Guys,

Anyone got an idea of the conditions around the lakes at the moment, looking to do, Ambleside – Jenkin Cragg – Garburn Pass – Wilfs – Jenkin Cragg – Ambleside, this Saturday.

Cheers Mike

Well i havent been out for 5 weeks on the bike but been out walking etc….injured you see….

But:

I would say it will be OK lower down, almost all of the lower level snow has disappeared, there might be some ice patches on bridleways here and there but other than that you should be fine.

Garburn may well be another story, i walked over Sadgill on sunday and there was a good foot of snow at the top, its pretty heavy going as its thawing fast with water running under the snow, that said by the weekend it should have melted a bit more.

So in summary, low down, OK. Higher up, you takes your chance !

Mike…have you seen the stw lakes thread for Sunday? Or is Sat your only option?

I was planning Garburn on Saturday. I'm watching this with interest!!!

Was still some snow and ice around on Sunday although I suspect it will go soon. Depends whether much more comes down over the next day or so. Main problem on Claife Heights was the ice on the paths. Seems that the paths/streams had melted the snow at some point and it refroze.

Not sure about Grizedale but Claife is a similar altitude.

thanks guys, looks like i need a plan b.

Ambleside – Jenkin Cragg – Bowness – Ferry – Claif- Sawry (Beer) – Claif – Arnside – Skelwith – Ivvy Crag – Ambleside for more beer.

No point letting the weather get in the way of a 40th birthday ride

me mate tom in the lakes says the freezing level is back at 400m at the moment… so there will be ice and snow on the medium sized hills and mountains…

'FELLTOP CONDITIONS REPORT from Helvellyn at 1230pm on Tuesday 19th January 2010. Despite the recent thaw there is still a significant amount of snow on most fells above 500m; however, the coverage does vary considerably between fells. The thaw has ceased in the last 24 hours and deep patches and drifts of up to 100cm still remain over large areas. Where the snowpack has thawed completely there are large patches of ice, particularly on summit plateaus. '

bloody hell, looks like we'll may have to suck it and see, change the route as we go.

it'll be a head cam day so hopefully the ice will make a contribution to the entertainment, it did a couple of weeks ago:

thanks for replying guys, let's hope the snow thaw's soon, getting a bit sick of it now

Oh well. My Plan B is Bowfell, Esk Pike and Great End! Got a new set of micro spikes to try out.

Mike T,

you should be fine with that route, may be a little ice but its very patchy.

Mike T…

I sometimes do a variation on that route of yours. How do you get to the ferry from Jenkin Crag? I use a very cheeky route through Limefit and then over School Knott, which is the only practicable way to cross the railway, without a great deal of road work. Any pointers for a more or less legal off road route would be welcome.