This w/e’s plan is to have a go at the Lakeland200
or on gpsies.

More than a tad out of the comfort zone so just a little bit apprehnesive that it might be a bit tough.

Plan is to do it over 2 1/4 days starting Friday evening.
Who here has done it ?

We did the trans cambrian a month or so ago & survived that although I cheated (dumping my camping gear for the majority of day2).

Not done it yet but it’s on my radar.

Just be wary of Alan’s “quality hike-a-bike” 😆

Not sure how much rain the Lakes has had in the last few days but “the boggy bits” will include, but not limited to:

the traverse from Walna Scar to Stephenson Ground
The crossing from Dunnerdale to Eskdale
The bridleway past Burnmoor Tarn to Wasdale

I think you might know which are the hike-a-bike bits 🙂

Here’s Ian Barrington’s account of his trip – http://ianbarrington.com/2014/09/16/lakeland-200/ He took 27hrs for the 200Km but he took just 5hrs more for the Yorkshire Dales 300. I suspect it’s hard!

‘richpips’ off here has done it as a bikepacking trip, he took about 36hrs or so IIRC.
It’s been on my radar for a while, mostly since he told me about it. I don’t think there’s much of it I haven’t ridden at one time or another, it’s the stringing it all together in one go that’s the challenge.

I think I’d want a lightweight FS for it as well!

we are bikepacking & both on hard tails.

Krampus for him & OnOne Fatty for me.

If we can do it in 27hrs riding time I’ll be more than chuffed.

In fact if we can just do it I’ll be chuffed.

If Ian did it in 27 hrs I think matching that whilst on a fatty is optimistic. I’d be looking closer to the 36 hrs if your planning stops etc

that’s why I said riding time.

Planned elapsed time is circa-48hrs
Looking forward to a few good hours in my bag.

At this time of year the sun is up for 11 hours per day. If you ride all the daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday then that totals 22 hours (plus whatever you do on Friday).

Thus is you are going for 27 hours riding time and planning on taking stops during the day then you need to think about lights and how long they will last.

Another consequence of longer nights than days is that you might spend a lot of time in your tent.

Also, if you are planning on riding at night, try to plan your start time and riding so that you will not be pushing / carrying down Black Sail or Scarth Gap at night. They are tricky descents in full daylight.

Round the western side of the route there are not that many cafes / pubs so try to plan ahead for where you will get food / drinks / rests.

Christ that is a route and a half. Good luck with your attempt Bill and please report back here with pictures and a good story on Monday morning.

@midlifecrisis – cheers for all that – I do forsee early (read dark) starts & finishes.

Yep – taking lights.

Plan at the moment is to bunk up as close to Coniston as we can get Friday night, so hopefully that means we will do Black Sail & Scarth early PM

Then Bunk up near Keswick Sat night & stock up with food there.

Are you starting from Staveley? Coniston is quite a way from there if you are starting “Friday evening”

Sounds like you are well planned. That seems like a good strategy.

Enjoy.

Weather not looking too bad for the weekend.

I’m for doing this next year, over 3 days, and staying in bed and breakfasts. Means the FS won’t be loaded with kit, and so I can enjoy it a bit more!.

3 full days would be defo be a lot less pressure.

Have to agree with whitestone here, this would be a struggle in the dark.

I would go with the 3 day option I did it in 2 and a half and it was hard going was very warm.
1st day to Eskdale
2nd day to Pooley Bridge
3rd day I did not do the drop down to Hartsop as High St was nice and, dry finished for 3pm for the school run
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/albums/72157634672946804
[url=https://flic.kr/p/fb94Z1]DSCF3454[1][/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

On Fri eve, you could sleep under the covered picnic area in Grizedale Visitor centre. there’s a water tap and saves unpacking/pitching/packing time. Up and away early gives breakfast in Coniston and Eskdale for lunch. Quite a stint of hike-a-bike from there to Keswick then though. Still pretty dry up here. Ride record is 16.45, but that was without any extra kit. I did the 75Km from Ambleside to Buttermere as part of a bikepacking overnight trip from home and it was 8hrs moving time (10 hours with stops in Coniston and lunch in the pub in Eskdale…). Don’t under-estimate how cold it might get.

Just read Ian Barringtons route and he started in Keswick thought you had to start in Staveley?

starting to get jelly legs.

We might do a rethink & do the YD200 instead.

Rich, I think the supplied GPX file starts in Staveley but there’s no restriction – he’s on the finishers list so Alan G must be fine with it.

Stick with it there was to much road on the YD200 and it hurt on a fattie!
Shame its not my weekend off I would have joined you!

I did not get a finish when I did the YD300 as I started and finished in Dent (there was a beer festival on!)

Go for it!

Go steady and keep moving. Keep rest stops to a minimum. You will have plenty of time.

If the worst comes to the worst and you run out of time on Sunday evening you can always cut the end off. There are numerous ways to shorten the end of the ride if you need to bail.

You will have an epic weekend.

@postierich – it is a loop. Can be started anywhere. My own thoughts are that Coniston is the ideal start for a sub 24 hour ride as it gets the hike-a-bike on the western side out of the way early on in the ride and should allow time to get off High Street before it gets dark. (based on mid-summer amounts of daylight)

cheers guys.

will let you know what we do/how it goes (if I don’t die)

Best of luck mate, even if you don’t finish, you’ll have an awesome weekend, and then know what to expect next time.

If Ian Barrington says it is hard (in good conditions), it is hard. Good luck!

If the loop is started in Keswick, would stavely and then maybe boot be decent options for overnighters?. Going clockwise, obviously.

Good luck, ground conditions are pretty good at the minute, considering its October! Hasn’t been much rain the last 3 weeks really.

Right we’re all packed & setting off soon.

Question of route up to High Street.

Would it be better/easier/more ridable to ride up to High Street by going via LoadPot Hill
instead of dropping down to Hartsop, which looks like a right slog to get back up ?

Definitely easier but cheating! 😆

Not that much easier. Less climbing, but a grassy slog.

I did most of it in 2 1/2 days – hard but good

Mad bill thats the way I went!! might see you out Sunday going down High St the other way!

Rich, what do you reckon for two equally spaced stops, if I start in Keswick?.

Ambleside Blacksail YHA I reckon!

Sounds good, cheers Rich.

Well, baited breath here…..

How was it MadBill?

Photos here – https://goo.gl/photos/GQxfFodqH8BibMM77

How was it ? Well with the exception of Black Sail Pass it was awesome.

The weather was perfect, no rain, temperature perfect for not hanging around.
Any hotter & I would have died up Black Sail Pass.

Day 1 – Staveley to Grizedale Tarn, 51km, 1300m
We camped first night at Grizedale Tarn.

Day 2, 70km, 2700m, 13 hours elapsed!
I was a tad slow on day 2 & we only just made it over Honister Pass, so decided to pull up early, well it was dark & very cold.

Day 3, 76km, 1800m,
As we did not make Keswick we decided to skip Lonscale Fell & the descent to Hartsop & did Pooley Bridge up to High Street. This was a great call. It was 95% rideable, would be 99% in present conditions without the baggage.

Total time 50 hours door to door.
One mechanical – tubeless fail – should have refreshed the sealant before starting.

All 3 days, almost no wind, no rain at all, about 8-12 degrees, could not have asked for better conditions, but I will not rush back to ride (!) Black Sail Pass. I was dreading Gates Garth after but that was a walk in the park compared to BS.

Well done!

Looks great. Are those pics not in order (chrono)?

nope !

Loaded them up in order but google docs must have done something odd.

Well done mate, legs will be tight this week!.