Potentially going to ride Helvellyn this weekend, but everything I read says Dollywagon has been “improved” and now isnt much fun.

Any recommended alternatives in the area?

up kepple to the top, and down sticks and seldom. did that by myself when I had the ebike.
was good.

When was it improved? It was a great set of rowdy steps when I last rode it and I don’t really see how they could make any changes to it.

Dollywaggon is hard going; not particularly technical other than the drainage ditches (which you can hop/jump over if brave) but it’s surfaced with big chunks of pitched stone, steep in places and is relentless. I like it but I am in the minority. The reason for doing it is the trail that follows, from Grisedale Tarn down to Patterdale, which is fantastic.

I did the above a month or so ago and somehow having energy left, climbed up to the YHA a second time, up Sticks to the quarries and then down Seldom Seen to finish. Was worth the extra climb as Seldom is proper good.

I went up dollywagon recently. Pretty tough going up the steps! Went all the way over the top and then down sticks / seldom.

The top has a few fun bits that you miss if you take Kepple cove – so in my opinion worth the slightly harder climb – still the same amount of height gain you have to do give or take – plus you reach the summit without having to turn back on yourself.

OP were you thinking of Sticks Pass that had some very dubious improvements done at the top last year?

Dollywaggon will probably be the same for the next 1,000 years.

Well if you want a BIG day out…

Park in Glenridding
Up Kepple Cove
Down Sticks pass
Back up Kepple cove to top of Helvellyn
Down Birkside to thirlmere
Up Great Tongue (you’ll hate me at this point)
Down the Patterdale descent to Glenridding. This is the best descent I’ve done in the U.K.

I was quite tired afterwards though!

Edit- this misses out Dollywaggon, which is a good thing imo as it’s very hard work unless you have muchos skills.

Dollywagon was ‘improved’ well over 10 years ago with substantial stone pitching. It was much better before that, as was seldom seen before it’s (relatively minor) pitching about 5 years ago.
I can recommend a slightly shorter version of RicB’s route:
Glenridding – kepple cove – summit – down birkside, road up Dunmail Raise (using traffic free cycle path on West side). Hike up from the top of Dunmail to Grisedale tarn, descend to Patterdale.

That’s probably the route I’ll do next time, with Boredale hause as an optional extra.

I heard the work over there hasn’t been too bad after all?

On Boredale Hause? I think it’s been pretty much ruined, maybe it’s flowier on a full-suss but it’s just a repetitive tooth-rattling staircase on a hardtail now, rather than a varied and challenging tech fest. Upper section isn’t rideable at all (still under construction, boulder filled gully) as of July. I tend to head over Beda Fell (ridgeline or Bridleway) from the hause instead these days.

Yeah cheers, are both parallel tracks pitched now?

I’ll probably head up to check for myself anyway out of morbid curiosity though.

yep, both, still ongoing though. Worth checking out, if only for some emotional closure!