What’s the current feeling on rideability of this? I did a quick search and the most recent post seems to have been from 7 years ago, so things may have changed considerably. Looks like it should have awesome views on a good day.

Also – tacking it into the middle of a ride that starts from Braithwaite over Coledale Hause ish and back? It should be a good tough day out, but are we talking absolute death on a stick? For reference the last time I was in the Lakes I did the 4 passes in 5 hours including stops and felt slightly shortchanged, although it helped having good weather.

Thanks!

done it a couple of times in the past, a nice 7 mile walk for me, with a terror filled drop down warnscale to end with. we added haystacks on.

but, the sweary boys did it as a Friday afternoon ride last year iirc, and they loved it to bits.

also, the climb up the side of sour milk gill, to red pike is a complete bastard.

Done a few different variants of this recently.

Starting at Braithwaite and going over Coledale Hause and Whiteless Pike is best.
Don’t be tempted to take Gasgale Gill instead of Whiteless as it’s taken a lot of damage in the last big storms and much has been washed away. Gasgale no longer flows and you’re forced to take unridable lose shale climbs to detour around.

Up the front of Red Pike (Sourmilk Gill) is a brutal carry.
The traverse of the High Stile/High Crag ridge is mostly ridable but very stop/start obstacle-hopping in places and not that interesting apart from the views. There’s one super-steep stepped descent towards the end of the ridge that is technically challenging but ultimately not worth the long climb up Red Pike to get to it IMHO.
The descent back down Scarth Gap to Buttermere, which you’d have come up when doing 4 passes route, is ridable but not really as much fun as you’d expect in the top half. Tough going but a bit underwhelming.

If doing Red Pike, I prefer to go up via Scale Force/Scale Beck and come back down Sourmilk Gill. Scale Force is still a carry but saves you doing Red Pike as an out-&-back. I’ve done that route twice in the last year, once on a full sus in the dry and once on a hardtail in the wet.
Dry & full sus = great brutal tech descent.
Wet & hardtail = almost unridable in places, felt like I’d taken a knife to a gunfight.

Recommended return leg from Buttermere to Braithwaite = up Sale Beck and down Rigg Beck. Optional detour over Causey Pike instead of descending Rigg Beck.

Even without Causey Pike, it’s a big day out. 6000 feet in 20 miles.

Is that dirty red-coloured chute off the front of Red Pike summit doable? Off the front as in facing roughly towards Buttermere. Looked and bottled it, but it was years ago. Bikes are better now so I’m tempted to return.

Cool, thank you guys.

Ecky Thump – that’s awesome info. What’s the best way up to Coledale Hause form Braithwaite? I’ve walked it via Grizedale Pike, or am I better just going up Coledale Beck?

Ton – not quite sweary boy category, but I could just about flatter myself that I might get mentioned in the same sentence!

Ta,

Jon

The red chute is ridable…. Need to plan you exit strategy mind as exit speeds are alarming.

I rode the ‘Four passes and a ridgeline’ a couple of weeks back, so after Warnscale, I headed up and over Red Pike and descended the Gatescarth end of High Stile, then over to Black Sail. Good ride out, the descent off High Stile was a little hairy (on my own), steep and loose at the top and steep and pitched further down.

It’s a good ride, took me 6 hours to do the 19 odd miles and 7600ft

Happy to post pics, but not sure who allows 3rd party image hosting after photobucket stopped it

xxx – cheers. Yes, I can imagine firing out of it fast. Guessing it’s a rodeo-style job – i.e. once you’re on it, you just have to ride it out, bucking bronco, no matter what, no options. Hope to revisit soonish.