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I ride round there a fair bit so am familiar with garburn and nan bield.
If the weather holds this Thursday, I'm thinking I'll go straight on at the top of garburn to do Yoke and Ill Bell having never done this route before. I'll come back down nan bield.
Is this route super technical? Or is the riding ok? I don't mind a bit of push/carry.
I've got to do it within nursery drop off and pick up plus driving to/from Blackpool so realistically I've got 5 hours. Enough time?
Am I going to get grief from walkers? I've had a couple of run ins recently and can't be bothered with more!
Cheers for advice!
Ill Bell is hands on ascent, without a bike. Be effin hard to get a bike to the top, but no doubt it has been done many times. If going North the climb will be easier, but you have a difficult descent.
Yoke, Ill Bell, and Froswick each have a track on the western flanks that are trouble free. North of Garburn it can be bottomless marsh over Buck Crag.
Driving from Blackpool might be cutting it fine in 5 hours. Presumably you are going from Kentmere. Parking is extremely limited there, unless the church field is open, which it isn't always because the council don't want to encourage tripper cars in the valley.
I normally park at ings and spend 3-4 hours round garburn, green quarter, longsleddale etc.
I was planning on going up dubbs road, then keeping going once at the top of garburn.
Is this route super technical? Or is the riding ok? I don’t mind a bit of push/carry.
Not super tech, no. But it has a few tasty bits that are all rideable without dabs.
Depending on personal ability, fitness etc... You can ride right up to the wall on Yoke then its a hike a bike till it levels off. Ill Bell is a bit of riding then another carry as is Froswick. Up to Thornthwaite Cragg is mostly rideable, but make sure you head right up to the Beacon and then follow track towards High Street. Then double back over the moor onto Mardale Ill Bell and down to Nan Bield. You can cut the corner but this (imo) is a better option. Usually takes us about 3 hours from Ings, Dubbs Road, above loop and then back down Nan Bield to Green Quarter. So I'd say your a little ambitious getting from Blackpool, riding proposed loop and back in 5 hours (assuming its an hour each way) Suppose from Green Quarter you could ride the lanes back to Staveley as this would be quicker (but a lot less fun) than Kentmere and Grassgarth.
Another option would be start at Dubbs Road, do the proposed loop and in Kentmere head back up the Garbun. Then its a quick descent back to the car. Ascending the East side of the Garburn is a bit of a Biatch though
Ah no, I mean I've got 5 hours riding 👍
I've looked back at some old posts on this route, there's talk of the path which contours to the west of yoke, Ill bell and froswick which I've now spotted on the OS map. I'm thinking I'll do that. I'm not after a gnar fest as such, just need to expand my usual haunts a bit.
So an I likely to encounter any militant walkers? I cba with that!
Ah, 5hrs riding you'll be fine. Loop we do is normally about 4:40ish
Dunno if this will work - https://www.strava.com/activities/2436260382#61418741622
Never had any issues with walkers in the Lakes. Most can't believe you carry a bike up a hill for enjoyment and then ride down stuff they're struggling to walk
That looks about right 👍 only I won't do sadgill, probably HP and then back over to ings dependant on time.
I had a run in on the unmarked path on Wansfell which made me feel like a naught little boy despite being more or less 40. I just CBA with the bother.