Hi
I’m planning a MTB route for our club in a few weeks from Keswick, looking for a 5/6 hour length ride for good riders.

We’re doing the Borrowdale bash route on a Friday afternoon, and Whinlatter on Sunday and looking on the map this only really leaves Helvelyn or Skiddaw for the Saturday as we want to ride from Keswick.

Last year we did a good loop around Skiddaw, and this is why I’m thinking about Helvelyn this year, have no experience on what the routes are like on the North side (i.e. a loop from Keswick). I’ve ridden Helvelyn before from Patterdale and this was a mostly ridable, but I don’t want to plan a route that’s un-ridable.

So any advice on routes would be greatly appreciated, if there’s anybody local to Keswick and fancies joining us for the ride we’ll be there on the 26th March.

Thanks
Mark

The routes from the north are grassy and will be very soft at the moment. When you did skiddaw loop did you head out around blencathra too. If not mail me for ideas.

You’ve got loads of options straight out of Keswick, depending on how radgnar you want to be, pretty much everything on the map goes pretty well. Anyway, Helvellyn, go to Wythburn on the road, into the forest, follow the lake, then left and up, onto the top, down to Raise, and keep going in that direction to Sticks Pass, left down Sticks back to the road and ride back to Keswick. Awesome ride and about the right length, will be fine weather wise, though sticks might be a bit slippery with water in places.

Cheers, I’ll have a look on the map now

If you want the best chance of riding a lot of the ascent rather than walking most of it……………

I’d go over to St Johns in the Vale and take the Old Coach Rd to Dockray. Just before you hit the tarmac rd down to Dockray take the bridleway on the right up to the Dodds (just about discernable) and then turn left on the main ridge and head up to Helvellyn.

I wouldn’t go down Sticks Pass unless you are a nutter, and I wouldn’t go up it unless you like very steep hike-a-bike..ing.

Not sure of the best way down….ask SFB

Wythburn is the climb/carry from Hell 🙁 The nicest way up is along the Old Coach Road and across Matterdale Common (the squelchy bit) to Great Dodd and then along the ridge, however, then you’re going to end up with a lot of road back to Keswick 🙁 I prefer to start from Peterdale/Glenridding.

ask SFB

cheers 🙂 Well, going S along the ridge naturally brings you to Dollywaggon and Grisedale Valley if you take in the summit, unless you turn back down Lower Man. I dislike the zigzags (Keppel Cove), and I’m told Sticks and Greenside is better but quite technical – I’ve only done that as a climb to date.

I wouldn’t go down Sticks Pass unless you are a nutter, and I wouldn’t go up it unless you like very steep hike-a-bike..ing.

It’s not too bad a carry, and it’s a fun descent, although I prefer the descent down to Glenridding – but getting back to Keswick via Dockray and the Coach Road is a bit of a drag.

Birk Side descent to the church is good, then you could cross the valley and head by Blea Tarn to Watendlath, over to Birkett’s leap (which you’re doing on Friday), Firth Wood, then up the Borrowdale Road back to Keswick.

ah yes, I’d forgotten about Blea Tarn! Also potentially very boggy as I recall, but the grassy zizags down to Watendlath are brilliant 🙂 Note there’s a fire road climb from Thirlmere which is better than the BW. Hang on, Birk Side ?? Mental!

What’s it like going south off Hellvelyn to Grisedale Tarn, then up a wee bit and then down ‘Great Tongue’ to Grasmere?

Staying in Grasmere in May so thinking ahead for route options.

That’s true Simon, coming over Blea Tarn will be very boggy, but it’s more fun than the road 😉

What’s it like going south off Hellvelyn to Grisedale Tarn, then up a wee bit and then down ‘Great Tongue’ to Grasmere?

I’ve never done Great Tongue as a downhill. The section from Grisedale Hause is fiercely rocky, though you might manage to ride bits of it. After that it’s a very steep grassy plunge – I imagine it would be easy to go too fast and then hit a wheel trap and go flying! Dollywaggon is paved with big rocks and wide drainage ditches which some claim to be able to ride, though I’ve never seen it done…

Sfbs routes are spot on,I would start from Ullswater lakeshore though as its the lowest point,(maximising the decent at the end of the day)and do the route via Dockray,Brutts Moss, Great Dodd,If you like a technical decent Dollywagon is the one,and as a whole is the most rideable circuit/option.

