Got Friday free, where do you think I should ride, the lakes or the dales? Can anyone recommend a good ride of 50k or more. I like technical ups and downs!

have a look at samhoughtoncallenge.co.uk, its a 5o k ride from staveley in the south lakes, 3 valleys, tech climbs and descents, and a pub at the finish. perfect!

nothing that tech in the Dales, just done Embsay, Flasby and Rylstone today all good fun but not tech.

Sancho, did you go up by Sharp haw? What’s the ground like up there at the moment?

A couple of years back I started in Ambleside, up and over high street to Pooley Bridge, then up the Dodds to Hellvelyn and back to Ambleside. Lots of tech. ups and downs on that one…. 😉

Technical ups and downs you say…should be a no-brainer, the Lakes!

What’s that ride involving three passes?

as above, tech ups and downs are a bit limited in the Dales, they’re mostly just xc rides, some are lung busters, but generally not technical. I’d be inclined to head for the Lakes if I wanted a technical challenge. Northern Dales are a bit better, but for most it’s just as accessible to go to the Lakes.

nothing that tech in the Dales, just done Embsay, Flasby and Rylstone today all good fun but not tech.

How is Embsay not tech? If you follow the correct line of the bridleway off the crag towards the res I can’t think of a much tougher bridleway.

Lakes

Gribs, that is one little bit of all of 5 yards at most on a little isolated BW section.

Agreed but to suggest it isn’t tech is just wrong.

Everyone else is talking of Dales MTB in general, not just a 5 yard section of some spurious BW somewhere just up a hill above Skipton.

Sancho, did you go up by Sharp haw? What’s the ground like up there at the moment?

It’s always boggy when you get off the track, even in summer. Following the BW round is slow work and not much fun, especially lower down, but it’s only a short section of bog if you’re just heading up to the summit of Sharp Haw to do the cheeky descent off that.

these guys will help with a Dales route and have some lovely cake!

It was wonderously dry fast and technical around Elterwater last night. Absoultely fantastic riding

Did a ride at the weekend out of Settle and it was a soggy boggy slog with some small rocky technical sections in between. Great riding

If I were to have to pick where I’d spend my weekend it would be Elterwater as it is nice and central and surrounded by miles and miles of fantastic trails.

Lakes. 50k would be a brutal distance in the lakes too.

If you feel up for it..

Park Ambleside, Jenkin Crag to Troutbeck, Up Scotts Rake ot Thornithwaite Beacon, High Street, Knot, erm.. get a bit lost and descend Angle Tarn to Boredale Hause, Boredale, Ullswater Lake Shore, Glenridding, Greenside Mine, Kepple Cove zig zigs, Helvellyn, Dollywagon, Grisedale Tarn, Descend the Tongue to Grassmere and back roads back to Ambleside.

Start early!