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  • Lakes route advice please.
  • Mugboo
    Full Member

    November 16th/17th, 2 rides. Based at the YHA in Ambleside but happy to drive to the start if that helps.
    I figure we want 2 low level & a high level to choose from depending on the weather.

    Previously in this area, I’ve done the Garburn Pass from Staveley & a this route round Grizedale

    So any advice for high or low routes? Thinking 6hrs ish as the group isn’t full of athletes but everybody’s technically capable.

    Any of these other routes from The Edge stand out?

    Loughrigg Fell

    Grizdale-Parkamoor

    The Garburn Pass

    Walna Scar

    Staveley – Nan Bield

    Staveley – Garburn

    Don’t mind walking the odd footpath either, we are very polite 🙂

    simon1975
    Full Member

    Your Loughrigg Fell link is very similar to the VG book’s “Big Day Out” http://www.justgoride.co.uk/Content/Routes/Viewer.aspx?id=520 which includes most of the best low-level riding in the area.

    Your Walna Scar and Nan Bield rides will be quite tough days…

    Try to incorporate Jenkins Crag on your way back to Ambleside at some point. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=338515&Y=502890&A=Y&Z=120 Cracking fun ridden east to west 🙂

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Of your two low routes – Loughrigg and Grizedale, I’d pick the Grizedale one, as there’s less road slog and more techy fun. Also Loughrigg Terrace is fun, but not at weekends ’cause of the crowds of walkers.

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    Mugboo
    Full Member

    I noticed Jenkins Crag in the Garburn route. When you say tough days, do you mean over 6 hrs? 8 hrs?

    And are the walkers still as plentiful in the middle of November or just on Loughrigg?

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Not as plentiful in November, particularly if the weather is slightly dodgy, but it’s such an accessible, well-known easy walk out of Ambleside that I’d still expect a fair few on Loughrigg at weekends.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Ta 🙂

    I keep reading about routes being sanatised, anything round there that’s been smoothed out badly?

    simon1975
    Full Member

    Walna Scar Road was rebuilt from the summit towards Coniston a couple of years ago, so most of the fun was taken out making it a very fast but non-technical descent. It might have eroded by now, though! And most of the other side towards Seathwaite was done longer ago but still in good condition when I last rode it. In my opinion, still worth riding if only to tick off another classic route from your list!

    Loughrigg won’t be too heavy with walkers in November, don’t worry unless there’s heavy fog!

    The Nan Bield route involves a push/carry/short scramble up from Small Water. It’s a tough day out, I’d guess at 6 hours for what you’ve shown.

    Don’t forget about the Ullswater singletrack if you want low-level high-technical 🙂

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Cheers Simon.

    Ullswater box ticked but I’d be happy to do it again. What’s it like in the wet?

    I’m never sure about going high for the sake of box ticking when the area seems chocked full of such quality low level riding..

    peachos
    Free Member

    this is a great low level route. could be a bit boggy in places if it is has been really wet for a few days, but a lot of it on lovely lakes rock. you could start at Torver, so not too far to drive. make sure you get the actual route through Dunnerdale Fells right for a cracking descent down to Sella/Whistling Green.

    Dunnerdale: http://www.bogtrotters.org/route/showrouteframe2.php?route=274

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Ta Preachos, I’ll add that to the list.

    grum
    Free Member

    Loughrigg Terrace has also been sanitised. It was never that tech to start with but was good fun.

    Grizedale is always a winner IMO, especially if the weather’s crap. Can be linked to Claife Heights for a slightly longer ride.

    tmb467
    Free Member

    you can do Nan Bield from Staveley / longsleddale but instead of dropping down the other side of the pass and scrambling back up, just go over Harter Fell and down

    we did it by mistake last year…getting lost can be good fun sometime

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    Planning on doing that next weekend, staveley – garburn – up gatesgarth – Harter fell – nan bield – staveley. Canny wait.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Grum, I’ve done that Grizedale/Claife Heights, v good. Any advice on fun bits at Claife Heights?

    tmb467 – any idea on how long it takes if we also make the same mistake?

