i am currently in grasmere YHA after our first day (his day 3) of tim woodcocks coast to coast route. tim obviously enjoyed pushing a bike up 50% of the route distance.
can anyone a suggest diversion where you actually ride a bike for the majority of the time over enjoyable off road terrain?
I used to ride a fair bit with Tim around the time he was writing the books (quite a few years ago)and I suppose he was pretty fit back then, but maybe the trail has deteriorated over the (10 or 15) years since the book was written.
I completed the c2c a few days ago soon as you hit the dales you can ride a lot more in fact it becomes excellent
You're on the wrong route - you should have done the C2C!
What's left?
Bit of pushing on Garburn, up Sadgill and on the boggy section through Mosedale.
Bit more up towards Tan Hill and that's about it, although the road section from Richmond to Osmotherley isn't much fun.
I don't think there's any route across the Lakes that doesn't involve pushing.....
The (off road) Route with the Minimum of Push/Carry from Grasmere would be
1 Garburn pass to stile end (all rideable)
2 Road down Longsleddale (relativly flat)
3 Bridleway uphill to a6 from Garnett Bridge (wetish track through fields)
4 North on A6 to Moser picking up the old road/Bridleway via Thorn Cottage,Ashtead Farm,to Borrowdale.(you have the option of the a6}
5 Borrowdale Valley to Tebay via Bridleway,(exellent hardpack and fields)
From here its pretty sraight forwards,if boggy! following any of the traditional coast to coast Bridleways,The lakes is the hardest day by far.
hth 😉
You have another option of a carry from Dunmail raise pass (from Grasmere road north)up the footpath to Grisedale tarn,from Here its an exellent technical Bridleway to Grisedale valley.
1 Ullswater Singletrack southern side of Lake to Sandwick,
2 Road to Martindale church (top of hause)
3 Bridleway decent to Mellguards
4 Bridleway climb to Moor divock Askham fell
5 track south towards setterah park
6 Roadwork via lanes to Bampton picking up the old concrete road just east of Haweswater dam to Keld and then Shap
7 Theres some great Bridleways following the Motorway from Ravenstonedale to Tebay.
This is a slower more technical route than the above but maybe more fun depending on what your defenition of "enjoyable" is hth 😉