Too many people. Never heard so much tutting and never got so many "looks" before. One bloke even made a point of closing the gate he was holding open as I approached, huffing and puffing up a climb...Tosser.
You went there on a bank holiday, what the hell do you expect.
🙁 Going up at the end of the month for a long weekend. Not been before and your not selling it to me. Thought this was going to be one of those sarcastic posts with lots of photos of challenging climbs and glorious endless decents.
The trick is to avoid the bits that are popular with walkers 😉
Or not go on a bank holiday weekend! The tourists really can hack you off around these parts - we seem to attract more than our fair share of selfish and ignorant types. Whether they think no one actually lives and works in the region, and everyone is on holiday (hence no need to let you past on the road where there are no/few overtaking opportunities) or they just don't care I don't know. It's the same on the fells half the time too.
In general if you avoid the immediate areas around Ambleside, Keswick, Windermere things aren't so bad. Coniston isn't as bad, probably as it is a bit further from the M6 and they can't be arsed to drive that far. For riding I always loved the South West corner - did a ride out of Coniston and once we hit Torver I don't think we saw anyone until we came back down Walna Scar on a Summer bankholiday one year, magic!
Otherwise try the far western fells (Eskdale, Wasdale etc), the Northern fells avoiding Keswick/Skiddaw or the far eastern side (Ullswater right down through Troutbeck, Stavely, and the eastern side of Kendal).
Sometimes I wish there were less holiday makers in these parts... but then there would also be less work for me. Ah well - guess I have to live with it. Off to Coniston now to see what has been dropped down the bogs at the campsite and ****ed a pump!
Just go up! I rode around Ullswater a few years ago and must have seen about three people. Hard climbs with rocky fast descents. Great fun and must have been riding for at least three hours.
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All depends where you go.
Been going for years and it is mostly good.
I am sure the walkers get just as p`d off with ignorant mtbers. I watch in disgust sometimes at the conduct of some of our fellow enthusiasts :cry:and it seems to be getting worse.
We saw loads of walkers by Ullswater on Sunday. All of them seemed happy to see us and chatted as we rode past. I don't really see it as an issue.
Trick is knowing where/when to go.
I did a ride once setting off at 6am from Ambleside on Easter Monday and, until we got back to Ambleside mid-afternoon, we hardly saw a soul.
There's certain trails I'd avoid anyway at that sort of time regardless of legality - as RobS says it's just a matter of knowing the honeypot areas to avoid.
Just to be clear, wasn't just up there for the weekend, I was up there all last week, but yeah, family were camped at Borrowdale, so most riding was being done round there, so nil points for location. Don't get me wrong, for techy riding it was great, just some of the folk, blimey... 😯
I stayed up in the Coniston area this time last yr and got zero aggro, the trails were pretty grockle free 🙂 (It did p*ss down all week which probably helped 😉 )
Yep, on the days that it slashed down (and there were many) it was delightfully walker free, on the sunny days however...
Spent a fortnight there this year and rode in several places. Zero aggro from anyone, in fact plenty of good natured chat from the walkers on the Ullswater singletrack.
Massively busier with walkers than Dartmoor though.
I like it
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