[Closed] 3 days in Keswick

That'll keep you going.
Skiddaw ride can be extended or cut short via a multitude of possibilities. All the way out round Mungrisdale and back in up Whitewater Dash or cut it short and just do the up and down the valley (route in current MBR (which they must have rehashed dozens of times...))

Borrowdale bash is about 3-4 hours, not a whole day. Otherwise Helvellyn or High Street?

Try Walna Scar Road loop from Coniston, not a full day jobbie, but a killer climb followed by an awesome descent, with 2 or 3 pubs at the bottom. Awesome. Try doing it during daylight hours though, not ending at 9pm like i did!!! 😆

Cheers for the ideas so far guys, keep them coming! Don't really want to drive too far TBH think I'll try the Coniston ride as a day trip from home.

If you have a spare hour, do Barrow near Braithwaite, it's a class descent and a very short ride. Park Uzzicar, head up the old mining track towards Sail, head off right when you've got behind Barrow and climb up onto the top. Waz down then turn right when you get to the wall and follow the path back to the road and you'll be able to see your car up ahead.

The descents is very fast, bumpy, grass, with a few steep bits, absolute hoot! Note it'll only take an hour, so you've no excuse!

Dodd Wood below Skiddaw is ok too, fire road up to the top, then there's a footpath down.

Grisedale Pike down the wall or off Hobcarton into Whinlatter are both really good desecents, worth tagging onto the South Loop of the Altura trail.

If you don't mind riding cheeky trails, the footpath off the top of Skiddaw down to the Allerdal ramble is sublime! A bit technical in places so wise to reign it in a little on the blind brows but absolutely marvellous.

Sanny

So you've heard, eh Sanny?! 😉

for a full days riding, do a figure of 8 from Ambleside with Jenkin Crag and Toutbeck in the am and Loughrigg/Oxen Fell/Loughrigg Terrace in the pm.

marvelous.

Anyone got GPX or MMO files for the routes mentioned? Sound like some good ones.

Email is in profile.

ta

try the vertebrae graphics Lakes book

Don't take a group on paulrockcliffe or sanny's suggested routes at a weekend please. They're all popular footpaths and will cause a kerfuffle. Fine at quieter times, but weekends are asking for it.
Only my opinion obviously.

I think your choice is spot on, both Borrowdale & Skidaw can be done form Keswick without transporting bikes.

Yes they are footpaths, both are wide enough and quiet enough that you won't cause any kind of kerfuffle. And honestly, if anyone is going to work themselves into a kerfuffle over such trivial things, it really is their problem, not yours.

I've ridden most of the footpaths in the area and mostly at weekends and never had a bad word said against me, walkers really aren't that interested. The only issue I've had was doing the run off Cat Bells on a Saturday afternoon in July, I had to stop for an hour above a set of switch backs as there was a steady stream of Lemmings coming up.

I don't know what it's like round your way, but generally walkers are pleasant and have been known to treat us like minor celebrities for getting our bikes to the top of x, y or z. Japanese and American tourists especially love us on top of Helvellyn. No one has ever raised the issue of whether they think, or the civil law thinks, we should be up there.

Think I'll put up a chair for this one! 😆

I don't know what it's like round your way, but generally walkers are pleasant and have been known to treat us like minor celebrities for getting our bikes to the top of x, y or z. Japanese and American tourists especially love us on top of Helvellyn. No one has ever raised the issue of whether they think, or the civil law thinks, we should be up there.

Totally agree. I've been riding Lakes and N England for years, and have never had trouble with walkers. Only trouble I have seen is when a bunch of wanna be dahnillas flew along Loughrigg Terrace in full armour and full face masks expecting everyone - including me - to get out of their way. 2PM on a sunny Saturday isn't the place for that!

This walker/cyclist argument seems to be(dare I say it?)a southern phenomenon.

This walker/cyclist argument seems to be(dare I say it?)a southern phenomenon.

Only had one disagreement with a walker in all the years that I've ridden on Dartmoor. I'd suggest that you're wrong.

I'd go as far to say that Mountain Bikers are more bothered about whether they're on a footpath or not than the walkers they meet these days.

BTW, the way I suggested getting up to Barrow appears to be a footpath on my OS map, yet it is an old mining track, built so horses could get stuff off the mountains, when did the Lemmings steal that one back???

Agree with all of the above. Lakes walkers are in my experience a fairly relaxed and chilled out bunch of folk. Almost universally, they're more likely to look on at you as a wee bit mental as you ride the mountain paths than the first stage in the decline of western civilisation as we know it. Cheery hellos and manners make a massive difference to walker biker relations.

Boxelder

Fair comment though I have to admit that we rode the cheeky Skiddaw stuff on a Bank Holiday weekend without any bother. Yup I know there is a greater probability of potential conflict but the weather was too nice not too! 😀

I found myself to be a minor celebrity on top of Helvellyn on Monday. Was inundated with walkers having the "crack" with me.

Not being a local though, I dont ride footpaths in the lakes... It really is a popular area and I've never really considered doing so. Basically, my rule is keep it legal in national parks but fair game everywhere else.

I'm local to Keswick and have been riding footpaths for many years. I'm not saying don't do it. I just don't think it's wise to point groups of riders, who are obviously unfamiliar with the area, to popular footpaths, when there are plenty other options.
Stuart (OP), there are some really good trails in the Caldbeck Fells, which turn the tour of Skiddaw into a superb figure 8 ride - follow the old railway to Threlkeld, head up Glendaraterra valley to Skiddaw House, turn R and head east down Mosedale, turn L on the road to Hesket and follow tracks/paths round by Fellside to Longlands (near Overwater tarn). Then climb up whitewater Dash back to Skiddaw House, traverse the sublime singletrack on Lonscale Fell and finish with whoops down Latrigg. hrelkeld.