Planning a big day out in the Lakes in a couple of weeks – is High Street best avoided in winter or is it an all year round kinda ride?

It’s a very bleak place on a bad day. Open, exposed and weather prone. It’s awesome on a great day.

Sounds about right. What’s it like under wheel, better avoided if it’s been wet? Plan B for crap weather is Grizedale, but if it’s a good day after a spell of rain I’d sooner do something bigger.

probably best with a current local for that one!!

I’m must have taken the wrong route last year as I was underwhelmed by high street.

I’m must have taken the wrong route last year as I was underwhelmed by high street.

I find it hard to be underwhelmed when there are views like this up there…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/G7A2Zb]More views![/url] by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GTMUQf]Amazing views[/url] by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

I guess if you’re in a cloud it could be somewhat underwhelming? Doesn’t look like a super tech descent or anything from what I’ve seen, but that’s not everything.

I guess if you’re in a cloud it could be somewhat underwhelming?

That’s true! It was shit when I went up there in the clouds and didn’t return for 10 years 🙂

Disappointed, thought this thread was going to be about finding shops in Atlantis. 😆

Views are amazing, trails can be a bit moist in places, especially coming up from the north/north east. Some nice techie descents heading down towards Ulleswater.

Been super dry for the last week and looks good for next week!
People seem to dislike High St as its one hell of a bike ride up there and its normally windy as, been up in the mist before and its not nice. Most of the descents are cracking mind and well worth the effort up there!

It’s one of the classic rides, and like many classics there’s so much hyperbole and journalistic bs written about them that the reality will always struggle to keep up. See also the Doethie Valley, Borrowdale (Sedbergh) etc. All decent rides but Imo not worthy of the unbridled adulation they seem to get.

Edit – but High Street does link nicely to the ullswater lakeside route which, for me, sticks in the mind far more than the section over the top (even though the views are pretty epic)

It will be as dry as it gets (for this time of year) as the weathers been great all week

Very dry up there this week. Pretty draggy when it’s wet underfoot which it usually is. Best in light winds or Southerlies (assuming you’re riding S-N) and can be great when it’s frozen hard (without snow) in midwinter.

Cool, cheers guys. We’ll be up weekend after next so I’ll keep an eye on the forecasts…

One of those must-do classic rides but as mentioned above, you’ll probably wonder what all the fuss was about.

Nice views on a good day. On a bad day it can be dangerously bleak.
Believe it or not, navigation can also be an issue up there. It’s a very wide ridge, almost a plateau so getting any landmarks from below can be tricky and the paths on top are not marked. Map and compass is useful to back up GPS as it’s very easy to stray off onto a footpath and find yourself descending into the wrong valley!

If it has been mildly moist then it can be a soggy slog. It is however a magical place to be on top for so long.
Been up there in good and bad weather. Dawn on the solstice 2010 was amazing – proper hippy druid vibe!

I’ve got meetings in Carlisle Thursday and Friday this week so planning to stop over and ride locally on Saturday (up from Devon). Would like to do a proper Lakes natural route but won’t have time for navigating anything complicated so aiming to ride at Whinlatter and Grizedale – I’m assuming it’s perfectly feasible to do the longer trail at Whinlatter and then drive over to Grizedale to do the one there?

Only driving down to Shropshire afterwards so can spend most of the day before heading off.

Soooo many better places to ride in The Lakes. Best avoided full stop IMO, but probably one of those rides you’ve got to do once. If you were to do it once, after a prolonged dry spell is all I can recommend.

Postierich is in the shift workers fellowship and they often ride midweek and they may show you round.

So a variety of opinions… What else would be recommended in that area? A Stavely start is ideal, but we’ve done most of the obvious stuff in that area I think.

Hamishthecat…..
You need to pop in and speak to James(justinbieber)@ http://www.vincentandbell.com/?page_id=199 😆

hamishthecat – Member
I’ve got meetings in Carlisle Thursday and Friday this week so planning to stop over and ride locally on Saturday (up from Devon).

Working my day off this week to pay for new steed so no can do 🙂

It’s do-able in winter depending on snow conditions. It’s a walk up from about halfway, all rideable down. I remember on this day I came across some walkers in full axe-and-crampons kit who were surprised to find me up there 🙂

Should have been more accurate it was the ride that was under whelming. The views were great. Woukd second the navigation, not the easiest to find the correct path!

hamishthecat – Whinlatter trails – 2-3 hrs. Best to follow it with a Borrowdale Bash or Skiddaw loop. Though there’s navigation, it saves an hour plus of driving to get to Grizedale. Plus the riding’s better than on the NF trail in Grizedale. You got a GPS?

Thanks boxelder – will have a think. No GPS just phone but will have a search for those routes.

@Trekster – sorry, over my head 🙂

Borrowdale Bash is quite an easy route to follow and there are plenty of written route guides and maps available online. It is a proper day out and there are pubs or cafes on the way.
Alternatively a loop along Ullswater shore and round to Boredale, up the Hause and back down is a good blast. Try it both ways!
Or go big and head up Helvelyn