The first section over Brutts moss lends itself to a week or so of dry weather, or if your lucky a hard frost 😉

Faster and more flowey? then the zig zag downhill via Keppel Cove, and then the fantastic decent back to Glenridding and to the cars on the lakeshore. (free parking)

If you really must start from Keswick, I would ride along the Western side of Thirlmere (road) joining a Bridleway from Steel end farm to the top of Dunmail raise,from here its a carry to Grisedale Tarn. and then a real killer up Dollywagon!Its actually all stone pitched now and relativly easy to carry/walk up.

From the summit of Dollywagon follow the tops via Helvellyn to Great Dodd,there is a bail out option down sticks pass to StJohns in the vale although I would prefer the decent down Brutts moss and then joining the old coach road/Railway line back to Keswick..have a good one,its an epic!

Thanks for the advice so far guys
The initial route I had come up with was to use the old coach road, over towards Dockray then head south to Summit Helvelyn via matterdale common and head down birk side, and re-track the borrowdale bash route back to Keswick.

Reading the above this seems like a OK route, if so is there an nice 3 hour loop from KEswick we could do on the Friday rather than the Borrowdale bash?

if so is there an nice 3 hour loop from KEswick we could do on the Friday rather than the Borrowdale bash?

of course, the tour of Skiddaw 🙂
http://www.bogtrotters.org/route/showrouteframe2.php?route=296

Birkside is pretty fullon,and popular with walkers,if your then planning on the Bridleway over long moss past Bleatarn its Knee deep bogfest at this time of year…lol

no fun at all,your only route over to Watendlath is via High tove,although its much shorter it will still eat into your schedule..

The Coach road, and then along the old railway tracks would be my return route.. 😉

Bridleway over long moss past Bleatarn its Knee deep bogfest at this time of year…lol

as I recall we did it in summer (c.1998) and it was impossible to tell where the ground stopped and the tarn began 🙂

no fun at all

Come on Gav, it’s only a bit of mud 😉

As Gav says though, it’s a long drag over to Watendlath – the road will get you back to town in about 30 minutes, going over the tops by the tarn or High Tove probably takes around 90 minutes (depending on how squishy it is up there). Another option if you end up at Wythop Church – United Utilities have joined up the forest roads in the woods on that side of Thirlmere. Stop at the ice cream van once you hit the main road, then take a right into St Johns in the Vale and you can pick up the old road through the quarries.

hi guys from helvelyn to raise to stick down to thirlmere what is sticks like to ride is it all ridable thanks for your help , im going up birkside and down the sticks for a quick blast next week just wanted to no how much is going to be on foot,

I dabbed once on Sticks on a ride before Christmas (patch of ice) and pushed downa short section of gully, if I was riding it now I would be expecting to give the gully a go. Apart from that it’s all rideable and really good fun.

Just before you hit the tarmac rd down to Dockray take the bridleway on the right up to the Dodds (just about discernable)

It might be ‘discernable’, but we pushed practically every yard…

I dabbed once on Sticks on a ride before Christmas (patch of ice) and pushed downa short section of gully, if I was riding it now I would be expecting to give the gully a go. Apart from that it’s all rideable and really good fun

thanks

I dabbed once on Sticks

Same here, dabbed with my face and picked up some nice bruising. It was wet though, and I’m crap. It’s steep in places however and fairly straight downwards.

up birkside and down the sticks

I’d turn that around – it’s much better going up sticks and down birkside (although the section with the steps rattles your fillings a bit).

Just before you hit the tarmac rd down to Dockray take the bridleway on the right up to the Dodds (just about discernable)

It might be ‘discernable’, but we pushed practically every yard…

I was happy with my planned route until I read this! Is the bridleway from the coach road to Helvelyn really that bad?