[Closed] Top 3 Au Naturale downhills

Carn Ban Mor. No contest.

NW in no particular order

rushup edge following on to roych clough (and them big drop-offs :-))
the beast
garburn to kentmere

Yup Walna and Garburn rate as my two of my highest and heard great news from friends last night that Walna suffered badly in the floods and snow. It's washed out even more so the tameness they put in a few years ago is pretty much gone.

In the North West of England, the ones I have done and would recommend:

1. Walna Scar
2. Parkamoor
3. San Marino descent (Winter Hill)

There have been loads of other recommendations of here, quite often from SFB and the Bogtrotters lot, who have some great routes around the Lakes. I've got some on my 'list' for this year.

Looking slightly further afield, then I'd definitely include Snowdon Ranger path, although its a big push up there and loads of cracking stuff around the Dark Peak: Edale Cross to Hayfield, Beast, Potato Alley, Lockerbrook, Cavedale, Cut Gate, Chapel Gate, Rushup Edge. Not wanting to diss the Peak, but if you are after big, steep, rocky descents then Lakes or preferably MUCH further north will be better.

+1 for Carn Ban Mor, absolute belter.
You could probably fill the list entirely with some of the long ones around Torridon.
Some of the Quantocks tracks, too. Short and sweet.

North Lakes:
Skiddaw...Ullock Pike
Fleetwith Pike to Warnscale
Rigg Beck

Pah it has to be
Route du sel
Col vieux chateaux queyras
"le centre du monde"

From the ones I;ve done

Legal

Snowdon Ranger
Walna Scar
Then a toss up between Moor Lane, Nan Bield and Gatescarth

Cheeky

Grisedale Pike to Braithwaite
Ullock Pike (on the list this year)
San Marino

1. Garburn to Limefitt Park (faaaast)
2. Walna Scar (Drac, it has indeed had a lot of stuff washed out with the floods, much better now.)
3. BW from Lawson Park to Bank Ground in Grizedale. (Always puts a big grin on face)

Dave, where in Preston are you mate ?

Did you not enjoy carn ban more Juan? Shame there were no views the day we were up there

Can bar more was nice TJ but needed more hairspins. Plus it can't compare with any of the three I have mentioned.

Hmmm...

Megavalanche Qualifier
Walna Scar Road
Garburn Pass either way

I think this sort of thread should be run every other week - it always spurs me on to plan some big days.

Is Garburn Pass natural? I think it's man made. And then many years of natural decay has made it what it is today.

Kick ass plenty of inspiration cheers guys keep it comin.

cant comment on what walna scar was like before the snow but did it a about a week ago and it was pretty special made garburn feel like a walk/ride in the park...

Especially when I lined up next to a land rover defender at the top before dissapearing in a blur of dust, grins and thrills never to see them again.

peachos anywhere i can get some details of the route that covers rushup edge

Is Garburn Pass natural?

None of them are actually 'natural' - it's just a term used to mean 'not purpose built for mountain biking'.

hmm - I forgot Hobcarton (off Grisdale Pike) didn't I 😕

what Lowey said
Snowdon Ranger
Walna Scar
Then a toss up between Moor Lane, Nan Bield and Gatescarth
You need to do san Marino as well
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=366305&y=414690&z=120&sv=366305,414690&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=772&ax=366305&ay=414690&lm=0

cheeky route both up and down.

decent off mount keen north side. Just make sure your technical skills certificates are up to date ! so natural there isnt even a trail perse

kilbo path -dropping into glen doll - is the bottom of that really natural though 😉

strathyre dh track - natural trails taped out for racing - so many strugled - i managed to place mid pack on a fully rigid hardtail with 1 brake !

Can you tell i like Technical riding ?

parkdtiger knows the score.

Junkyard - Did san marino a few weeks back but it was sheeting it down and was almost a white out at the top of winter hill so was some icy bits on the way down did enjoy it though need to make a visit in better condidtions to fully apreciate it. probably heading back on sunday for the STW ride

trailofdestruction - based in Fulwood... learnt my bike skills at a young age in mason wood!!!

anyone looking to do any of the lake/peak ones this saturday???

Is there a "right way" to ride walna scar. Doing it on Sat and don't wanna be climbing what should be th DH part

Haha, Strathyre DH, mud so thick I didn't need to use my Vs almost all the way down because my frame was so badly clogged. 😀

The north ridge of Bynack Mor down to Ryvoan must be up there, especially if you could find some singletrack down from Ryvoan...

Is there a "right way" to ride walna scar. Doing it on Sat and don't wanna be climbing what should be th DH part

If you only have chance to do it one way... West to east means you descend into kentmere which is a much better downhill, steeper and more technical. However if you have chance head back up to the top and descend into troutbeck bit longer and they are some nice technical bits at the top and an awesome alternative line dropping down a small rockface!!

