Got a couple of days riding in the lakes planned as part of a longer holiday. Some trail advice please.

I want to do Sticks Pass down from Helvellyn. I’ve done Helvellyn before – up Keppel Cove, down Dollywaggon/Grisedale. What’s a sensible route to get up there from Patterdale, without doing Keppel Cove again? How rideable is Grisedale (I know the Dollywaggon steps will be hike-a-bike, but I’d rather not be pushing the entire way)?

A loop from Langdale. Most of the routes suggest Stake Pass, Styhead, Rossett Ghyll. Now I remember Rossett Ghyll as being a full on b@st@rd from years ago walking it, so how nasty is it on a bike (decent rider, but on my own, so nothing too death defying!) and having ridden down Styhead, it feels like it’ll be a solid hike to get up it. The alternative is to do Stake Pass then come back over Greenup Gill, but I can’t find much info about riding that compared to other routes – most seem to suggest that it’s a really bad idea – is it *that* bad…?

(The last time I was in the Lakes I did the 4 passes epic on my own – Fleetwith Pike, Scarth Gap, Blacksail, Styhead quite happily, so that’s the kind of level I’m looking for)

Cheers,

Jon

Good questions! We rode up Grisedale from Patterdale in June after the pub – took about an hour to get to Ruthwaite Lodge where we spent the night. There was plenty of pushing involved, but we had bivvy kit with us, and you’ll probably clear it as far as that Lodge what with your gears, skilz and dogged determination 😉 You’ll have to hike-a-bike for 10 or 20 mins to get up to the Tarn, though.

Am hoping to do “4 Passes” myself in October if we get a clear day. All I can say about your plan is that you’re right about the Styhead Pass – you won’t ride much of it if you try to climb from Borrowdale…

How much time have you got? If you’ve got a resonable amount an alternative is to ride along the road to to Dockray then along the Old Coach Road. If its dry (ie properly, properly dry), the grind up to the Dodds isn’t too bad. (If its slightly moist, its hard work riding down). Or keep going around to St Johns in the Vale, then hike-bike up Sticks from Stannah on the west side, or its slightly easier up from Thirlspot to go round Brown Crag on White Side and over Raise to Sticks.

Rosset Ghill was featured in the magazine a while ago in a “Pass Storming” article, might be worth digging out.

Another way to Sticks Pass from Patterdale is to take the road to Dockray. Turn left until you pick up Route 71 and then head up the bway over (round) the Dodd’s. See:

http://www.mapmyride.com/gb/ambleside-eng/glenridding-dockray-the-dodds-helvellyn-route-688954

But obviously turn off at the appropriate junction for Sticks!

Issue 48, pg 24 from the Magarchive for Rosset Ghyll

bullroar – beat you to it 🙂

You’d probably also beat me if we were riding it!

I want to do Sticks Pass down from Helvellyn

Did it Sunday – not that great tbh though i had done ulloch pike friday so that may have affected my judgement

Interesting comment about Sticks – I thought it was supposed to be *the* way down (alpine style hairpins down by the mines?) now that Dollywaggon has been stepped?

I’ll bear in mind the climb up to the Dodds though, if the weather’s been good.

Cheers!

I thought it was supposed to be *the* way down (alpine style hairpins down by the mines?)

It is.
One person says no, the rest of say yes. Top section above the mine is bloody lovely too.

Pics from geograph.org:

then:

Sticks Pass is great, but any other way up other than Keppel Cove involves either lots of carrying, or dry conditions to avoid riding the dodds in a bog.

I would ride up keppel, go to helvelyn then turn round, go back over raise and down sticks. Then if you still have energy, cross the valley, up to boredale hause and over down to martindale over beda fell. then either up boredale and down or along the lakeshore path(busy at weekends).

ullock pike makes everything else seem rubbish…

oh, and langdale:

My preferred route is: up rosset ghyll (carrying) up to esk hause, then styhead down to borrowdale. then come back up and over stake pass to finish. plenty of carrying, but all the descents are ace!

Ewen +1

What’s a sensible route to get up there from Patterdale, without doing Keppel Cove again?

The best alternative you have is to ride along the road towards Aira force waterfall, left up to Dockreay,join the coach road and then up the Dodds to Hellvelyn, Return from the Summitt to sticks pass but turn left into the seldom seen descent (cheeky) all the way to the road. Awesome

Rosset Gill is best as a relatively fast carry up, then do Esk Hause to Styhead,Langstrath NORTH of the river, NOT South (unless you prefer excellent technical but slow single track) ,onto Stakes pass and then the excellent descent into Rossett vally, LangdalesClassic day out in the lakes,enjoy

A little bit of Esk Hause on a wet day..

Sticks pass,attempting to keep up with Top lakes rider Max Cousins.. 😉

The left side of Helvellyn is good

Comb crags, Nethermost pike, Helvelly, Lower man, sticks, Legburthwaite is excellent as well.

but on a nice weekend in summer riding down a scree slope footpath before riding down a ridge footpath isn’t the most clever thing to do and will probably end up with lot of giving way to walkers as you shouldn’t really be up there on a bike – I thought to 1st rule of cheeky trail was not to talk about cheeky trail??

What he said.

yep, fair point. Only mentioned it as an earlier post suggested sticks pass wasn’t that good in comparison…

Ullock Pike is a lovely walk! Great Views

Thanks guys – cool vids too 🙂

Tyres – is it worth sticking a dual ply on the back, given how sharp I remember the rocks being? The extra 200g won’t make much difference on the hike a bike bits, but it might save some cursing on the DHs. Likewise – semiknackered Rubber Queen BC, or almost new 3C HRII on the front? All are tubeless and mounted, ready to go, so it’s just a question of sticking a different set of wheels in the bike.

Cheers!

Stake Pass then come back over Greenup Gill

Jon, I’ve done a solo over Stake Pass, along Langstrath then back over Greenup Gill into Grasmere. Saw the route in an old mag and thought it sounded great. The switchbacks off Stake Pass into Langstrath are great, pretty tight but all rideable, but then the RH BW path going North up Langsrath was strewn with roundish boulders and was probably 60% push 40% rideable at best on my Heckler, very frustrating. The FP on LH side looked better but maybe it isnt in reality. Big hike up over Greenup with one proper scramble, not easy with the bike and a bit dangerous solo on reflection. The ride down from Greenup was as bad as Langstrath if not worse, really frustrating boulders. A mini adventure and I’ll remember it for years but a waste of a ride when theres other good stuff about close by.

ewen

I hear you re Ullock Pike but Doups is pretty special in a wow that’s Steep! way as is the stuff round Cat Bells / Hindscarth and Whiteless Pike. Then of course there is the Fairfield Horseshoe……..all cheeky. All brilliant! 😀

Oh and for Ullock Pike there is the other scree slope path about 50 metres to the east of the obvious path that you will never find anyone walking up. Just as fun as the main path if a bit less defined. It is there and it’s smashing! Stopping for walkers is never a problem though. Being polite and cheery wins the day.

I do wonder whether walkers perceive mountain bikers as a problem on footpaths as we seem to do on this forum or whether it is really just a first world problem? I’ve tried searching tinterweb to gauge how vocal walkers and other users are in an anti bike stance but to be honest, there’s not a lot out there.

As for cheeky trails, there are rules? 😆

Cheers

Sanny