Anybody ridden it? I know it was part of the Fred Whitton Challenge. Super tough or just tough? I'll be riding it after having done Kirkstone pass too but on a road bike.
Havent driven it for a few years so cant really remember it,.

Fantastic ride a nice technical descent, was sanitised a few years back mother nature sorted it out and it's getting rough again.

Excellent. Im excited about it. Riding from Penrith through to Patterdal, over Kirkstone, through ambleside to Wrynose then down to Seathwaite and onto Broughton In Furness. Hoping for decent weather now!

I've ridden it on a MTB with slicks, if you're lowest gear is 39 X 21 or something daft you might struggle but on a triple or a lower geared cassette you should be fine…

Fantastic ride a nice technical descent,

It's a horrible descent! I rode the Fred Whitton a month or two ago and my arms were sorer than my legs at the end 😆

Can you get to Wrynose without doing Hardknott first? I thought they were a single bit of road.

I'll be on a compact I reckon so hoping to be fine.
You can get to Wrynose without Hardknott if you approach from the east via Langdale. Part of me wants to ride down Hardknott just to ride back up it while I'm there. Not sure time will allow though!

Can you get to Wrynose without doing Hardknott first? I thought they were a single bit of road.

Only if you're coming from the West. From Ambleside you go over Wrynose then turn left down the Duddon Valley, rather than straight on over Hard Knott.

You'll be doing wrynose from the langdale side which is harder than the Fred Whitton route.

I've done it on 39×27 with flat pedals so you should be ok id say

I will be on 39 27. Couldnt remember my ratios for a moment there!!

A compact is a 34 or 36, 39 is standard gearing.

I stand corrected.

Langdale side is a long drag, steepest near the top. Harder than the other side (which the FW comes up) but easier than Hardknott in either direction.

Lovely fast roll along to Cockley Beck on the far side 🙂

I did the Fred Whitton a few weeks ago and from the Hardknott side Wrynose is quite rideable if you're semi-fit (mind you, I was off walking about halfway up). The descent down towards Coniston is superb/terrifying (bit of both). Probably scarier than most things I've tried on a mountain bike. Great cycling territory though.

It's a horrible descent! I rode the Fred Whitton a month or two ago and my arms were sorer than my legs at the end

Heheheh I love it one of my favourites.

What about carrying straight on through Cockley Beck, over Hardknott, then taking a left over Birker Fell, before turning south towards Ulpha and Bank End? Is Birker Fell worth a look too?

When we were kids, my friend burnt his leg on his rim of his racer when we stopped at the bottom of hardknott 😯

The descent heading down towards Langdale is easy to get carried away on, easy to get up to 60-mph and then hit a terrifying series of rutted tarmac!

You've got the toughest side to ride up and the descent into the valley between Hardknott and Wrynose is an awful on-the-brakes-the-whole-way one.

Very scenic though is the weather is half decent.

You've got the toughest side to ride up and the descent into the valley between Hardknott and Wrynose is an awful on-the-brakes-the-whole-way one.

I'd say thats the easiest/mellowest descent out of all of them. Maybe brake at the top where its steepest, but its off the brakes most of the way down cos it aint steep at all, it just carries you along towards the bottom of the valley at a fairly relaxing pace

I really like it.

I did the Fred a few years ago and I really enjoyed Hard Knott and Wry Nose. Well, the descents anyway! And the pride in getting up the buggers with a non compact double…

Are you going up Langdale or little langadale. The climb our of Langdale is not insignificant.

I failed to ride it with panniers and 36×28 as a teenager. We went back a year later and did Hard Knott and Wrynose both ways in a day, from Langdale.we were chuffed to do them….

Enjoy

Not reaaally bike related I know (sorry), but back in the 80s I did the RL Brown Road Rally which included Hardknott and Wrynose pass in the dead of night. At the time we had never even heard of the place – our times were respectable etc….

…next morning we drove back over both, just out of interest – could not believe how scary it looked in daylight! ! 😯

Well I rode Wrynose from the eastern side as per the above posts on Friday after Kirkstone Pass. It was tough but definitely enjoyable. I then rode on and did Hardknott which I thought was marginally easier. Thanks for the info anyway! The descents were pretty sketchy in parts and I hit 50mph pretty quickly!!

Fantastic ride a nice technical descent, was sanitised a few years back mother nature sorted it out and it's getting rough again.

I think Drac means Walna Scar. Wrynose is tarmac 🙁

are you coming down the Struggle, off the top of Kirkstone?

That's a good descent.

Yeah down the struggle in to ambleside. Nice and fast and pretty deserted of cars. Then along through to Skelwith Bridge and over Wrynose. Brilliant day.

Its a lot lot harder than Kirkstone. From the Little Langdale side its a long sustained drag and just when your legs are starting to protest the road swings left over a bridge and really kicks in. Had me weaving all over the road just to try and keep moving. (this was on a mountain bike with knobblies on) The really steep bit lasts about 200 yards but feels like miles. The drop down the other side is worth all the effort though. Hardknott from this side is simply terrifying and will rip the legs off you, much easier from the Eskdale side, well easier probably doesnt come into it, its mega hard in either direction but a real killer from the east.

I though Hardknott was easier than Wrynose to be honest. The most intimidating part was when you can see it rearing up in the distance. I agree with the part over the bridge. I could hardly pull the pedals round! Gave myself a nosebleed hauling up there which I only noticed on the way down when a woman pointed it out to me.

I think Drac means Walna Scar. Wrynose is tarmac

DOH! That's night shifts for you.

Whichever way you do it these are all epic climbs. Real sense of achievement if you can get over them. I'm dreading the day I have to get off and push, that will be a sure sign age is catching up with me. I've only ever done them on a mountain bike some times on knobblies and sometimes on slicks. Managed to stay out of the granny ring on my last trip over so was really pleased. Road bike will hopefully be purchased soon, cant wait to see how I get on with that.

We carried out a little experiment a few years back with 2 on MTBs and two on road bikes to see which would be best.

Article here

Im sure the extra gearing on a MTB would make it marginally 'easier' even with knobbly tyres? Maybe I'm wrong?

Just read that article. Interesting reading! I just assumed the lower gearing would allow more of a spinning approach, whereas on my road bike, there were times when I was wrestling with it to turn the pedals at all!!!

Well from DBs article the road bikes definately have it. Knobblies make a huge difference, I couldnt get over Wrynose or Hardknott without using the granny ring, however on a 1" slick I could do it in the middle ring. Weight saving on the road bike, coupled with the much skinnier tyres and larger wheels would seem to give it the advantage.