I’m off to Keswick at the end of May and planning on riding the Back o’Skiddaw one day. Hopefully it’ll be lovely and dry (well it was last year!) in which case I’d like to head up to Great Sca Fell and do the lovely bridleway down to Longlands. Last time I did it I carried up Grainsgill Beck on the Cumbrian way, which was not the nicest experience I have ever had.

So – is there a better way up to Great Sca Fell from Skiddaw House or thereabouts? I don’t mind a bit of a Carry (it is the Lakes) but this was pretty horrid. It looks like there’s a doubletrack up Cocklakes that might do it, or I’m sure I remember somebody suggesting going onto Great Calva and then over to Knott but I’m struggling to see any tracks on the OS or on satellite for that.

Also are there any good ways to extend it? I had a rotten cold last time and it almost finished me as it was, but heading up to Skiddaw via Sale How looks like a possibility then down Ullock Pike, though it would mean missing out going back down the valley which I do love.

Big day out…(well for me anyway)

http://dairyofanineptmountainbiker.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/maybe-god-loves-me-after-all-skiddaw.html

TL;DR

Keswick, threlkeld, Skiddaw House, Great Calva, Knot, Great Sca Fell, Longlands, Dash Falls, Bakestall, Skiddaw, Keswick. (you could throw in Ullock if you still fancied it).

I’ve ridden most of the BW that climbs to the Carrock Fell ridge, the last km or so was a push but that was mostly because it was pretty wet at the time but it isn’t that steep and is grassy rather than rocky. Rather oddly I was ticking off Wainwright tops! I didn’t go as far west as Knott. The track leading past High Pike from the mines could be rideable but I’ve not done it and there’s also the track starting slightly further west.

There’s quite a lot of old tracks around there, not all of them are marked.

Ah nice one guys, those are a massive help.

@lowey I did something similar last year but had to do a longer route to Threlkeld due to the railway being shut. I then carried up the aforementioned Cumbrian Way to Knott but your route looks preferable.

Didn’t make it up Skiddaw but I’m hoping to this year, though it’ll be a shame to miss the valley down from Skiddaw House .

“So – is there a better way up to Great Sca Fell”

Yes-  I was inspired to do it after Loweys post years ago!

I go up via the mine road just after Carrock beck ford(north of Mosedale),up past the Lingy hut .

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Lingy+Hut/@54.6925526,-3.0715276,493m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x487cde4f73f54c55:0x3e96a330e30d10b1!8m2!3d54.6925495!4d-3.0693389

If you are fit you can ride up to the hut & then it’s a bog trot/carry nw to great sca fell. Check the map! &  It’ll be boggy in may!

I’ve done it as a super epic – up skiddaw summit via dash falls,down the bway back to skiddaw house – down to mosedale. That way you get dash falls twice if your’e starting in Keswick . 🙂

Just make sure you do it after a dry spell. Its utterly lovely up there in summer when its dry, but (on a bike) its hell on earth if its wet.

Looks like a bit of an epic, lowey.  Haven’t done the Back o’Skiddaw route in a while, but that’s given me some inspiration for next time I’m up.

Yeah if the weather is a bit poopy I have a few other options. I got really lucky with the weather last year so I’m assuming the same will happen again. That’s how it works right?