I’m thinking of heading up tomorrow. I’ve heard varying reports about The North Face, so will give it a go if just to make my own mind up. What else is worth looking at in particular whilst I’m up there please?

First 2 sections of NFT, fire road climb then turn left on BW to Parkamoor farm. Then follow 3 ish sections of BW down to Satterthwaite. Up and over Breasty Haw, various bits of BW out that side of forest, eventually cross the road at Moor Top and last section of NFT back to visitor ctr.

Or turn right after Parkamoor and down rocky fast downhill to Nibthwaite.

Or lots of other stuff. Almost every bridleway in Grizedale is great.

Check out TheEdgeCycleworks works Grizedale Parkamoor route for a lot of the best bridleways.

4×4 track from the Fox down towards Hawkshead
The greasy rocky trail between the hole in the wall
Silurian trail back to VC
Downhill off the top of Carron Crag
The big flat out descent down to Lawson Park from the boring fire road in middle/latter half of NF trail
Rabbit tracks

take the bridleway down to Satterthwaite if you want to ride summit decent

Ask at the shop.
Most BWs are great. Those to the east of the road (Breasty Haw etc) are less rocky and more singletrack in nature, while west is wider and rocky.

If you can, try and get a copy of vertebrate guide book ‘mountain biking in the Lake District’ (should be easy to get a copy in Hawkshead) and follow one of the routes in there. I’ve ridden most of them and also the NFT and the natural stuff is far superior IMO.

The sausage sarnie with onion marmalade from the cafe is superb 🙂

Thanks for all the tips. I got drunk and got up late so Grizedale was a bit far. Went to Gisburn instead.

I’ll get up to Grizedale in the next few weeks though.