Spot on, this is truly a great piece of trail, i have done it a couple of times, the last this summer, it has everything.

Long live Nan Bield!, I think the naysayers right it off because they can’t ride it properly.

Also did this ride a couple of years ago,would like to go and do it again as it was extremely windy on top, still an excellent ride though.

Also great to read the article as the photographer and one of the riders are mates I ride with a bit.

Has anyone ever taken the footpath that goes from the top of Gatesgarth pass over to the nan bield pass (walking with the bikes obviously, ahem!)rather than descending to haweswater?
If so, Is it a preferable route?

Yes all the time climb is doable From Gatesgarth if you have the legs the descent down to Nan Bield is very tricky in places.
Only ever had one person complain to me about riding on a footpath in the 5 years I have lived in the Lakes and he was an Italian shouting “No Bicicletta” and it was on that one

tricky sounds appealing!!

Did it the first time this summer, we went from staverly up Gatescarth, across Mosedale (bog fest), up and down the old corpse road which was a great descent to Haweswater then down Nan Bield to finish, great day out.

[video]http://vimeo.com/174114669[/video]

I’m glad someone else put this. I really enjoyed it. The content was good, but Toms writing was excellent. Really enjoyed it. It made my laugh. I could see my rides with my mates in his writing.

Really a too drawer piece for me.

Great Vid Tom… enjoyed that.

Yep well written, takes no prisoners, humorous.

Shock horror a piece that seemed genuine and authentic, rather than a forced we must write an article about the ride we did, but nothing happens.

It is another one of those routes that I have been meaning to do for years – then moved to the Lakes and thought I would get all these classics ticked off… and have thus far (in 8 years) done absolutely none of them!

To be fair life did get in the way, and I mistakenly thought I would fall in with a bunch of folks as I did in Stirling which also never happened… but both of those are probably excuses to me not being determined enough to do stuff I want to do. There may have been some black dogs along the way to scupper things too.

I read the article though and kinda feel compelled to get my arse out and get on with things 🙂 It was one of the best bits in the mag for quite some time!

Done it plenty of times and it’s always been enjoyable, though we start at Haweswater usually and do the Nan Bield climb first, so we finish on Gatesgarth.

I’ve done Harter fell footpath (Gatesgarth to Nan Bield) a few times as a shortcut for the full loop but don’t really think much of it. I’ve also done the Nan Bield descent to Kentmere via Garburn Pass too, also quite a good loop.

Never descending Nan Bield down to Haweswater though which some friends have done.

I love the whole loop from Troutbeck up Garburn and along the tops round to Nan Bield, epic, epic scenery and Nan Bield is fantastic.

As I’ve said before, it’s better the 2nd or 3rd time as you know there’s nothing that’ll really bite you (touch wood) and after the switchbacks you can really hammer it and get the best out of it.

we went from staverly up Gatescarth, across Mosedale (bog fest), up and down the old corpse road which was a great descent to Haweswater then down Nan Bield to finish, great day out.

To avoid the knee deep bog that is Mosedale climb back up Gatesgarth then turn sharp right up Branstree and Selside. Hefty hike-a-bike for a while but a wide open and surprisingly good descent that drops you onto the top of the Corpse Road so feels like one massive downhill.

Need to get back and do this. I’ve only done it once and, despite fabulous weather, didn’t really enjoy it as much as expected. I wasn’t fit enough, so ended up pushing up far too much of Gatesgarth Pass (as we all did!) and of course carrying up most all of Nan Bield Pass. To top it off I wasn’t riding well that day so didn’t really enjoy the descending either. Whilst hike-a-biking up Nan Bield I was wishing I was doing the Fred Whitton instead, which just goes to show the odd frame of mind I was in 😆

It is a cracker but the descent to Haweswater is definitely my preference to the descent to Kentmere.

I can certainly see why someone would be disappointed in it if they did a loop of it going down Gatesgarth then the descent to Kentmere over Nan Bield. You get one horrible slog of a climb followed by a tedious gravel road descent down Gatesgarth, then some pretty serious hike a bike and the reward isn’t quite justified. The loop over High Street and Ill Bell is definitely better.

^ That sums it up nicely for me 🙂

Yes all the time climb is doable From Gatesgarth if you have the legs the descent down to Nan Bield is very tricky in places.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Hjzusv]Lakes MTB Trip – May 2016[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/HmRD8Y]Lakes MTB Trip – May 2016[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

It is a bit! I didn’t ride it all by any means!

We walked up in about a 40MPH wind. Not something I’d rush back to do, but lovely views. Everyone talks about the switchbacks, but the bottom section goes on for ages and is so much fun.

It’s just one of those classic rides really. I’m glad I’ve done it, but there’s so much in the Lakes, won’t be prioritising that over stuff we have yet to ride.

To those who’ve done the descent from Nan Bield to Haweswater which way round do you go to get to it? Up kentmere side, across Harter?

To those who’ve done the descent from Nan Bield to Haweswater, how much do you manage to actually ride? It was hard enough walking up it!

duir – Do you continue on to Selside from the top of Branstree? Which direction from the top of Selside? All looks a bit indistinct on the map!

I’ll not deny that the descent to Haweswater is very hard. Not 100% rideable and it’s one for a dry day but if you’re a handy technical rider it’s a great challenge. I usually do it as a full out and back from Kentmere.

The trail across the top from Gatesgarth to Nan Bield is pretty nice too, not mad tech but there’s some really tricky bits.

outstanding!

duir – Do you continue on to Selside from the top of Branstree? Which direction from the top of Selside? All looks a bit indistinct on the map!

Looks indistinct on map but there is an obvious path for about 95% of it. First part is easy as you follow the fence up most of the way to Selside but the actual path moves around a bit so just stay on that. From Selside Pike there are several paths but they all seem to end on Highblake Dodd and Selside End then you are spat out onto the Corpse Road. It’s an odd one because as you leave Gatesgarth you cross a bog and it looks like it will be rubbish but the ground firms up as you climb and then it’s a strange path because it looks like it will be a boggy mess but when you ride it, it is pretty firm. The descent is wet muddy grass that is also oddly firm and grippy and mega fast then straight onto the Corpse road for more wide open fun. Of course the best finish is Haweswater Lakeshore path for an interesting and tech end to a long day but best to start from Burnbanks for that ride. Also worth doing later in the day when all the strangers have gone home as it’s a footpath!

@bungalistic (be much easier if you were in work, ha ha) – I’ve done Nan Bield to Haweswater two ways. First as a short blast from Haweswater, up Gatesgarth over harter fell and then down Nan bield to Haweswater. I’ve also done it as an epic from Staveley – up Garburn, along Ill bell and Mardale then drop down Nan Bield to Haweswater. Up Gatesgarth, then harter fell and down nan Bield towards Kentmere. It’s a bit of an epic, but it has loads of quality descending.

Descending to haweswater is an absolute tech fest, but on a good day it can make you feel like a riding god!

I love Nan Bield. It’s ace!

Brilliant photos – really capture the place and the experience.
That horse looks aggro…..

I’ll beat Gav to it:
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf9OHGDuCmI[/video]