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Anyone done this ride through the Lakes, and can you tell me a little bit about it? How long does it typically take? Can you wild camp it? Is there a decent guide book or website? Are the descents any good? Ta v much.
Dont let anyone tell you it's easy. If you do it 'by the book' the Wheelwrights route is good but hard. We did St Bees to Kentmere on the first day which is I think about 110km and millions of metres ascent. A great acheivement though and worth ticking the box.
C
the wheelwrights book is the one to get
we used packhorse to carry our luggage the 2nd time we did it, and it was much more enjoyable
the Lakes section up to day 3 is fantastic, then it becomes less rocky and more moorland type riding, ive cycled in loasd of places, but the c2c is still one of my favorites
ive got a full route in gpx format somewhere if you want it
Hi, did a version of the Coast 2 Coast last year. Used the Wheelwright guide as a basis, however modified the route through the lakes to more closely follow Wainwright's walking route as that takes a direct route through and is VERY mountainous.
Took me 6 1/2 days to complete. There are places you can wild camp (on the top of High St maybe??) but you will be glad of campsites and a descent shower every night!
Some of the descents are ace - Scarth Gap pass into Buttermere, Grisedale Tarn down to Patterdale, and loads more besides.
I did it towing a BOB trailer with tent & all my gear in for the week. Great to be self sufficient, but made some of it very hard work - like hauling it all up from Hartsop onto High St.
Still highly recommend it though.
Here is a link to the route I used....
[url= http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=woicbzhhtgvzlysz ][/url]
Have fun.
Avoid 'Harter Fell' 🙁
Unelss you like wading upto you thighs in peat bog while
man-handerling your bike.
Walmer Scar road is well worth the climb, and a great blast down to
Coniston.
Logistically Circular routes are much easier.
When you get to the top of Gatescarth Pass, carry on down, past Haweswater and then pick up the back lanes to get to Shap, rather than trudge through a bog for hours
....because that comes later on for days over the top of the North York moors? 😆
[i]Avoid 'Harter Fell'[/i]
Particularly if you're prone to Spoonerisms.
When you get to the top of Gatescarth Pass, carry on down, past Haweswater and then pick up the back lanes to get to Shap, rather than trudge through a bog for hours
I still get reduced to a quivering wreck whenever I see a signpost for Shap after struggling through that bog 10 years ago.
I did the ride 3 yrs ago with 3 others. Was....."character building".
We did B&B's and had a support van to haul the kit. Took 5 days and it was a real joy......even through the tough weather.
Just be prepared for some very high level, open areas and take kit accordingly.
I'd do it again, gladly. Just prepare well and use a GPS!!
If you have Tracklogs I can give you the route we followed. 225 miles, 28500 feet of ascent IIRC.
Black Sail is the bit that sticks in my mind....70mph winds and horizontal rain.....great!!
took us 4 1/2 days and was one of the best rides i ever done. travel light and make sure you got some good maps. All the youth hostels on route are good but get them booked early. Also make sure you book your bikes on train if thats how you plan to get to st bees.
Oh yeah we just carried all our gear in our bags to keep cost down, one change of clothes for a night and change underwear for each day.
Used the Tim Woodcock route for a quick blast across, hoped to do it in 3 days but had a mare on the 3rd day finished it in 3.5.
You need as much daylight as possible as riding @ night with packs on and being very tired hurts!
Here are some pics to inspire you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/sets/72157624943948623/
Walna Scar Rd
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5036686847_2691053b9a.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/5036686847/ ]Walna scar Rd[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
If you have Tracklogs I can give you the route we followed. 225 miles, 28500 feet of ascent IIRC.
I'd be interested in the route if possible please. Thanks!