I am off up to the Lakes (Elterwater – just north of Ambleside) for a long weekend with the wife and kids. I am likely to manage to get out for a couple of early morning rides before having to spend my day being a doting father/husband.

I am looking for a couple of 3 hour ish routes that I can get up at the crack of dawn and ride before the family have finished breakie.

I have found this route and I thought I’d pop across to Whinlatter but maybe I’m missing out on some better routes, so can anyone recommend me anything better?

I’ll be going out round there Monday morning if you wanna tag along?

Lots of good stuff in that route, but it’s a bit of a mess navigation wise, which will slow you down.

The bike shop in Ambleside (Biketreks?) will sort you out with some route cards, and the Vertebrate Graphics book has a lot more comprehensible versions of the same riding.

In terms of what’s not on that route, there is a nice short route around Troutbeck and Jenkin Crag on the other side of Ambleside, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, go for a spin around the ‘natural’ BWs in Grizedale – loads of brilliant riding there.

Ride from Ambleside over the bridleway to troutbeck, garburn pass, staveley head fell, high Borrans, then finish down Jenkins crag. Nice compact ride that, your route you’ve posted up is a good un, but as Martin says, is a bit of a ball ache in terms of navigation.

Could ride high street if you have access to the car in the morning.

Just over Kirkstone pass, do the north route in the VB guide and you should have enough time.

Have a look here, plenty of good routes, right on the doorstep.

http://www.bike-treks.co.uk/content.aspx?tag=mbr-red

From High Cross at the North of Grizedale forest, head S of forest road then descend To Lawson Park and down an unmarked path to the picnic site. Back up to Heald Brow Pasture, along to Low Parkamoor, E to Satterthwaite, Breasty Haw and Devils Gallop. Road to Far Sawrey, descend to Windermere lakeside then N to Belle Grange, W to Colthouse then back to High Cross.

For a shorter blast from Elterwater go Sw To Dale End, So to hodge close, E to Arnside Intake then N on Iron Keld. Drops you down to do Loughrigg Fell (which I prefer to do clockwise) then back to Elterwater.

I did the Bike Treks big ride out from the link above last Sunday and it was excellent – one of my best days riding ever.

You literally can’t go wrong from there. For ease I’d do loughrigg, claife, iron keld, tilberthwaite one day and head into grizedale for a razz about the next. But if you’re feeling brave there’s some bigger stuff, out and back over langstrath or rossett gill or the loop on the front page can be shortened by heading over from stephenson ground to meet the wlana scar road 2/3rds of the way up.

Lakes rides – even shortsh ones can take take a bit longer given a bit of hike a bike so I wouldn’t plan anything north of 20 miles.

Thanks all – I will get my OS map and have a look at that lot.

Rogan Josh – cheers for the offer but I think given how I’m going to be working timings around the family there’s a good chance I’d end up messing you about…

3 days riding from Skelwith last week, up and out for 8, back for 12-1pm for family time 😆
Arnside/Ironkeld was just along the road from caravan park 🙂

P1010744 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Monday was a version of the route the OP linked to.
Tuesday was Garburn Pass down to Staveley and back via High Borans, Dubbs Rd and Jenkyns Cragg 😆
Wednesday was some Grizdale exploring of routes I’d not ridden for a few years.

Had a few meals at the Brittania Inn along with some excellent beers, think I managed to sample them all. Can recommend the Lamb Henry 😆

http://www.bogtrotters.org/list_routes.php
Some route planning help.

Gpsie routes

Did a version of this

If it is just early morning rides then depending upon how fit you are the options are varied.

All round Elterwater is superb and you can go in most directions and link beyond the immediate area.

This is a nice ride to do before the kids wake up boggies 16k Elterwater route or a longer Elterwater route

Nipping over to Claife is very worthwhile and you could have a bash at some or all of this claife options

Parkamoor would be a nice one too parkamoor

Oh and the beer in the Brit Inn is superb

Beautiful Langdale valley last night

Where’s that one tomaso?

Don’t go to Whinlatter from there.

Don’t go to Whinlatter from there.

Why not?

Planning on doing the Bogtrotters 16KM loop and one from Bike Treks called the Demo Of Doom (because I like the sound of Doom – I assume I get to shoot/chainsaw creatures spilling out of hell)

its a fair distance away and not one of the lakes finest IMHO

TBH it is not even that good a trail centre never mind a ride in the lakes.