The current thread about why people aren’t riding in the Lakes got me thinking about our half term holiday up there in October.
My kids are 6 and 8 and just getting into ‘real’ offroading. Trudging round the the forest tracks of Grizedale doesn’t appeal, but TNF trail is too tech for them.
We’re staying down in Cartmel but are happy to drive up to the north end for a good ride.
Could anyone point me at any easy but fun routes we could do?

Cheers

Have as look for the Windermere Bike Boat, from Brockhole to the west side of Windermere. You could do the lakeshore path, or Wray Castle, Claife Heights, past the Tarns, to Sawrey (Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit), then back to the boat and play at Brockholes.

^+1

From Coniston along the bridleway that runs parallel to the Yewdale Road, through Low Yewdale to High Water Head, alongside the road on the cycle track then around the Lakeshore back to Coniston via the Bluebird Cafe, and duck feeding.

In Cartmel, if you head across the racecorse there’s a few tracks & quiet lanes, i’m pretty sure you could put something together that loops round to Holker Hall for an ice cream stop & then back.

Otherwise the Bridleway that runs between Skelwith Bridge & Wainwrights Inn at Chapel Stile is good.
The cakes at Chesters are worth the trip on their own!
Avoid the road by starting at the old stone works behind Chesters.

The path that runs along the River Esk from Whathouse Bridge to Boot is slightly more technical (but still easy) & a lot more interesting than a kitty litter bridleway. It’s a really good learner ride, just not the easiest place to get to. There’s enough there for the day with a ride though, incuding the miniture railway & at the side of the old mill in Boot is a great place for a swim near the falls..

Cheers folks, I’ll dig the maps out and have a look. I spent all my childhood holidays in the Lakes but don’t get back there as often these days so I feel a bit removed from the child friendly stuff.

the old mill in Boot is a great place for a swim near the falls..

thinking about our half term holiday up there in October.

It was only just warm enough for me in Derwent in that really hot week in July.
After you.

Otherwise the Bridleway that runs between Skelwith Bridge & Wainwrights Inn at Chapel Stile is good.
The cakes at Chesters are worth the trip on their own!

The amount of family friendly trails in Langdale is increasing. I think my dad reckoned you could that the trails extend well beyond Elterwater but I haven’t seen it myself

The area around Hodge Close and Tilberthwaite might be worth an explore and a Sustrans path that leads from there into Coniston would be spot on

But I’m not quite expert enough to put it together as a route for you or sure where you get more imfo

The Bridleway on the side of Cat Bells is worth a look but I can’t remember how old my kids were at the time

The bridleway in little langdale near the big quarry has been widened and flattened. Terrible for mountainbikes but probably just the thing for families and kids.

There is funding from the Go Lakes Travel Programme to (amongst other things) create a wheelchair and cycle friendly route from Pelter Bridge to Grasmere. This allows you to park in Ambleside, get onto the Under Loughrigg road to Pelter Bridge near Rydal and onto existing flattened and widened bridleways and footpaths upgraded to permissive BW status. Takes you to the Red Bank road just outside Grasmere, all traffic free or fairly quite. Sadly the trails along the Rydal shore have been turned into a motorway but there is still the permissive higher up the fellside past the quarries for a more exciting descent from Loughrigg Terrace.

The work is halfway done, but should be completed by half term.

One of our favourite loops is

Park Ferry Nab carpark. Windermere Ferry (costs £1 per bike and £4.40 for a car!), allow ferry traffic to go ahead then climb to Near Sawrey (playground with picnic tables), drop down to west bank of Esthwaite, Hawkshead, Outgates, BW past Blelham Tarn to Wray castle, return along Windermere west shore BW. Some pushing may be required and the stretch of road north of Hawkshead can be busy. Great day out though if you’ve enough food to keep feeding them. There are plenty of cake stops along the way!

Chesters cakes are fantastic, however their pork pie is the worst pork pie I’ve ever had. Spam wrapped in dry pastry. I didn’t think a pork pie could be so disappointing.

It was only just warm enough for me in Derwent in that really hot week in July.
After you.

Ok, overlooked the October bit, should still be ok for a paddle though 😉

Also agree with amphill about Hodge Close, although the road climb from the A593 might be asking a bit much for little legs. Easier to park at Tilberthwaite then take the right hand gate in the farm yard & have an explore round Hodge Close, making sure to take them to Catherdral Cave for the wow factor.

The trails south of Pooley Bridge are good from memory, not too hard, not too exposed but fun and proper riding.

Pooley Bridge would be good, as above, ride to the Cockpit, downhill all the way to Howtown, and catch the Steamer back.

Wow, excellent stuff, thanks. Anymore?

Whinlatter Blue is good for kids…. Yes there are a few “bits” that they may find difficult, ( uphills and deep berms ), but there`s nothing too techy. First time i took my 2 eldest they loved it!

Just thought I’d let you know what we got up to last week.
The kids wanted to go to Grizedale as they remembered the play area and cafe (!) so we did a couple of hours of fire road stuff in the wet last Monday. We were amazed how much stronger they were compared to last time, they could ride up long steepish hills. They were also much more confident downhill.

After a chat with one of the Biketrek staff in Ambleside I hatched a plan on Wednesday. Turns out we got very lucky with the weather too. We parked at Wray Castle and had a cake, then pedalled down the west side of Windermere on the cycle track. Didn’t take long to get most of the way down so had lunch on the lake shore…then I talked them into a bit of a hill climb! Up the bridleway that leads up and over to Sawrey. Then we want up to Moss Eccles tarn then into Claife Heights and down a very steep and rocky bridleway back to Windermere. They both did so well and rode stuff way harder than anything else they’ve tried before.

Then on Friday we parked in Ambleside and did the loop of Loughrigg Fell via the steep bridleway from Under Loughrigg up and over to Loughrigg Tarn then down the terrace to Rydal and back. Again they did so well.

I’m so happy that I can do proper mountain biking with my kids! Thanks for all the route help and advice.

Was going to suggest Loughrigg, bet they enjoyed their day out!

Winster area has some good trails for wee ones.