Like the title says, I fancy doing this as a big day ride in the Spring. I recall Gary Thompsett did it many years ago for a now defunct MTB mag and it’s something that tickles my fancy. I’m under no illusion that Scaffell / Scafell Pike will involve carrys both up and down but would welcome input from the hive mind. Start and finish point will be Ambleside but everything in between is fair game. The route doesn’t have to be the most direct but it needs to take in the summits and hopefully the best riding in between…….The more off road, the better.

Cheers

Sanny

<polite cough>

Lakeland Lugger

</cough>

Something like this? 🙂

nice start over bow fell, thru ore gap, esk pike up onto sca fell pike.
then over sty head for great gable, kirk fell and over onto pillar, then retrace to black sail, then up scarth gap and left onto the high cragg high stile stuff.
i have done most of this with a bike a lot of years ago.

honister pass, and over greenup edge to grasmere, the up to the hause and bad all the helvelyn stuff, down to hartsopp, up the knott for high street stuff.

god i wish i was fit…. 😀

Have done something similar. IIRC I went Skiddaw – Lower Man via old railway line & old coach road to then traverse up the Dodds. Up to Helvellyn proper then down Dollywaggon to Grisedale tarn, up a bit then down the tongue to the main road. Had a bit of a break and shied away from more climbs so cruised round the back roads to Langdale. Left the bike at the bottom of Rosset Gill, and nipped up to do the rest in fell shoes.

If you want to make it a complete loop then I’d carry up Rosset Gill leave your bike at the watershed and jog the rest of the tops. [edit – return and pick the bike up again, and then…] Make the most of Styhead Gill – Seathwaite, pick up the first part of Seatoller, then Borrowdale Bash/ Catbells. That and the above is mostly offroad and rideable up/down as far as most other options. You could add more off road doing a less direct route (eg descend W off Helvellyn to Townhead – Easedale- Stonethwaite – up Langstrath…) but that’s pretty contrived IMO.

One for the summer obviously as it’s quite a long day out.

Twinkyldave’s post looks interesting though.

what route would you take?

…whichever you take, it’s going to be cheeky

Hi agent

The only cheeky section would be Scafell and Scafell Pike but if you are having to carry your bike, is it really cheeky? I would suggest not as I would be having to walk lugging my bike. The rest can be done on bridleway assuming I take in the likes of the Coach Road onto Helvellyn and can resist the cheeky stuff off Skiddaw……. 😀

The mentalist in me thinks reckons I could add on the Rydal descent off Fairfield as it is really rather special. I rode it in the snow last Thursday on an absolute stunner of a winter’s day.

What would the out and back between Scafell and Scafell Pike be like lugging a bike?

Cheers

Sanny

Bajsykel

Liking your style there, fella. A fell runner as well as a biker eh? Chapeau.

out and back between Scafell and Scafell Pike be like lugging a bike

– what, Foxes Tarn or Broad Stand?

only cheeky section would be Scafell and Scafell Pike

…so, half of the summits! That’s a lot of carrying from Sty Head or Esk Hause, I wouldnt bother with the bike personally.

…and can resist the cheeky stuff off Skiddaw

The only way that this would be possible is that you were soooo utterly battered and the weather soooo atrocious that you wanted the quickest and easiest way back down.

I’ve lugged a bike up Scafell Pike via Esk Hause then down to Broad stand and then Brown Tounge, lugging it up or down Lords Rake didn’t look too bad at the time. But this was before the various rock falls on it.
Not much to recommend about it though 🙂

No, I’d imagine there isnt, no surprise there, a nice walk ruined probably.

Second only in pointlessness to this http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=429405

What would the out and back between Scafell and Scafell Pike be like lugging a bike?

Option A…Fox’s Tarn

Option B…Broad Stand:

Option C…Lord’s Rake:

A slight hijack, sorry, but had you thought about trying to get all of the highest bridle ways done in one go? Or at least as many as possible. I’ve put a bit of thought into that, and it makes for some strenuous routes to attempt. I think it might be more rewarding than including the Scafells just for their height. I’ve based my ideas on the Bob Graham fellrunning round, but confined myself to bridleways which means diverging from it quite a lot, particularly round the top end of Wasdale. My thought is that there is plenty of scope for fitter and more ambitious riders to add in things like High St or High Stile. Definitely one for the summer, I agree.

When you thinking of doing it; can I come?

If you mean my version, I was planning to do it each of the last three years, but life got in the way. Here’s hoping for 2013.