Lakes experts – Red Pike descent past Blea Tarn

Hi folks

Has anyone ridden this?

We were up yesterday and rode down the ridge to High Stile and High Crag but the descent off of Red Pike looked very tempting.

It was a good day although the section of stone pitching down to Scarth Gap wasn’t the best meaning one of my mates rode the scree slope down instead. Bit gutted to see the old path zig zag down the hill but which we missed on the way down. I happily rode down the steep stone pitched trails until a small waterbar interupted the flow and I struggled to get back on the bike which was a bit annoying. The grass option wasn’t as the rain meant it was greasier than a greasy thing. Still really good fun though! 😀

Soooooooo my question is who has ridden the Red Pike descent down to Blea Tarn? The height will disappear quickly but it looks like a stunning line from across the ridge.

We carried up and rode down Fleetwith Pike after and it was brilliant despite my mate spannering himself near the top making us all that bit more careful on the way down as the rain came and went. That’s the first time I’ve ridden it. What a belter! 😀

It’s pretty darn good from what I remember, nice blast along the top too from Scarth Gap. Not a lot of reward for your climb though.

Dammit Sanny, you’ve got me looking at maps again..

Pics on Geograph hint at good stuff:

Descent into the woods above Buttermere:

Hopefully get my Rohloff back this week, so should be able to get a ride in at the weekend…

We carried up the footpath from the western end of the range following the water to get to the summit. It would be a nice decent but the super steep steps at the end would be a ball ache.

Scarth Gap was a lovely descent despite having worn out cleat, foot slipping off of pedals issues and my camera popping out of my camera bag every time I hit a tech section!

It’s funny how things conspire to stop working properly simultaneously!

Sanny, fleetwith pike proper or round the back on the bridleway?

Hi Nick

Bridleway as Fleetwith Pike proper looks like a fair bit of carrying down. 😕

If the top of Red Pike goes (it looks bloody steep and possible loose – hard to tell from a distance), the bottom section I gather is tone pitched steps but not too steep or deep. Heck, it’s worth a go!

My bike is goosed from yesterday. The drive train including the rear mech urgently needs replaced as the chain struggled to stay on the big ring which is now more bashguard than chainring, the dropper post started seizing, the rear tyre is close to having very little tread in the middle and the bearings are shot. Other than that, it’s all good! It was one of those rides where I was having to have half an eye on how the bike would hold together as opposed to being confident in it’s ability to get my down stuff. The worn cleats were the killer though. Endo hops are tough when your foot keeps popping out! 😀

Freeridenick – is that round-the-back one Wharnscale? Is Fleetwith ‘proper’ rideable (I mean the one that comes down the end of the hill, visible as you look back up and slightly left after completing Wharnscale)?

Sanny – did you do Scarth Gap down to Buttermere then, not over to Black Sail?

And does the Red Pike one begin with a tasty looking gully, all red coloured soil, then drop to the tarn on a rough man-made trail? I know these trails and I’m up there in a couple of weeks – looking for ideas. Ta.

PS Somewhere behind Red Pike there’s a nutty looking trail (footpath I think) that eventually drops down to a quite impressive waterfall where 3 trails meet. It looks as though it would be partly rideable, with a couple of very exposed bits and some steeps, and some trail that might be too narrow for pedals to fit through. Anyone know it/ridden it? I walked up ages ago, on a camping trip.

Not sure it’d be mountain biking, more some sort of mountaineering-lite with a bike over your shoulder most of the time. The descents from Red Pike are not for the faint hearted…or the quite brave…or indeed the remotely sane. It’d be hard enough man-handling a bike down let alone riding it.

If you do go up, please film it! I’d love to see the adventure 😀

Is Fleetwith ‘proper’ rideable (I mean the one that comes down the end of the hill, visible as you look back up and slightly left after completing Wharnscale)?

The BW that runs parallel to the ridge (right hand side of the stream) as you look form the top of the mine is.
The ridge is a proper scramble, the footpath to the left of the stream looks like it would just be a good bit of off/on/carry.

I ran up it last week. The very top of Red Pike is not rideable. It is a scramble. After the gulley right at the top you are zigzagging down a steep scree. Rideable but I am not sure it would be a good idea to ride it as it would make even more of a mess than it already is. The rest is all stone pitched. It is not that steep all the way to Buttermere but I would not call it fun. Love to know the history of why/how the ridge is a bridleway.

Cheers mike. Done the Wharnscale one several times and it’s a personal favourite. Never come over the top of Fleetwith though – only round the back where you turn right off the main slate truck road through the mine, with the stream on your left.

Red Pike – if it’s the gully/chute I’m thinking of, I reckon it’s doable, on the right bike, with a lot of care. Might be wrong tho.

