Family holiday calls, and we’re off to the prison camp at Whinfell Forest (I jest, I do quite like Centerparcs really).

Anyway, eldest son will get bored easily. Are there any accessible trails from the Whinfell Forest location that might keep him happy for a couple of afternoons which are cyclable from the Gulag?

(Would add that we’ve got some longer days in the saddle planned for earlier in the holiday, so we’re not missing out completely on all that the Lakes have to offer!)

We went to ‘Whinfell Luft Drei’ in May; didn’t do any riding at all.

I hope that helps!

(Jokes aside, it’s lovely. However, we didn’t really do anything local, but when the lakes proper are only a few minutes away there didn’t seem much point.)

he could follow the c2c route out of penrith to the top of hartside and then take the offroad bits back down.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=363147&y=542403&z=120&sv=363147,542403&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=656&ax=363147&ay=542403&lm=0
Hartside’s a bit of a challenge but very cycleable and there’s a few other bridleways you could make a route out of. Just have a look at an OS along the eden valley, nice quiet rural roads to meander along too.
For something a bit longer cycle to pooley bridge and do the ullswater singletrack and then back along the lake, not very technical but very nice views.

We’re stopping at the Patterdale YHA for a couple of nights first, so will do something around there – I’ve got a pass out with eldest for one day. Doubt we’ll have the energy or capability of getting up Helvellyn, but perhaps if we take it easy and set off early that might be an option.

Cheers for the suggestions.

Do they still scan your retinas on the way in or have they moved on to taking DNA samples?

not MTB but you could have a crack at the climb up Great Dun Fell
http://cyclinguphill.com/great-dun-fell/

or MTB take minor roads out to start a 10 mile circuit round High Cup Nick, prob be 20/25 miles total route from Whinfell
http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue_Map_TrailViewer.aspx?VenueNumber=137&TrailNumber=238&Unique=635748934372767186

It’s still retinal scans, afaik, but now with RFID tags mandatory – if you breach the perimeter you get one warning before they open fire.

I’ve got plans for a tunnel though…

For you Tommy ze holiday is over…