Carrying your bike up Dollywaggon Pike? Not again!
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Nice views but the wrong way round!!! 😯

Great photos Simon, I’ve hiked most of those routes but only ever in kerap weather so it’s nice to see the views – it’s hard to do even those immense views justice with a camera but you have hit the nail on the head, good work!

Whoever planned that route should be relieved of their duties! 😛

Nice pics though.

Here’s a few from our cold rain-fest of an attempt from Easter weekend-

And then, on only the next day-

Good pics Simon. it really makes me want to ride in the lakes.

That last pic – does descending with the saddle that high not spoil your fun?

I agree about it being the wrong way round 🙂

I can see the attraction though. For someone like me, descending Dollywagon and the upper part of Grazedale would be a walk anyway.

The way you guys did it, you get the excellent descent down Lower man, plus the superb ridge all the way to Clough Head, without the prospect of Helvellyn to get up after a sh*t load of hard work.

Think I;ll have a bash at that in a couple of weeks.

Mission for after exams – Do Hellvellyn.

You don’t have to go down Dollywagon though do you – you could go up over the Dodds, go up to the summit, back down Lower Man then down one of the other descents.

True, Keppel cove zig zigs or Sticks. **** it, its abour time I faced my demons. I try the Dollywagon descent.

*walks off to check diary*

One time we carried up from Wythburn onto Nethermost Pike, and that is much worse than Dollywaggon 🙁

I try the Dollywagon descent.

I soon gave up on the steps and rode down the grass instead…

lowey, the Dollywagon descent is one of the classic UK trails IMO, along with the ranger path on snowdon

I know mate, but just because its a classic dosent mean it wont kill me.

Right… 10th May, alert the MRT. Absurdly inept biker will be attempting to descend from Helvellyn.

Wish me luck.

Just drop your saddle extra low and wear some pads – you will be fine 😕

simonfbarnes – Member

I try the Dollywagon descent.

I soon gave up on the steps and rode down the grass instead…

Now I know you don’t think much of respecting the landscape but that is outrageous. don’t you know basic mountain etiquette? You are causing erosion by doing that. Paths have been laid with rocks and stepped for a reason – to manage erosion- riding alongside the paths will cause massive damage.

wear some pads

Thats a damn good idea, as I will probably sh*t myself on the way down.

lowey LOL

TandemJeremy – Member

simonfbarnes – Member

I try the Dollywagon descent.

I soon gave up on the steps and rode down the grass instead…

Now I know you don’t think much of respecting the landscape but that is outrageous. don’t you know basic mountain etiquette? You are causing erosion by doing that. Paths have been laid with rocks and stepped for a reason – to manage erosion- riding alongside the paths will cause massive damage.

Here we go……

hook, line and sinker I thought.

The Dollywagon descent is really tough – hardest thing I have tried on a bike. Was doing ok til I went over the bars a couple of times and lost my bottle and ended up walking most of it. The steps are pretty tricky but its getting round bends and over the drainage ditches that caused me trouble. I’d like to think I would do a better job now.

The bit lower down once you are past the steps is fun (still pretty hard) though.

“climb to Boredale Hause”

thats a quality descent!

Get the landing net… he’s hooked a big on here 😆

“climb to Boredale Hause”

thats a quality descent!

If its the bit I’m thinking of, the top bit of that descent is crazy, steep and loose enough so that braking doesn’t really work at all.

Zokes – that is true. If people avoid the eroded or repaired parts of the paths then the paths widen thru erosion. Cycling alongside them will cut grooves which encourage water runnoff. The result is erosion alongside the repaired path. I have seen this happen so many times.

YOu can slow the damage and erosion by remaining on the centre of the path . Same as folk riding around puddles widen the puddles.

