bit of it.
Sad times, some great tracks lost.
Yeah, I can't imagine much of the offpiste stuff is possible, and unless it's one of the walking routes, it won't be getting cleared.
Oh, I forgot - North Face trail unsurprisingly has a closed sign at the start. Whether this means some sections (like the first climb) are Ok, you'd have to ask in the shop.
Lawson Park upper after the Farm is blocked.
This on is fine
Parkamor Bridleway from the fireroad is devastated.
All the Coniston side Enduro tracks have gone. Grandad Dad and Dentist is impassable.
Generally west side is knackered and needs avoiding.
Boggle Crag trails are all ok.
Does anyone know if the Lawsons Park BW descent is clear yet, planning on a ride tomoz, this was part of the plan and then back up the BW to the north of it which has been pointed out as been clear.
Cheers
Think I got my quoted bit the wrong was round there 🙄
We did a loop of Claife yesterday from Hawkshead. Not tech my but a nice blast and the view from the lake across to Langdale is stunning.
I'm sure I saw on facebook/youtube that grandad dad and dentist was back open again and passable but had completely changed due to the clearing work.
Yep, Grandad, Dad, Dentist is clear- middle section has been logged so has changed in aspect somewhat.
@mark_rich - how did this turn out?
I've got a bike hire organised from Grizedale in a couple of weeks and want to make the most of the day!
