This is on my to do list, it looks great, up Nan bield then anticlockwise over yoke, anyone got pictures. advice.

Bump- looking to do this at the weekend. Anyone done it? I’ve done a similar route going up the bridleway to High Street rather than over Yoke and Ill Bell.

If anyone has done it is anticlockwise preferable to clockwise (considering I’ve done Nan Beild a number of times already)?

I’ve walked it a couple of times and can’t remember thinking: “Wow! If only I had my bike!” Are you sure you won’t be wallking as much as you ride?

The High Street traverse is a great mountain day out in my book.

I’d have thought clockwise would make more sense. Garburn Pass is rideable, path up Yoke is resurfaced, so I guess rideable (going from pics on Geograph.org) in places. And then you descend off Mardale Ill Bell and the Nan Bield hairpins which has GOT to be better than pushing/carrying up

Edit -Strava shows plenty of people riding UP Yoke…

The Yoke, Ill Bell and Froswick are great rides clockwise. Very, very technical though with some exposure. Anti clockwise will mean a lot of steep hikeabike akin to the Nan Beild climb from Small Water.

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Grand, cheers ir_bandito- I’ll try something different then as I’ve basically already done that this year.

Anyone any ideas about the descent along Red Gill Head by the Old Man of Coniston?

I’ve done it a few times anti-clockwise Nan Bield to Frothwick Ill Bell and down Garburn. You can either go up top of Kentmere via Nan Bield or via Longsledale, Gatesgarth Pass and then up over Farter hell (spoonerism) and down to top of Nan Bield.

Depending on how keen you are at climbing there is only a wee bit of hike a bike. Nan Bield switchbacks and the first bit onto Mardale Ill Bell and again onto Ill Bell and the Yoke. Whether or not you think it is too much hike a bike is a personal matter. I’ve just spent the weekend with my bike on my shoulder more than underneath me…its not a propoer mountain bike ride without some hike a bike action!

The pedalling bits across Mardale etc are a wee bit exposed but well worth the effort. the downhill off the Yoke is a hoot.

Yep finally got round to doing this a few weeks back, anti clockwise, liked the traverse over from mardale, the descents are way to groomed for my liking, not the classic i thought it would be.

Hi Munrobiker

I can heartily recommend Coniston Old Man riding up from the saddle of Walna Scar. There is some carrying but the riding and views are lovely. We descended Wet Side Edge but I hear good things about Wetherlam too. There is a lot of choice up there.

Cheers

Red Gill Head (off Wetherlam) is a pretty unremarkable (by Lakes standards), quite vague, grassy and pedally, I usually go up it. Wet Side Edge (overlooking Wrynose Pass) is better, as is the Old Man path to Low Water, followed by the Miners Bridge descent into Coppermines Valley.
My favorite esoteric link-up is Brim fell to Low Water (very vague start, then excellent singletrack from the saddle above Raven Tor to Low Water), followed by the miners bridge track.

I’ve walked it a couple of times

I’ve run it quite a few times, and it’s a classic race on the Fell Runners Association (FRA) calendar, but I don’t think I’d want to to ride it. Having said that my technical skills are s**t!

Sanny- I’m working on the e-mail you sent me a month or two ago for that route and trying to pick which would be best. Currently settled on the Wet Side Edge route you have done as it’ll be the first day of a big week of mountains up the west coast and it sounds like a good one to ease us in with.

thekettle- thanks for that, we’ll stick to Wet Side Edge or if we’re pushed for time go for your second option. Unless you reckon the Old Man-Low Water-Coppermines descent is better? We’re after the highest quality new (to us) routes we can find!

Tick! 😀

Munrobiker they’re both good but in different ways:
Wet Side Edge is in a stunning position, grassy flowing singletrack pretty low-tech and gentle angle (until you drop off the end)
Old Man – Coppermines: Starts very rocky and techy and until you get to Low Water, eye-poppingly steep but all rideable (stay well left as you leave the summit). Then from Low water it gets faster (less tech/steep), finishing with excellent singletrack to the coppermines.
Depends if you want a steep techy challenge or swoopy mountain ridge basically.

Regarding the OP’s Kentmere question I do this clockwise (from atop Garburn), there’s good singletrack contouring the West side of Yoke and Froswick that reduces the climbing/walker encounters (and rides well anyway). Then there’s a mentally steep/loose descent from Thornthwaite Crag West to Threshwaite Mouth, plus numerous other options.