I'm off up toi the Lakes tomorrow with my brother for a long day in the saddle. It's very rare, with family commitments, that we are able to get out together so we want to make it a good one.

We've always heard good things about High Street. We've got a few old route guide books and one of them (Jeremy Ashcroft's Mountain Bike Guide) has a route which starts and finishes in Hartsop. It goes via Hayeswater, The Knott, High Raise, Red Crag, Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike, The Cockpit, Howtown, then back through Sandwick, along Ullswater, Patterdale and back to Hartsop.

The route is about 20 miles and the guide book says 6 hours. It looks like a great route. I've ridden the south bank of Ullswater from Pooley Bridge, some great tracks which I seem to remember weren't too boggy. My only concern is that the guide book and route are 209 years old. I'm guessing plenty can change in that time, not only the condition of tracks and rights of way. I remember when we first started mountain biking at that time that we thought nothing of carrying the bike for quite long stretches. I'll a little less keen for that now!

It'd be really helpful if anyone has ridden this route (or parts of it) recently. Be good to know the route is rideable.

Thanks!

yes it's still there, yes it's brilliant IMO, though many on here slag it off and say it's too boggy on top to be any fun (tarts)

Route here: * route * (Note the kink at Martindale, and the track from Side Farm to Hartsop)

Route still exists and is ridden regularly. Did it myself a few weeks back.

Only thing I'd change is the return. Coming back along Ullswater at this time of year is a total PIA. It will be full of walkers with dogs, kids and other assoted paraphernalia all designed to slow you down. A much better return is to come back from Howtown via Boredale, and Boredale Hause. Boredale is as quiet a valley as you'll find anywhere and is just so lovely. The top 400 yards are a definite push up to Boredale Hause, but then you've got a superb downhill back to Hartsop. Look it up on the map; it's well worth taking.

I can't agree about the lake shore – yes there are people, but for the most part they stand aside (and even applaud) as you ride past 🙂

I can't agree with you. Boredale is a much better return.

barnes is wrong …………as usual
boredale boredale boredale……. 😉

Try starting (and finnishing) from troutbeck.Ok, there is some hike a bike early on to join up high street at the knot but the descent back down at the end of the ride is (along with walna scar,coniston) one of the best in the lakes.imho 😀

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I think we're definitely game-on for the route. Thanks for the map links, SFB. All loaded in the GPS so no excuse for nav. problems now!

I had looked at starting at Troutbeck, (thats in the other Jeremy Ashcroft Lakes book) but it seemed to have a little more road riding as well as the hike-a-bike. One for the future!

Good to go now despite the slight delay of a completely seized X9 rear mech lower jockey wheel! An hour dismantling and regreasing the 'sealed' bearing and it's moving again. I think I'll be looking for a better after market replacement or ditching SRAM in future.

When I told my Sister-in-Law I was posting to get some advice on the route she said "Who'll be checking the internet at this time on a Saturday night?"

How little she knows about the Singletrack massive!

Cheers guys!

too boggy on top

They must be tarts, when I did it I don't remember very much bog at all.

if you don't like the LITTLE amount of bog that there is then you wouldn't ride anywhere up north

If you've never done it follow the bridleway round the lakeside. You'll only miss one of the best trails in england if you don't do it. I'd nomally advocate doing it out of peak hours but if you haven't got that opportunity just do it. The descent from Boredale Hause is boring in comparison.

The descent from Boredale is really not all that great (mind you I didn't really rate High Street overall, and it wasn't that boggy when I did it).

The things about High Street are:
a) it's fantastic to be so high up for so long, with excellent views all round
b) there's an amazingly fast grassy downhill from Arthur's Seat that just goes on and on
c) the lake shore is very technically challenging

as for Boredale, I think the name tells you enough about it, but by all means try both and see which you prefer 🙂

a) it's fantastic to be so high up for so long, with excellent views all round

I'd certainly agree with this.

but by all means try both and see which you prefer

I suppose it depends on how much applause you are looking for.

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