I’m (perhaps foolishly) thinking that Ullswater/Patterdale might be a slightly less busy part of the Lakes this bank holiday weekend. Can anyone tell me the best routes to do from there? My plan was a High Street loop if the weather is fine and my gf is feeling brave, or this ‘lakeside loop’ if not. Can’t find much info on either so far (=2 mins of googling) so any advice would be great!
Cheers
Mowgli

Aha. For future reference:
http://fattyres.co.uk/ullswater-circuit/
http://fattyres.co.uk/high-street-ullswater/

You can do Patterdale – Bridgend – Boredale Hause – Martindale – Sandwick then back along the lakeside BW. Probably more interesting than the A road, but a bit of a push up to Boredale Hause & some vague navigation over the top until you start the drop into Martindale. Could also go straight down through Boredale but I’d expect that’d be a bit of a dull descent (apart from the top bit).

The lakeside BW is a great bit of techy rocky trail but will be rammed with walkers on a BH so probably an idea to start later in the day.

If your girlfriend isn’t mega confident, most of the stuff up on High Street is a lot less techy than the lake-side path. The lake path will be really busy too as thepurist says – not ideal for when you are attempting steep, rocky stuff. It is great fun though.

Views from High Street are superb but the riding isn’t all that imo. It will probably be fairly boggy at the moment too I suspect.

Hellvelyn is another option, though the only descent I’ve done off it is Dollywagon which is very techy/steep.

We did the Lakeside path a few weeks ago on a sunny Sunday & it wasn’t to bad, then Hellvelyn but decending Dollywagon did end in a hospital visit for stitches for one of our group though 😯

The local Keswick Tuesday night group did Helvellyn last night,We decended via sticks pass,I had forgotten how good this downhill is,(Heading towards Greenside mine).

If your girlfriends not a technical rider, and you want to avoid the crowds,or steep rocky downhills,from Greenside mine Sticks pass would be a steep carry push climb,but then keep right over the “Dodds” and descend Brutts moss to the coach road,Dockray village to the Ullswater lakeshore back to Glenridding a classic route with a bit of everything.

Atechy option is the same route in reverse..hth

Hi, to get away from the touroids on a bank holiday here in Cumbria, I either go towards the Broughton Moor/Seathwaite area or shoot down to Sedbergh and do the Calf/Bowderdale valley. Both are usually pretty quiet.

High Street will be soggy and soft.
If looking for somewhere quiet, with a variety of trails and plenty other interest, Seathwaite +1 or Boot in Eskdale.
Mail me for route ideas if heading that way.

Thanks for your posts guys. Which Seathwaite are you talking about? The one at the bottom of Borrowdale?

Cheers

No, different Seathwaite, it’s the other side of Walna Scar, west of Coniston. The Broughton Moor I was on about is south/south east of there. There’s two routes I do down that way, one shortish one starting at Broughton Moor. The other, a clockwise route from Coniston, taking in a lot of the other one but finishing with Walna Scar. Maybe not one for your girlfriend?

Dodds will also be soggy and soft I imagine. Bearable going down, but a death-march slog up.
Quietest part of the Lakes is Back o’ Skiddaw (but shhh, don’t tell anyone). For a good not-too-techy route, head out from Keswick up the old railway to Thelkeld. then up past the Blencathra Centre to Skiddaw House. turn right (north east) down the river Caldew and follow it down to Mosedlae, then cruise back to Keswick through Mungrisedale and Thelkeld again, along the sustrans route.
Or if you want to go a bit larger and keep it simple, you can loop around to the north over the Caldbeck Fells and up Dash Falls. But be aware if your missus isn’t wanting to go too scary, the track south from Skiddaw House around Lonscale Fell is quite techy and exposed (and bl00dy brilliant) in places. But you can walk the scary bits and cruise on back down (but watch out for redsox below Latrigg)

ir_bandito, you think those areas will be quiet on a bank holiday? 🙄

I had some very fit mates over from Germany and stopped in Pooley Bridge
I was bolloxed so sent the up high street from the camp site
This was there reaction to the climb up from Pooley .

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5mIcDl5mH8[/video]

@GavGas

I’m thinking of heading up Helvellyn tomorrow from Threlkeld.

I guess Matterdale common will be a bog, so was thinking of taking the Old Coach Road to Dockray, then roads to Glenridding, then up Greenside Mine / Keppel Cove and then on up to the summit, then retrace my steps back to the Sticks Pass junction.

From there do I head North to Thirlmere or South and back home via Dockray and OCR?

Alternatively I’m open minded to the idea of carrying up Stciks from Thirlmere or Thirlspot / Wythburn