Off to the lakes on Monday for a week. Staying near Whinlatter / Lake Bassenthwaite. I have done Whinlatter/Garburn etc many times but this time I will have the family in tow, including a 12 yr old and two tots in a trailer so I am after suggestions for some nice, laidback relatively traffic free loops worthy of a few hours in the saddle?? any ideas??

Cheers

The old railway path out of Keswick towards threlkeld is very scenic and flat. Not sure where to go from there to make an easy loop though.

We rode the disused railway line at the top end of Keswick (starts behind the leisure centre) to Threlkeld. Had a pub lunch in Threlkeld and then rode back.

I think it's eight miles in total, but there's the option to add more miles by using a different route back from Threlkeld.

It's almost completely flat, so it should be okay with the trailer. My two kids, who were 4 and 6 at the time, had no problems with it.

There are plenty of places to stop on the route, where the kids can play by the river, and a few bridges where they can play 'pooh sticks' – a favourite game of our two!.

More info here: Keswick Dismantled Railway

Ride the old railway towards Threlkeld. When you reach the main A66 you can go into the village for a pub lunch, or cross the main road and return via very quiet minor roads past Castlerigg Stone Circle. Easy peasy riding.

Have to be very minor roads in the lakes cos it is full of scary people on hols who cannot drive on singletrack roads total lack of anticipation. With kids on trailer I would be very keen to avoid the tarmac.

As I said, quiet minor roads! Local knowledge is a great thing.

do the above, but don't go over road(a66), go under it via a wooden gate on rhs before one of the railway bridges. look at map and follow roads upto stone circle and back down into keswick. v quiet roads.

whinlatter on the fireroad

Askham common, lots to pootle on.

Drive over to Ennerdale and starting at Bowness Knott car park you can ride up to Black Sail YHA and down the other side of the valley (may be a bit far though – in which case, cross the valley to the west side and see how far you get)

Drive over Whinlatter to Lorton, then Loweswater and you can ride round Loweswater. There are a couple of disused fell roads (Whin Fell) too between Loweswater and Lorton – they involve biggish climbs, but totally traffic free.

Good ride from Lorton is to follow the Hope Beck road (find Lorton Church on the map and follow the minor road SEish across a X roads in High Lorton) This road meets a gated road leading down from Whinlatter, at Hopebeck. Keep following the road down, to join the main valley road (still slow and quiet), turn Left, then L again climbing up towards Buttermere. After about a mile of climbing you'll reach Lanthwaite Green and a cattle grid – about 150m before the cattle grid is a BW leading into Lanthwaite Woods – nice descent (with one trailer dodgy rocky drop!) to small car park at the bridge on the main valley road. From here, either turn right to pick up your outbound route, or left (towards the Kirkstile Inn and it's beautiful homebrews and beer garden). Turn R either just before the turn to the pub, or just after and pick up the C2C route through Thackthwaite, bcak to Lorton.

From Keswick, head through Portinscale and ride th well surfaced and vista laden BW along the flanks of Cat Bells, to Grange – can continue along the river past campsite (Hollins or Hollows Farm). Nice river beach to mess about on (while Dad continues riding up the BW past Castle Crag for the rockfest descent back down again??). This ride is your best off road option, but you'll struggle to get the trailer down the last section of the Cat Bells BW (behind a wood, just before reaching the road 1km short of Grange.

cheers for the suggestions everybody………

right. where's that map……… 🙂