Are there any people on here with local knowledge of the Western Lakes, with suggestions for short-ish MTB rides, not the 4 Passes-type of all-day adventures. I am frequently staying up there over night for work (not at Sellafield, I hasten to add), and there is no shortage of road rides, any two of Whinlatter, Newlands, Honister, Coldfell, Hardknott, Birker and Corney Fell make great evening loops, but it seems less straightforward off-road.
There is Whinlatter, of course, but no-one wants to ride a trail centre every week; I know of a nice but short route around Loweswater; Ennerdale is a little ‘boring’ on the MTB, and the Southern footpath is hardly ridable; a few good trails through the wood on the Northern shores but short. The Dent has lovely singletrack, and from Wasdale or Eskdale, one can get to Burnmoor tarn and down into Miterdale and/or over Irton Fell, probaly one of my favorite rides in the whole of the Lakes, but again, a little more variation would be great.
I tried the bridleway heading South from the top of Hardknott and around Harter Fell last night but gave up after 1/3 of it, only ridable in a few places.

Is the bridleway West at the top of Harker Fell past Devoke Water ridable? Tried the bridleway from Coldfell around Lank Rigg once but very boggy, and hard to string a loop together. I also explored Muncaster Fell once but a lot a tree felling lately, so not sure what the state of the trails are.

Are there any hidden gems/routes in the Western Lakes that I have missed so far that one could ride in 1.5 to 2.5 hours after work. Oh, I tried Scarth Gap Pass recently, and also the back of Fleetwidth, but they are out and back rides, because as soon as one crosses into another valley, the ride will be >2hours. Borrowdale probably a bit too far away…
Thanks, Sven

Western Lakes midweek = get off the bridleways onto the you know whats….

Are you prepared to hike/push or do you just want to ride. Boxelder and Parkedtiger should hopefully pop up on this thread in the next 24 hours.

Is the bridleway West at the top of Harker Fell past Devoke Water ridable?

I have it on very good authority that it’s abysmal; basically a right of way by name rather than presence on the ground, and it’s marshy as hell.

it’s marshy as hell

Going over high, relatively flat grounds past a Lake makes it almost feel wet/marshy on the map, but thanks for confirming.

Are you prepared to hike/push

No problem with hiking/pushing, ideally with some reward on the other side…

I only avoid footpaths on sunny weekends when riding in groups of more than three in densely-populated areas, so should be fine for mid-week evening rides in the Western Lakes. Have to admit that I haven’t tried to explore the footpaths around Grizedale Pike much.

Thanks so far already!

Grisdale pike- use the whinlatter south red to get to it’s high point, then push up through the trees to join the FP, taking that to the summit. From there, descend to hobcarton end and down back to whinlatter. Nice short evening ride with a summit. Also, park at crummock water, ride/push up gasgale gill, across to wandope and down whiteless pike into rannerdale.

Maybe too far east (but you mention Whinlatter). Loop from Keswick – railway line – Threlkeld – Glenderraterra – Lonscale Fell – Latrigg – is a nice, mellow little ride.

What TomB said, plus Grasmoor down towards Crummock is also an okay descent. The front of Grisdale Pike (down Slate Howe) is also excellent, or off the back down towards Force Crag Mine and into Braithwaite. Another quickish loop out of Braithwaite is up Stoneycroft and either down Rigg Beck or over and down Causey Pike, (the latter is the more techy / interesting option). You could also try heading up Gasgale Gill / Crag Hill / Sale / Sale Beck to Buttermere.

They’re all options that require a little hikeabiking and are best ridden after 2/3 pm to avoid walkers.

There is a loop around Ennerdale for starters. There are lots of trails around the Dent area, Uldale and up to Heckbarley etc.

Park at Crummock, one of the car parks north of Buttermere village, and head up Gasgale gill and follow path over Whiteless pike, descending down to rannerdale (on the right) when almost at the bottom.

2.5 hours no probs, and lovely and quiet of an evening.

Thanks very much, I will certainly explore Grizedale and more around Crummock/Buttermere, always considered this to be 5 hours+ territory… I have done Threlkeld before (but maybe too far to drive), and ride the loop around Ennerdal up to Black Sail YHA in the winter on the CX, not too exciting for the MTB, been to Heckbarley but thanks for the suggestions.
I always feel that rest of England = BW->boring to interesting and FP->nice and technical, but in the Lakes, BWs are often enough not rideable, that’s why I probably avoided footpaths there, that shall change…
Sven

@ Nobeerinthefridge- you enjoyed your evening on Whiteless then?

Could I cheekily recommend http://www.walking-books.com/Lake-District-Mountain-Bike-Routes-22-Classic-Routes-in-the-Cumbrian-Fells-and-Dales.html

Email me if you want GPXs or similar

Enjoy

That part of the Lakes is rapidly becoming my favourite for riding. You could do-

Whiteless Pike

Warnscale (this is my go-to ride if time is tight in the Northern Lakes)

Grisedale Pike

And a bit further east, but within very easy reach of Whinlatter (and extra 5 minutes drive) is Skiddaw, which if you pushed up and back down the Ullock Pike way would be about 3 hours. Or push up for an hour and a half then turn around, if you miss of the scree slope at the top you still get the best of the ride.

Or a little loop through Longside Wood towards Dodd then down Carl Side.

Or you could even go up from Stoneycroft, then left up to the ridge between Causey Pike and Sail then north east down Sail, then north towards Stile end and down to Braithwaite.

If you want full routes let me know and I’ll sort you out by e-mail. Much of this stuff is cheeky by the way. Cheeky, but good.

Lovely pics. Good call for Ullock Pike- if you ride up Dodd and then up Carlside and just do the ridge, missing Skiddaw out, it’s easily done in 2 hours.

Thanks, all, very helpful, just spent the last 30min following all those suggestions on the OS maps; many of the routes are just another reason to stay at the Kirkstile Inn more often, so not a bad thing…

TomB – Member

@ Nobeerinthefridge- you enjoyed your evening on Whiteless then?

I did TomB, had a fantastic weekend, and thanks for pointing me down the singletrack down Scar Beck, was nice to get spat out of a lovely bit of trail right at the car!.

We were a wee bit late on friday night, so never started riding til 7, took exactly 2.5 hrs, although had a bit of an innocuous start taking the very low path up the side of Gasgale Gill, which is a bit slower.

Starting so late we had either the choice of dinner or riding. Riding won, dinner was crisps, nuts and corby blonde in the Scafell hotel. 😀

Then next day we had corking day up Langstrath-Stake pass-Angle Tarn-Sprinkling Tarn and the awesome descent to Stockley Bridge. Cake in Flock Inn, then up Watendlath and back to Rosthwaite to finish the day.

Weather looked foul for the sunday, so we hatched a beer fueled plan to head up Skiddaw and Ullock pike with the reasoning that it would be quiet due to the weather. Worked out perfectly, mega windy on the summit, but down onto Longside it was perfect again.

A fantastic weekends biking, although I never had my head out the trough all day monday!.

Another one which I’m having a recce of this weekend is Hobcarton to the north of Grizedale Pike- it’s on Open Street Map but not OS and is apparently worth a go.

I’ll post pics up later, when I suss out how to do it on Flickr now that it’s changed for the gazillionth bloody time!.