I think you're talking about Garburn Pass there Dave.

FWIW, I've only done Walna Scar from the top of the pass, having slogged up from Stephenson Ground, then north on the BW, before dropping the seat and hooning it all the way to the cafe down by the lake in Conniston.

There is an ace loop you can do that starts there, heads north then east around to Parkamoor, before heading west to Stephenson Ground, then up to Walna Scar. Not massive mileage, but the descents are epic and the climbs are a little tough in places.

Is there a "right way" to ride walna scar. Doing it on Sat and don't wanna be climbing what should be th DH part

Start in Coniston-Torver-Stephenson Ground-Seathwaite-Coniston.

Massive amounts of win. 🙂

The descent into Seathwaite is superb, almost as good as the one into Coniston. You wouldn't want to ride down Walna Scar Road towards Seathwaite though, it's mostly pretty smooth.

 

I think you're talking about Garburn Pass there Dave.

Yep i was apologies.. all this talk of downhills are sending my head west or is that east!!!

Walna scar is best heading east and descending into coniston or torver. there was a route in last months MBR climbing up from long house in seathwaite however the start of walna scar road is pretty rocky and i was pushing up to the quarry. I wouldnt even attempt it the other way unless you take to wearing blue tights with red underpants and have a big S on your chest...

If you want to try something really daft, then Dollywaggon (off Helvellyn) is the one, although not if it's in any way, shape or form wet.

Techy / scary as hell but not as impassable as I was led to believe. Probably the best descent I did last year, and I include the Mega Qualifier in that statement. One for the bigger bike, definitely.

As for others, off the top of my head:
Garburn either way
Walna Scar west to east
Black Sail Pass
Nan Bield
The descent through the slate quarries at Elterwater (definitely in the rocky / rooty gulley at the top)

Last time I rode Gatescarth was in August, just after it had been resurfaced. I hope that the floods battered the hell out of it because they had made a right mess of it from a riding perspective - drainage ditches on the entrance to each hairpin, meaning that all the flow was gone.

If you want to try something really daft, then Dollywaggon (off Helvellyn) is the one, although not if it's in any way, shape or form wet.

Can't wait to give this another go - managed to hurt myself on the stepped section at the top which kind of spoiled the ace rocky bit after you get to the tarn.

Must do the Capel Mounth this year.

How does this rate against Carn Ban Mor (which I have done to my immense pleasure BTW)?

+1 for Walna Scar eastbound and the Parkamoor to Satterthwaite route.

Most of the best routes appear to be from the lakes

yeti guy - Member
Most of the best routes appear to be [i][b]away [/b][/i]from the lakes

I just corrected that for you. HTH

Were keeping Scotland a secret....

I just corrected that for you. HTH

Really useful, thanks.

Pointe de Mossettes to Montriond.

Brevant to Tre-le-Champs

Col de Balme to Trient.

Nothing in the UK matches this sort of thing...

Awesome but make sure you attack it from the right end or the off camber will have you in the baby bamboo.
[img] [/img]

mine would be

Parkamoor (moor lane)
Belmont
Garburn

although the one into the visitor centre in Grizedale is a cracker, we call it the riverbed, but i'm not sure what it's actual name is.

Flap...but the OP did ask for advice on routes in the 'UK and ideally the northwest'.

Pretty sure he wasn't referring to the NW Alps, but could be wrong.. 😉

daveatextremistsdotcouk - Capel Mounth is narrowish, mainly smooth singletrack in comparison to the boulder fest, multiple line choice hooliganism of Carn Ban Mor.

Both piss all over Walna Scar to be honest - I'm a bit surprised at all the love for it on this thread, given it's a just a roughish fireroad 🙂 I've done plenty better descents in the Lakes - Nan Bield, Sprinkling Tarn and Styhead Tarn down to Seathwaite/Borrowdale, Garburn to Kentmere, Secret Singletrack down to Buttermere....all better. 🙂

Garburn to Kentmere

I personally think this is overrated - it's good but it's not that special. Possibly find the other side more fun. Definitely prefer Walna Scar Road.

I actually forgot - Parkamoor-Satterthwaite is one of my favourites too.

All these Scottish ones are all well and good if you're happy to convince yourself it's worth traipsing through a bog for several hours carrying your bike to get there. 😛

grum - Member

All these Scottish ones are all well and good if you're happy to convince yourself it's worth traipsing through a bog for several hours carrying your bike to get there.

You don't [i]have to[/i] go via Glasgow

[img] [/img]

capelmounth is over rated

how ever the walkers path down from lochnagar to lock muick pictured above is sublime as is the singletrack anti clockwise round the loch

What about Watendlath - Rosthwaite?