Weekend in the Lakes with mates in a couple of weeks, staying south of Keswick. Usual pattern is all MTB riding, shortish route Friday afternoon (eg Borrowdale Bash), then all day (ish) hike-a-bike-up-a-mountain-or-two ride on the Saturday, then something shorter/easier on the Sunday before we all head our separate ways.
But (and I think I'm probably alone amongst the group here!) I quite fancy bringing the gravel bike too and possibly doing a gravelly-type (or even tarmac 😱) ride ...
So, what are some good route options? Don't really need MTB recommendations as others will have those routes planned. But anything of a 4hours-ish gravel or road nature? (saw a route PostieRich put up in response to a similar thread a couple of weeks back, which I might have a closer look at)
Last weekend mainly consisted of these two routes
BorrowdaleBash with a bit of cheeky
https://www.strava.com/activities/1830312627
4 passes if you find some 1 week old Oakley reading glasses in a black case they are mine somewhere between Wasdale Inn and Styhead 🙁
https://www.strava.com/activities/1830309439
Enjoy
Google 'Lakeland Monster Miles' It is an event but route is downloadable, sounds like what you describe.
Going to the best Trail centre in the country, and riding a gravel bike? sod that!
Going to the best Trail centre in the country, and riding a gravel bike? sod that!
Helpful ... But yeah, I know ... I can't quite make sense of myself for thinking along these lines! 😳🙄
I suppose I just want to mix things up a bit. So will be 2xMTB rides plus 1xgravel or road.
I guess you could also argue that the Lakes also offers some of the best road riding in the country, and I quite fancy tackling a road route with a number of the classic Lakes climbs ...
So, thanks for the suggestions all. Anyone else care to pitch in with a road loop, 4 hours ish?
From Keswick - along East side of Derwent Water to Grange, pick up bridleways along Cat Bells, briefly onto tarmac to Skelgill, then BW again on west side Cat Bells to Littletown. Over Newlands Pass to Buttermere, turn left and round back of the lake (you'll be fine sticking to the path along the lake side, just be polite), back to Buttermere hotels. Turn left and follow road along Crummock Water until you climb away from the lake to Lanthwaite (cattle grid) - look for the BW on the left which descends west through Lanthwaite Woods to the bridge at the bottom of Scale Hill. Turn left and go along the road then left and around the back of Loweswater to Waterend. Turn right and ride the road on the north east side of Loweswater to the 'broken road' turning left (NNW over Darling Fell and Mosser Fell) to Mosser. After Mosser turn right onto the 'broken road' over Whin Fell to Lorton. From there, pick your way over through Whinlatter, riding up the classic road climb and descending off road where you can.
The Kirkstile Inn at Loweswater is well placed for replacing lost fluids.
EDIT to above - the opposite way around that loop is possibly better.
Gravel lol
On the road 4 or 6 passes combo of whinlatter Newlands, honister just can't remember the order to get 6 in (some in both directions)