heading to Ambleside with the family next week. As bikes will be living on the car roof most of the time and much of the riding will be pootling with my 8 yr old I will probably take the rigid mtb (BadBoy) Haven’t ever been to Grizedale but may have the opportunity to sneak in an evening ride or 2 – is it gonna be fun on narrowish barred rigid bike ? Don’t really want to take HT or FS

Are we talking about tte NFT? If so, it has a few rocky sections and a fair bit of fireroad, still reasonable fun. Not sure I’d want to ride a fully rigid round there but then, other than on the road, I wouldn’t want to ride rigid anywhere…

loddrik – yeah, was thinking of doing that but no idea what it’s like and there don’t seem to be route maps online – gotta buy them apparently 👿 Will probs take the rigid and take it easy as don’t really want one of the better bikes on car roof with suspension covered in crap all week – a bit anal I know !

It’s not that long and doesn’t have a whole lot of altitude gain/loss so it’s worth doing twice if you have time. The first section which winds its way up through the trees is one if my favourite sections anywhere, just for how pretty it is. The last couple of sections are pretty good too.

Grizedale was there when all bikes were rigid only. You’ll be fine, pick your route, if it gets really rough, you can always push!

If your riding the NFT you’ll be better with a rigid, might make it mildly interesting. It’ll be just the job a family ride though.

It will be a bit like riding it on a bike with suspension, but not as good.

I don’t agree about the NFT being better on a rigid though, it manages to be uncomfortably bumpy (and that’s on a 6″ full suss 😀 ), without being challenging or fun. Pick pretty much any BW in the forest and it will be better – the first climb on the NFT is ok though.

Lots of fire roads with nice views in Grizedale for family pootles.

I don’t agree about the NFT being better on a rigid though, it manages to be uncomfortably bumpy (and that’s on a 6″ full suss ), without being challenging or fun.

Pretty much sums up the NFT. Too bumpy to flow nicely, too flat and dull to be challenging unless you really properly nail it. Put it this way, I’ve done it on my CX without any problems. There are FAR better routes in Grizedale and yes, you’ll be fine on most of them with a fully rigid. Pick a BW and follow it. Have a map to hand as well!

I don’t agree about the NFT being better on a rigid though, it manages to be uncomfortably bumpy (and that’s on a 6″ full suss ), without being challenging or fun.

It was meant in humour as I’m sure you knew, it’s just an awful trail but luckily plenty of bridleways in there that are exciting.

I still think the NFT gets a bad press. Pick it up and put it anywhere else in the country and it would be an ok trail, the descent from Moor Top flows very well IMO. The biggest problem it has is that it is sat bang in the middle of some of the finest natural trails in the country.

That doesn’t help lowey but by christ it was dull, climbs out come in handy though.

Hey Iain

I did Grizedale a couple of years back while we were in the Lakes. Seem to remember it being a mixture of 50% fireroad 40% rocky single track and 10% occasionally sketchy boardwalk (was wet mind you).

Was an okay trail but not brilliant if I was you I’d take the Orange and go to Whinlatter instead, or get some natural riding in.

climbs out come in handy though.

Yep.. used it many a time to get to parkamoor.

What’s all this NFT chat? Presumably the trail centre thing, I can’t remember the proper name for it. I’ve done it fully rigid and it wasn’t a problem at all, but I don’t remember it being particularly rough as was suggested here.

thanks all, lots of good stuff in there. As it’s very much ‘family riding’ with the weans I reckon I’ll go rigid and take a map and explore a bit. Now who can explain to a Scotsman about these footpaths and bridleways thingys ? ………… 😛

I have ridden Grizedale several times in the last few years and have never ridden the whole of the National Front Trail in one go, but have always used bits of it to get from A to B. A being Claiffe and B being Parkamoor, Hawkshead, Carron Crag, Walna, etc.

The only criticism I have of it is that somehow they have managed to make the unmistakable contours of the lakes feel just like Snowdonia.

It will be lovely on a rigid. Just ride it like a rigid – don’t pretend you’re on a big bike.

The last time we were there was the weekend before Christmas. We hardly saw anybody else. On the Sunday we saw tyre tracks – wahey! we’re not alone. Then we realised they were ours from yesterday.

I’ve ridden it on a HT and FS. On FS it was a bit dull on HT it was a good blast around so I would say rigid would be about right.

The NFT does get some bad press, I reckon you’ll be fine on a rigid, although that depends on age. When I got into mountain biking in the mid nineties I rode Walna Scar, Garburn Pass on a fully rigid and thought nothing of it. I’m pushing 40 now so I can just about get away with a Ti hardtail. I find the NFT is a great trail for getting fit/training, there are better options though – it is showing its age, but it does stand up well to adverse weather, except for the North Shore sections that is, watch them in the wet. I think they should have used Cedar wood which would have been pretty grippy, but they put something in which is lethal in the wet on some of the adverse cambers.

They took some North Shore out a year or so ago due to people having accidents. I’m glad to see that they are now replacing the lame chicken runs they put in with boulder sections, so the trail is getting some of its cajones back.

It’s not the best trail in the world, but it’s been around a while now and it’s still challenging to get round without dabbing (seriously, try it). Also if its quiet try getting round in under an hour, if you can then you’re doing OK 🙂 If there are people around though I’d just sit back, enjoy it and soak up the views.

The natural trails around Grizedale are in the main fantastic, the problem I have with the NFT is that it could have been so much better.
If you have no trails to ride its better than nothing, but compared to other trail centers it has no flow, the potential of what could have been is very frustrating given that it ended up as neither one thing or the other, it doesn’t flow as well as local natural trails ( as already stated) and isn’t more technical than the local trails, its just an alternative that people can’t walk on.

Oh and yeah, used to ride all the local stuff on a rigid Scott made of gas pipe, you’ll be fine.

The descent from Moor Top back to the trail centre on the NFT is pretty good and fast!

When I rode there the surface waas mostly covered in loose stones of tomato or apple size. That just made it far harder work than it should have been. Is it any better now?