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    The standard Claife Heights route is to start from the Sawrey end, head over a short bridleway with a decent short descent to meet the track next to Windermere, follow that up to Cray, another forest track BW back up and south, then back either via those little tarns to Sawreys, or down a little then off west direct towards Esthwaite Water. Both good and not hard.

    tmb467
    Free Member

    we took 5 and a half hours – though we were hike-a-biking a lot

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    We did the walna scar descent a few weeks ago and I thought it was pretty technical and sketchy in the higher sections, certainly fun and requiring some thought. Unfortunately we missed the BW turn off half way down, rather than going back to find it we kept going, which I wouldn’t recommend as it’s turns into a tarmac road descent. I was really annoyed with myself afterwards as the slog up the other side of walna scar is a nightmare.

    Your Loughrigg circuit link, I think we did some alternative sections one of which was very good and other cheeky alternatives are somewhere (bogtrotters?). at point 13 (on your link) we descended north thru the trees and slate quarry into Chapel Stile, which I thought was one of the best sections, then rejoined the route beyond point 14.

    Did you get me a lift on Sunday???

    ahsat
    Full Member

    Scarily I realise we have done all of those routes!

    Loughrigg Fell: this is great to just ride from the door if you are in Ambleside. You can ride over to Elterwater etc and just join up some really fun routes, as Simon said above, the VG route is a good version of it.

    Grizdale-Parkamoor: really good in bad weather – Lakes rock is always slippy in the wet, but this route is pretty mud free.

    The Garburn Pass – good route as it is out of the way from the main walking routes, so a good option if the weather is good. I cant tell from the satellite plot of it which way it is going, but some of the fells SW of Garburn can get quite muddy.

    Walna Scar: really fun (but I haven’t done it since its been flattened). Dunnerdale Fells has some good singletrack on it. You can avoid climbing all the way from Seathwait if you take the bridleway along the wall from Stephenson’s Ground but it can be boggy and then you miss out some of the other good stuff, but it is a good option is people are finding it tough.

    Staveley – Nan Bield: I’ve only done it from the otherside however, it will probably be a long push and a tough drop off the top. I think the bottom at the Stavely end was supposed to have been eroded out a couple of years ago but I don’t know if it has been mended. As said above you could link this and Garburn together. Plus anything from Staveley has great food and beer at the end.

    I would really strongly recommend the VG guide.

    Another good day out is the Skiddaw Loop and can be a bit more weatherproof than some other rides and doesn’t have quite the height so you can avoid the worst of the low cloud.

    My 3 would be:
    Low: Loughrigg amble, Grizedale
    High: Garburn, Skiddaw fig of 9 or even riding down sticks pass from Glenridding (see Benji’s ride write up in international mountain bike mag)

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    I can see that choosing just two routes is going to be a nightmare..!

    Simon
    Full Member

    Jase don’t forget it’ll be dark soon after 4pm when we’re there.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    I realise. I’m hoping that Steve MTFU & Tony Owts Possible work that out too 🙂

    Simon
    Full Member

    And don’t forget one of the party has only ridden once maybe or maybe twice this year! He can read a map though so could bail out…… 🙂

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    What makes you think he’ll make this one 🙂

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Thank you one and all. Bring on the 16th 🙂

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Loughrigg Terrace??

    I’ve shown the bro in law, The Edge Cycleworks version of the route and he has added in an addition that drops you into Chapel Stile, anything else worth adding or removing?

    His version

    http://s647.photobucket.com/user/Hoppy66_photos/media/PaulsLoughrigg_zpse0da3fe1.jpg.html

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    And the Bogtrotters one turns off a little earlier at Dale End before joining the Chapel Stile BW! Aaah, decisions, decisions.. 😆

    tomj
    Free Member

    Grizedale is great as an all year ride, especially when it’s a bit wild on the hills. I did a decent ride yesterday (mix of bridleways and TNF) and despite the ridiculous amount of rain recently it was fine. Lots of surface water and puddles (and a small river along the trail at one point!) but no mud and all rideable.
    I love the Parkamor descent, great views, fun, a few technical bits and it seems to go on for ever.

    wl
    Free Member

    Greenup Edge from Gasmere down to Rosthwaite area (think it might actually be Stoneythwaite) is a cracking descent, but it’s a long old pedal/push to get to.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Grizedales on the menu & I’ll check that out wl, ta.

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