Hi, staying in Braithwaite for the next week and looking for a couple of suggestions for 2hr routes from the door, to do before the family stir. Pretty fit and bike able.

Was planning 1 ride up to Barrow Door and around to Scar Crags/Causey/Stoney Croft.

Also looking at Grisedale Pike, but not sure on what descent gets the best bang for buck. Prefer tech stuff compared to flat out speed. Seems either Sleet How, Hobcarton End or down Coledale Hause. All look to have good parts but then just flat out grassy / stoney stuff. Up and down, or a loop? Any advice?

Or would up Sleet How, down Coledale Hause then round to Crag Hil / Causey be better overall?

Bigger ride was planning Skiddaw/Ullock/round past Skiddaw House. Ran it years ago in reverse and always thought it looked great to ride.

Thanks,
Paul

In braithwaite you’re perfectly located for some of the best trails in the lakes IMO.

Keeping under 2 hours limits options however I’d say the following two would probably squeeze in in around that time.

1) up rigg beck, path up and over between Sail and scar house crags, over the top of Barrow (not barrow door) and back to braithwaite. The descent off barrow is grassy and not really technical, but fast and great fun. Watch out for the mini crag to catch you out!
This route would also be good in the other direction, but there may be a better climb than slogging up the grass to barrow.

2) Grisedale pike. You could go up the road to pick up the South loop of Whinlatter red/black. When you get to the crag at the very top of the black loop, cheeky through the woods to bring you out on the sleet how track.
Hikeabike to the top.
Down hobcarton end. Turn right where it levels out and gets a bit muddy for enduro fun back to Whinlatter trail centre carpark area.
After that, head up the north side of the red route. When you hit the fire road slog, keep your eyes peeled for off piste down to the right.
Down there to the forest track. Contour north on the forest track then down the fp to powter how.
Strava Heatmaps will help you out with the route finding on this one – quite tricky to string together.

If you have more time I can highly recommend over to Buttermere via whiteless pike then back over rigg beck.
And also skiddaw and back down a certain ridge is excellent.

Ullock can be done as a morning ride, longer than 2 hrs but not loads. Will post some other stuff later but Braithwaite is the epicentre of English mountain biking. 🤘

id also suggest Dalehead Tarn, High Spy, Maiden Moor and down to Manesty from the shoulder of Cat Bells. Spin back via back road.

My local patch, hopefully these will help?
1) Grisedale Pike- 2 options for ascent really, don’t go direct up the north ridge from Braithwaite, it would be purgatory. Either mine track to force crag mine then push up the main path to Coledale hause, or up the road and Whinlatter south to its summit as mentioned above- push through the trees by the summit on to sleet how then up. I’d favour coledale hause, the push up doesn’t feel too bad, then I’d take in Hopegill Head summit before heading to Grisedale pike. The traverse above Hobcarton crags is great and adds to the ride. I wouldn’t go Hobcarton End for descent just now, it’s better in the dry and getting really worn and rutted, not very MTB-proof terrain. If you like tech I’d head down the main north ridge descent from the summit, carefully, and just accept a couple of steps are unridable unless you are Macaskill-like in your skills. At sleet how you could dive in to the trees and take the south descent, then cross the road at whinlatter pass and take the bridleway down to thornthwaite, or just do the whole north ridge all the way to Braithwaite, but some of that is steep muddy grass and not so tech.

2) I really like causey pike via barrow door, from there traverse to stonycroft mine track then up to the col between sail and scar crags. Up scar crags and a lovely airy ridge ride to Causey, scramble off the summit and find your way down the steep east ridge to the shoulder, then yeehah down to stonycroft (I wouldn’t recommend Rowling End). The top section off Causey is steep and nadgery, I’m yet to do it all without a dab or 2 but have ridden all sections.

You’d do well to do Skiddaw/Ullock/back of skiddaw via skiddaw house in 2 hours! However, it’s a great ride.

Barrow from Barrow door good for an evening quick blast.

Summit of catbells from Littletown then return but descend from Hause gate to Manesty (early or late in day as busy and you need momentum.

Dalehead tarn/high spy/maiden moor as above, the flog up from littletown/castle nook to dale head tarn always seems longer than it should, fair bit of hike a bike.

2 hours would also get you (at a push) Walla crag from Keswick, along to ashness and to watendlath to descend the borrowdale bash route to Rosthwaite, but you’d need to hustle back on the road to fit it in.

Hi folks thanks for these suggestions. Appreciate your time.

TomB – I think we are on about the same route for Causey – so will ride that first thing as in the garmin. Think I will follow your suggestion for Grisedale also for another morning – dropping down the north ridge and into Whinlatter. Thanks for confirming my suspicion about dropping down Hobcarton End. What I watched on youtube looked a bit blown out.

Got a longer pass later in week – thats when I will tackle Ullock 🙂

I have done Walla / Dale head Tarn area before – great stuff also. And down Barrow in a fell race. Really lucky to be in this part of the world all the time!!

Thanks folks,
Paul

Is Peter Levy going as well?

Oh man, there’s so much good stuff to go at from Braithwaite, and if you like slow speed tech you really can’t go wrong. The north ridge off GP is mega and I’m pretty proud to say I cleaned it last summer. Causey is ace, as is Maiden Moor to Hause Gate or continuing on to Catbells. Dale Head then down Hindscarth is also worth a look, but that definitely isn’t all rideable (although legend has it someone did once) and is probably not doable in under 2 hours.

I’ll raise your Peter Levy for Keeley who actively endorses our Thursday night ride group.

Is this actual Paul? Internet says no.

I see Nicola Reese out running now and again.

How’s your week been? Pretty reasonable autumn weather and absolutely beautiful today- how did your rides go?