This is on my Lakes rides to tick off 😀

I’ve heard of Breasty Haw(?), is there a gps file etc or route guide that takes in a great natural Grizedale ride (circa 4hours).

The Vertebrate Publishing guide book has several in Grizedale. We did three routes from Satterthwaite last Easter. One included Breasty Haw but I don’t remember that descent in particular.

From Coniston ride round the lake and take the Bw climb from black beck cottage up through Lawson Park and on to low Parkamoor, hang a left and follow the Bw to Satterthwaite, turn Left at the road then R up and over breasty haw quick L then R at the road down the devils gallop. Road to Far Sawrey then Bw to lakeside. N along the lakeside track to Belle Grange and across to hawkshead then up to Moor top car park, take Bw Sw on forest roads then either 1st Bw descending NW or back.down the 1st climb of the day.

when you thinking of going as I have ridden it a few times

I’d recommend Parkamoor to High Nibthwaite, fast and rocky, great fun.

http://www.theedgecycleworks.com/mtbroutes/grizedale-parkamoor/
http://www.bike-treks.co.uk/content/route-guide-003-mtb-circuit-of-coniston-quality-descents-best-kept-secret-out.aspx
Credit this one to Lowey;
[url=https://flic.kr/p/75Av8b]Grizedale from Coniston[/url] by lowey.com, on Flickr

http://www.pedalnorth.com/content/tour-de-coniston

Having read the Vertibrate book I don’t rate it, plenty of stuff online and I have a folder full of old magazine routes which are the same if not similar to what’s in the book. As a regular Lakes rider I can pop into a bike shop for local updates 😆

Junkyard the 15th/noonish if your spare

Need a local guide for the best out of Grizedale to include some “enduro stages” i.e. off Carron Crag . Its my Nightride groups weekend away at Hellvelyn YHA or I would have joined you 🙂

Carron Crag? Got a gps file with that in?? If your plan changes we are there (camping) 8)

On that map above its the highest point in Grizedale Fp off the bridleway 100 metres then just follow the trail down! its pretty good!

Friday ?

I have to collect the kids so I cannot do that

Correction Sat16th (duh)

Make sure you get the decents grandad dad and the dentist in, the fox, and my fav is red mist.

If my bikes back by then i may be in the area. Ill keep checking in on this thread.

Damn I can do that 😉

Probably already in lakes but I will mail you direct to discuss and travel

I have ridden most of the routes mentioned

Make sure you do the Ickenthwaite descent an all. There’s quite a few gooduns around the Lawson Park area aswell.

That’s the problem with any guide book nowadays but I’ve ridden 4 routes in it and enjoyed all of them and you can’t ask for more than that.

Ickenthwaites been levelled – still fast and fun but not a patch on what it was. Trekster – Loweys route goes UP(!!!???) the fox and that is WRONG. If you’re there for a couple of days beeter to plan a couple of days riding rather than get it all in a oner (not ‘cos there’s that much just linking it together and geting some surrounding locales in too. If you’re doing the FP off carron crag do it early or late cos it’s a main waymarked walking route.

. Trekster – Loweys route goes UP(!!!???) the fox and that is WRONG.

Aye, some people like going the “wrong” way!!

Yep they do. Myself included, personal favourite being the nibthwaite – parkamoor, cracking climb!

There’s bway half way up the road after you pop out at the E end of the breasty haw bway that gets you back in the forest pretty quick so you can do the fox the proper way!

My ideal gd ride would be park at moor top head sw to pick up a bw called riverbed on strava. Turn r and pick up the first climb of the north face trail then keep going on fireroads until the bw to parkamoor is reached. Follow this all the way to Nibthwaite. Then climb back to the top keeping r on the track to head towards satterthwaite. Called grandad dad and dentist on strava. From satterthwaite climb to breasty haw. Up l on the road to find a otber bw back up. Then finally blast down red fox. If
Youve still got the legs head for a loop of claife…

thestabiliser – Member
Ickenthwaites been levelled

Oh eck; I used to ride it a lot when I was a youngster; the memories……

That’s the problem with any guide book nowadays but I’ve ridden 4 routes in it and enjoyed all of them and you can’t ask for more than that.

I can’t fault guide books too much. VGraphics introduced me to the Peak District and the routes were easily adaptable and a good introduction. The one we did out of the Lakes VGraphics one (Helvelyn) had us climbing up a never ending grassy/boggy field though so I’m reluctant to follow another of their Lakes ones 😐

I might be up for this horbags. I’ll see if I can get someone to cover my on-call but I absolutely love riding around Grizedale and know a fair bit of the good stuff.