You are causing erosion by doing that

I couldn’t see any, there’s no ‘line’ as such and a LOT of fellside to choose from, with no sign of the passage of tyres at all

Yes those steps were made to manage erosion alright but isn’t it a bit of a strange coincidence that they also happen to be proper wheel trapper dimensions. There’s a couple of big steps followed by drainage ditch a bit lower down from where simon took the “steps” photo that look designed specifically to smash mountainbikers faces into the ground 🙂

I think thats the only place in the UK I’ve ever used pads and I would recommend them to anyone else. (oh and a slack bike that doesn’t get twichy on stupid steep technical stuff)

TandemJeremy – Member

Zokes – that is true. If people avoid the eroded or repaired parts of the paths then the paths widen thru erosion. Cycling alongside them will cut grooves which encourage water runnoff. The result is erosion alongside the repaired path. I have seen this happen so many times.

YOu can slow the damage and erosion by remaining on the centre of the path . Same as folk riding around puddles widen the puddles.

Really? I’d never have guessed……

out of interest whats the best route from glenridding and back to glenridding and is it a good idea on your own. personally id have thought no but im not to sure on the terrain i my be being a girls blouse 😉

just im up there next week and was gonna walk hellvelyn but i could maybe take the bike 😉

There’s a couple of big steps followed by drainage ditch a bit lower down from where simon took the “steps” photo that look designed specifically to smash mountainbikers faces into the ground

definitely 🙁 If it had been the builder’s intention for bikers to ride down the path, they could have culverted the drainage

Those photos have convinced me of what a fantastic place the Lakes are for walking.

out of interest whats the best route from glenridding and back to glenridding

I would recommend taking the shore road to Dockray and riding up Matterdale Common onto Great Dodd, but if you’re in a hurry Sticks Pass east (Green Side) is probably the next best. Once you reach the summit you either go back down Lower Man and Sticks east (the zigzags on Glenridding Common are fast but technically undemanding), or Dollywaggon and Grisedale Valley, which are *very* rocky

BTW, 4 of the riders went on to take The Old Coach Road to Wanthwaite Bridge and picked up the BW from Rake How along St. John’s in the Vale before climbing Sticks Pass and descending Green Side. The extra 6 miles took them 3h30m!! I can imagine the suffering as the average gradient is over 1 in 4 🙁

Right… 10th May, alert the MRT. Absurdly inept biker will be attempting to descend from Helvellyn.

Say hi to Martin when they come to get you, he’ll be the one giving you morphine 🙂

simonfbarnes – Member
I soon gave up on the steps and rode down the grass instead…

Sfb- if you are unable to ride a track, walk it. Claiming that you don’t observe any erosion is no excuse and is wilful ignorance on your part. Why do you think the steps have been put in on Dollywaggon in the first place? Not using the track damages the vegetation, the soil and causes further erosion which will lead to future maintenance or management (i.e. more steps- do you see a pattern emerging?). Claiming that you riding wherever you see fit as you aren’t able to ride the track is anything other than irresponsible is pathetic.

There’s no shame if you can’t ride something up or down (or across even) because its physically or technically too difficult, or the conditions make it so. Get off and walk. Don’t damage the tracks or environments that others appreciate through your own selfishness (surely this is a general rule of thumb that anyone can cope with).

Though there’s almost certainly a large element of trolling in your post, there is a sense of selfishness and superiority that comes across when you describe stuff like the above that threatens to undermine all the positive contributions you make to this forum and riding as a whole. In any case, I doubt this post will make any impact upon your future riding habits, but I wish it would.

Oh and as for route mick/firestarter, starting and finishing in Glenridding, I’d say the zigzags is the easiest climb and worst descent, so use that to get onto the ridge, then whatever you fancy- short, steep, tech then Dollwyaggon and Grisedale, longer, undulating single/doubletrack with odd tech bits then the Dodds (not great with low visibility or wet conditions). Or if you have a bit of time, do a figure of 8 and combine both Dodds and Grisedale as descents. The Dodds make for a dull drag of a climb.

Hook, line and sinker indeed

zokes – Member

Hook, line and sinker indeed

Er, yes… hence

there’s almost certainly a large element of trolling in your post

🙄 However, anyone can post anything and then say “oh no, it was all tongue in cheek, just a little self-indulgent trolling… whatever” as a get-out clause to avoid being challenged or engaging in any kind of meaningful debate. Just like repeating

Hook, line and sinker

in fact.

cheers chaps 🙂