Lol. Yep, certainly one for digging the knee pads out…

Having walked this route in the past, I wouldn’t much fancy riding it.

But maybe I need to MTFU.

wl

We walked up that trail yesterday. The steps at the bottom have trauma written all over them!

I think the very top section of Red Pike will be a cagey walk down but I’m willing to be proven wrong! 😀

I’ve walked that way down. The top will indeed likely be a carry. Please film it if you’re going to ride. The lower section is I think quite loose/sandy. Some of the stone steps at the bottom might be quite a large pitch/drop?

its all good and all of it rides, top section is a goer with care. You come out the red gulley like a rat out a drain pipe but can scrub the speed. St minion helps no end. Rest of the route is ace. The final stone pitch section is a beating…

The photo above does not show the actual bridleway. That goes through the crags which as you see from the profile is quite cliff like. Climbing up it is done on all fours (but may be there is more than one gully). Would also love to see anybody doing the top bit on film.

I’ve walked up it. I certainly wouldn’t fancy riding down the top of Red Pike

I’ve walked it a few years back. This gives more of an impression. Crumbly steepness! Would be a much braver rider than me who took that on.

XXX – that all makes sense to me – what I suspected.
martinhutch – pretty certain that’s the particular gully I’m on about.

Simple case of one man’s scramble is another man’s black run.

Knowing wl, I reckon he could be the man for trying this. He has Verbier honed skills 😉

wl

Invite me along when you plan to do it and we can crap it together! 😀

the super steep steps at the end would be a ball ache

Drop your saddle more?

XXX

Chapeau! I knew someone would have attempted it.

From the side view from across the valley, it looks like death if you straight line it and don’t make the turn. 😯

Then again, you look up Skiddaw from Ullock Pike and the scree path looks improbably steep. In reality, it’s fine. One of those very rare descents that looks steeper from below than above. Buchaille Etive Mor descending the middle col is like that too.

Sanny, make sure someone’s got a GoPro, or is on the other side of the valley with a massive zoom lens, when you do it…

Looks like classic lakeland gnar… 😀

The forum has spoken: Lets kick-start fund a helicopter camera crew and a crate of GoPro’s for the big day! We can assemble on Robinson to watch the fun 🙂

Sanny – cheers, reckon it’s only a matter of time. If I don’t do it myself, I know a couple of folk who will nail it for sure, especially now the gauntlet’s down. Keep you posted. Hope all’s well, by the way.

I will come and film if and when wl and his mates do it. I may even give it a go myself if the fear doesn’t grab me when I am standing at the top looking down. 😀

Steep I am happy with – steep with death, not so keen to be honest!

I could even get an article for the website out of it! 😉

I am remembering it as steep with rock drops dropping onto large jagged rocks (Repeat for 20m) and then onto the scee.

I am remembering it as steep with rock drops dropping onto large jagged rocks (Repeat for 20m) and then onto the scee.

You remember correctly. It’s like the Morgul Steps. Put a wheel slightly wrong or lose your nerve even for a second and you’ll be eating your meals through a straw and getting relatives to post ‘I’m in traction/paralysed so show me your bikes’ threads on the forum 😯

It was about 6-8 years ago, maybe more, when we rode it. We initially thought the top gully wouldn’t go on our fist couple of trip up there but then these things play on your mind a bit…. 3rd trip up (frozen ground) I rode till nearly out the gully then called it a day and managed to pull up just short of the end. Next chap through cleaned it with some style, maybe because I was stopped in probably the only stopping place. Next trip up there I got through clean.
I still think that this is the most memorable descent in the lakes. It doesn’t really let off all the way to the bottom. Not sure I could/would do the top again mind as I’m the wrong side of 40 now. Happy days. Gauntlet thrown….

Good work, XXX. From walking it ages ago I remember plenty of steepness and jagged rocks, but nowhere you were likely to drop off a cliff or actually die if you cocked it up. Maybe I’m wrong, in which I might give it a miss. Sweary Northerners won’t be as easily put off tho. Will check it next time I get chance.

Shag and Dan have done it Will a few years back.

Stoney Cove Pike is a good un too we did that few months ago 😀

Is this the gulley you are talking about? http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/lake_district_mountain_biking_paul_red_chute_red_pike.html

That looks a lot easier than the one I came up!

Maybe it was this one

Ayup Blower. Asked Dan but I think he said he’d not done it, but reckons it’s doable (which it clearly is, judging by this thread). Sounds right up your street – get it on your hit list.

Did the Red Pike descent a few years back. I bottled the top scree gully but everyone else I was with rode it, scrubbing speed while still steering was the challenge. Remember a lot of steps after that. I managed to ride almost all of it, loved it, got right down the bottom where it flattened out, relaxed and OTB!

GEDA – that’s the one.