The loop I’ve done before starts at Sawrey (just off the ferry). Up Claife Heights and then down an absolute ripper of a descent to Hawkshead. Up into Grizedale and either pick up the NFT to the visitor centre or climb and do either what I know as the riverbed BW towards to bottom of the black DH track or do the DH track itself. One thing I would say about the stuff off Carron Cragg is the FC let the likes of the PMBA series use it for races. Anything outside of races puts its use in jeopardy. Just saying…
Visitor centre for lunch and then a drag up on the NFT right up to Parkamoor Farm and then the BW all the way down to Satterthwaite (awesome). From here, turn right and head to Force Mills (?) on the road – its only about 1/2 a mile. Turn left here and then pick up the BW which climbs the hill to the left. BW loops over the top and comes down a really nice descent back into Satterthwaite. I think theres some cheeky DH runs in here as well. From Satterthwaite, up and over Breasty Haw (ace descent off the far side, especially the bit after the water splash as it twists and turns through the trees). At the road, turn left and then right (think this bit is called Devils Gallop/Hole In The Wall). We’ve just pootled along the road back to Sawrey from here…

The one we did out of the Lakes VGraphics one (Helvelyn) had us climbing up a never ending grassy/boggy field though so I’m reluctant to follow another of their Lakes ones

The bigger Parkamoor circuit in the Lakes VG guide is pretty good. No bog whatsoever. Just substitute in the first climb of the North Face Trail for the initial totally fireroad climb up to Parkamoor. It’s a relatively interesting way to gain height.

hora, iirc did you not once turn up for a stw ride at grizedale, then lurk around the carpark, then go home without riding?

Junkyard you still up for guiding some numpties this weekend

hora, iirc did you not once turn up for a stw ride at grizedale, then lurk around the carpark, then go home without riding?

Not me- we met in Stavely carpark- you guys did the descent down and I did the cheeky over the tops that brings you out at the start of Nan proper. I still don’t rate that descent for the long-arsed climb back up from the bottom.

DaveyBoyWonder – will email you

I’m still recovering from the viral/chest infection. I did a ride last Sunday- felt great then suffered all week. Wednesday at Bruntwood BMX I just couldn’t ride whilst my son did. Thats not like me 🙁

route I’ve done is daveyboywonders without the force mills/blind wood section. That’s a good loop.
Parkamoor to nibthwaite is also very good but with ickenthwaite being a bit pants now (and a trek) unless you’re going straight back up parkamoor tricky to fit into a loop.
Have done the fox, thought it was ok.

Interested in carron crag info. where to get on and where to descend to, discretion assured 😉

Ok I’m doing this tomorrow.

Looking at:

http://www.theedgecycleworks.com/mtbroutes/grizedale-parkamoor/
http://www.bike-treks.co.uk/content/route-guide-003-mtb-circuit-of-coniston-quality-descents-best-kept-secret-out.aspx

Which one should I ride? If I take my lakes map and print off is it easy to follow?

I’ve downloaded GPX viewer from google play. Is there a better one to use?

Other guidebooks do exist – Even if I do say so myself 🙂

http://www.northerneyebooks.co.uk/neb/books/lake_district_mountain_bike_routes.php

There’s a few in/around Grizedale/Coniston Water in this but think most of the good (mapped) stuff has been covered above.

Let me know if you want some GPXs from the book – should be able to sort.

Yes please. YGM

Locals will know best but IIRC blawith can get pretty boggy, weather’s been a bit erm, inclement of late, so I’d say stick with the grizedale route.

Which one should I ride?

The first one IMO.

The second one is OK, but only has the most flattened bit of the Walna Scar descent and misses the opportunity to go back to Grizedale via Tilberthwaite quarries and Iron Keld. The descent off Woodland Fell is nice, but I’d hardly call it one of the best secrets in the Lakes. There are ways to make it much better, particularly the section after WS.

However the first one is slightly harder to navigate in the forest. I would personally start at Moor Top and add in the Riverbed descent on the way to the climb to Parkamoor, but that adds a little more complexity.

IIRC blawith can get pretty boggy, weather’s been a bit erm, inclement of late

Yes, this too.

is this the riverbed?

Yes, that’s the start of it. Quite hard to pick out the connecting fire roads on 1:25000.

However the first one is slightly harder to navigate in the forest. I would personally start at Moor Top and add in the Riverbed descent on the way to the climb to Parkamoor, but that adds a little more complexity.

I really should buy a Garmin shouldn’t I.

The VG book is actually really good – has 1:50000 map sections alongside the routes, can help you work out your position. Took me a while to stop doing massive unnecessary fire-road loops to get from a to b.

Looking again at the first route, it looks pretty good even without any extras. It’s got Parkamoor to Nibthwaite, a nice drop back into Satterthwaite, BreastyHaw/Great Wood, and Boulder Alley to finish, which are all excellent descents.

Ah, the Grizedale riverbed, AKA Titties Track… 😀

That riverbed descent is awesome. Dead fast and dead rocky. Only actually cleared it twice without a pinch flat!

You’re not doing it that fast if you have to keep stopping to fix punctures.