Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Getting onto and & up Helvellyn from the North? (Threlkeld)
  • jekkyl
    Full Member

    I’m planning a Lakes trip in April and hoping to go up Helvellyn again. We shall be staying in Keswick and was thinking instead of driving round to Glenridding to park and go up Keppel Cove we could make more of a day of it and cycle out of Keswick on the old train line which comes out Threlkeld way.

    Looking at an OS map there is a road, the B5322 that runs straight south from Threlkeld and there is what appears to be a passable cycling track that comes off that road at some disused quarries, passing Threlkeld Knotts, labelled ‘Old Coach Road’ Then I have a choice it appears of (1.)first right up to Calfhow Pike or (2.)carry on a bit and then up alongside Groove Beck to come on top of Great Dodd. Then along the ridge with Raise and onto the summit.

    Can anyone offer information of this route and choices and is there anything else I should consider? thanks.

    Pook
    Full Member

    The v graphics book describes it as a surprisingly rideable grassy climb. I’d describe it as a soul destroying boggy slog. I led a group up here once and they all wanted to kill me to death. I’m sure they’ll be along in a second to confirm their still unresolved hatred of me which came as a result.

    EDIT: we came up over matterdale common from dockray though. It may be different from threlkeld

    Garry_Lager
    Full Member

    I did the groove beck one in a drought and it was a great way up – hard though over the grass. Final bit up Great Dodd wasn’t rideable for me. Might be a bit of a quagmire in the wet.

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    Lucas
    Free Member

    We rode over the Dodds to the top of Helvellyn last summer – it was ace, best ride I did last year. But it was super dry and had been for a while, it was also about 27deg on top of Helvellyn and I’d drunk 3lt of water by then.

    If it had been wet the grassy climb would have been a soul destroying boggy slog though. So make sure its dry if you are going to go that way.

    Pieface
    Full Member

    The Old Coach road is a good way up. I’ve done the first Bridleway up and it was a hike a bike experience up a grassy, non-existent patch but once you’re up on the Dodd’s its great, mostly rideable with a few bits that aren’t.

    Pook
    Full Member

    [video]http://vimeo.com/22479604[/video]

    jp-t853
    Full Member

    The old coachroad is a fantastic ride along the full length from the Ulswater side but it is a slog up Dodds. Once on top it is fine though.

    skiprat
    Free Member

    I went up with Pook and in the end it turned out to be a great day out. The ride/push up was tough. The grass and ground was just wet enough to sap all the strength out of your legs. You’d think i should be riding this (its not that steep) but get on your bike and you’d just stop.

    The downs were ace. Really made the ups worth it.

    mtbguiding
    Free Member

    It’s better up Grooves Beck than Calfhow Pike, but it’s soft and pretty gruelling in all but the driest conditions. It’s still the easiest way up though…

    SimonR
    Full Member

    I was hatching a similar plan for later in the year 🙂

    Which bit is the sloggy wet grassy bit? Just to the top of Great Dodd or further than that?

    Thanks,

    Simon.

    paulrockliffe
    Free Member

    From Keswick, head up towards Blea Tarn and drop to Thirlmere, then head up from that side via Wythburn. The path is much better going than the grassy slog and I’m told the drop into Thirlmere is very good. The helvellyn Climb from Wythburn pops you out between the summit and Dolywaggon Pike, you can ride to the top from there.

    Descend Sticks Pass back to Thirlmere and back the way you came.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    Paulrockliffe I’ve walked that route the other way. We walked down to the wood at wythburn, the path is made up mostly but it’s not an ascent I would relish, there’s some very steep stone steps which would be a right slog. Last time I cycled up from glenridding past the used mines and up Keppel gove, great ride and it was almost 100% rideable, made up paths etc. From what people are saying here looks like I’ll be going up that way again….. now which way down that isn’t goddamdollyawfulwaggon pike!
    Is sticks pass to the top of thirlmere all nice for a HT or would I need a full bouncer?

    Pook
    Full Member

    I’ve done sticks on a HT. Great fun.

    hora
    Free Member

    Thats me on the left in skiprats photo^ and pook on the right. It was a warm day and it was warm the day before etc. That bit was boggy and soul-sapping even to slog/push up in. There is a better way up – straight up? Don’t know the name.

    Sticks was ace though.

    Below is me on the left on Sticks 🙂

    Pook
    Full Member

    i’m in the middle actually. It’s ourkidsam on the right.

    hora
    Free Member

    dont you recognise yourself on the pic I posted? You are in the middle. I’m the one descending on my old orange Blur4x. Sams on the right. Your silver Spesh is at your feet.

    paulrockliffe
    Free Member

    Sticks to Thirlmere starts of as gentle singletrack with a few rocks and drops, but mostly peat. It’s not a bog, but it is wet due to surface water run off. It gets gradually steeper and steeper and steeper, never gets daft rocky but does get bumpy in places. There’s nothing beyond a hardtail, but some stuff will push you more or slow you down more than it would on a bouncy bike.

    The Wythburn climb isn’t great, but it’s a fairly quick way of getting the altitude in and is a solid path rather than a bog, so it is less tiring. I’ve not been up any otherway, other than from the top of Dunmail Raise, which was a harder climb. There isn’t an easy way up, though your Keppel Cove thing does sound better.

    Garry_Lager
    Full Member

    paulrockliffe – Member

    From Keswick, head up towards Blea Tarn and drop to Thirlmere, then head up from that side via Wythburn. The path is much better going than the grassy slog and I’m told the drop into Thirlmere is very good. The helvellyn Climb from Wythburn pops you out between the summit and Dolywaggon Pike, you can ride to the top from there.

    Descend Sticks Pass back to Thirlmere and back the way you came. Watendlath to Blea tarn would be very heavy going – ridden it the other way a few times (ie downhill) and it took a bit of effort – bw is quite indistinct.

    Pook
    Full Member

    confused – you were referring to morty’s pic. i thought you meant yours at first/

    superfastjellyfish
    Free Member

    How about linking Nest brow on the A591 over to Sykes I genuinely don’t know what the path is like (yes, yes its a FP) but that’d set you up for a ride along under High Rigg to Legburthwaite. Then climb up Sticks (then on to Helvellyn summit if you’d like) descending along the dodds to Calf how pike, finishing on the marked path down red screes and Wanthwaite bank then spinning back on the roads. It’d be a Long day though.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    I did see the bridleway from Watendlath down to thirlmere, so you could spin out of keswick on the start of the bash then hop over to Helvellyn. As someone mentioned above though I think that BW will be a boggy indistinct pita and climbing Helvellyn from that side would also be more arduous than we are looking for.

    I love dreaming about epic rides whilst at work, the sun’s shining outside now, I can picture myself there.

    JonEdwards
    Free Member

    On a similar vein, what’s the descent like from Grisedale Tarn towards Grasmere?

    Cheers!

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