I’m off up to the Lakes this weekend for some epic riding (lucky me!) Plan is to do Nan Bield on Saturday and then a long ride taking in all the best bits of Grizedale (i.e. NOT the North Face!) on Sunday.

I was thinking of starting Nan Bield from Troutbeck, heading over the Garburn Pass into Kentmere, then over into Longsdledale, then Gatesgarth, Haweswater, Nan Bield and back into Troutbeck via the Garburn Pass again.

This has the advantage of being able to do the Garburn Pass descents both ways.

Question is, at 30km and 1550m vertical, is it a bit much for a reasonably fit (but very capable) rider.

Obviously that’s a difficult question to answer but what routes have you done over Nan Bield and how tough did you find them? I’ve done the route before but it was over nine years ago and started and finished in Kentmere.

Nope. Sounds like a grand day out. If you feel you may be struggling once up Gatesgarth, the cheeky trail over Harter Fell is (apprently) good 😉

P4080077 by ir_bandito, on Flickr

Bandito that’s a great idea (I think you or someone else mentioned it before on a previous thread I put up on this subject a few weeks back).

Love that picture. Fantastic surroundings and hopefully the weather will be similar!

I usually do Nan Beild as an out and back from Kentmere, both ways. A good variation is up Nan Beild from the south, up High Street, down a foot path along Rough Crag to Haweswater then back over. However, this doesn’t give you the brilliant North descent of Nan Beild.

Unless you’re climbing Gatescarth don’t go anywhere near it, it’s just a fire road. Garburn has apparently also been sanitised but I can’t verify this.

Do it. It’s very open & with no shade so if its hot take plently to drink, Kentmere has a nice tea room at the very top of a steep climb! I consider it the MTB equivalent of the 3 Peaks CX. Know how to carry your bike.

it will be a grand ride. Troutbeck to top of Garburn is easy enough now that they’re graded the trail – it is easily ridable now, bottom to top!

Decent down Garburn to Kentmere is great. I did it the other day and it always makes me smile. My preference would be to then cross over to Longsledale, climb up Gatesgarth and then either drop down to Haweswater and back up and down Nan Bield or, at the top of Gatesgarth head east along Harter Fell as suggested above. This leads you to the top of Gatesgarth and all the fun back down to Kentmere.

Personally, I’d then give Garburn a miss, instead head over Mickle Moss to High Borrans and from there back to Troutbeck. The rop down Garburn to Troutbeck is no longer worth the slog/carry/push up from Kentmere, in my opinion.

The drop down Garburn to Troutbeck is no longer worth the slog/carry/push up from Kentmere, in my opinion.

+1

Great insights, big thanks guys. Will have a look at the suggested route back to Troutbeck; guess you mean via Dubbs right? This is the way i’ve done the Garburn Pass as a short ride before.

My personal fav is go up Garburn from the Troutbeck end, at the top take a cheeky left on to a foot path that takes you up to the Yoke. From the top of the Yoke you’ve got some ace techie trails down to the bottom of Ill Bell. Then carry on up Ill Bell, down some more ace techie trails (all this is FP by the way but very quiet) then its up on to High Street. Once on High Street head over to Mardale Bell. The descent off Mardale Bell is tough but all ridable and that drops you off nicely at the top of Nan Bield. I’ve ridden this way countless times and descended Nan Bield both ways – down to Haweswater is especially challenging 😀
Here’s a Strava route I did few weeks back to give you some ideas of whats on offer round there http://app.strava.com/activities/59217116

Munrobiker…… gatesgarth sanitised? Used to be brilliant down to mardale head… its my most epic local trail living at Bampton but have never been to ride it for a year or so now…. was contemplating it soon, is it all flattened on this side?

Sorry, that link did nee work. Second time lucky

Nan Bield

Last time I rode Gatesgarth in November last year it was really just a gravelly landrover track.

Last time I rode Gatesgarth in November last year it was really just a gravelly landrover track.

True. And given the slog up Nan Bield from Haweswater is mainly tricky hike-a-bike (although the section around the tarn is nice) Harter Fell appeals even more!

Last time I rode Gatesgarth in about March it had been quite heavily washed out with the assistance of some 4x4s. I’m not sure if it’s been re-sanitized since then though.

it will be a grand ride. Troutbeck to top of Garburn is easy enough now that they’re graded the trail – it is easily ridable now, bottom to top!

Has this been done recently ? I rode it in January and had to push in quite a few places – that might be down to me though !

Rode Garburn a few weeks back and it is all ridable if you’ve got the legs. Nothing too technical just a long slog

So we ended up doing the Nan Bield route from Troutbeck, up over Garburn (rode the whole way up) into Kentmere, then Sadgil and up the Gatesgarth pass. The drop down to Haweswater was entertaining as was the hike a bike back up to Nan Bield.

Loved the descent back into Kentmere; fabulous fun only slightly marred by having to stop for walkers at two points (damn those pesky varmints; otherwise KOM would have been on the cards!)

We took the advice and went back via Dubbs, which stretched the ride out nicely and gave a good contrast.

Ended up being 40km and 1600m, which is a decent size ride in anyone’s book. Sunday was also a killer; 50km and 1500m around Grizedale, Claife and Iron Keld.

Monday was a short ride around the Ullswater singletrack via Boredale Hause and Matindale. Brilliant right up to the point where my CK freehub stopped being a ‘free’ hub, causing the chain to jack knife and jump into my wheel, taking out eight (very expensive) spokes and causing me to have to walk two miles back to the car!

Some pictures:

Flickr Set

Strava route on Nan Bield

Nice pics! You’re one place ahead of me on Strava too. I was lucky enough not to encounter any walkers, but had to stop for my mate who was on his XC hardtail a few times…I wrongly told him it wasn’t as rocky as I’d thought!

Great pics, one of my favourite routes of the lakes.

Andy thanks for the Kudos! d45yth, Strava is nothing; having fun is what counts 😉

<walks off wishing he could really believe that>

The descent down Garburn to Kentmere was desperate a couple of weeks ago. Anyone who finds that easy (or even all enjoyable!) is a better man than me, Gunga Din.

The descent down Garburn to Kentmere was desperate a couple of weeks ago.

Have done it at the end of a really big ride absolutely shattered and it was just “hang on, grit your teeth and try not to crash” did it again a few weeks back, not as tired, I’m not a big fan of loose rubble but it was fun.

A lot depends how you ride it. For me I find the ” let go of the brakes, stay loose and let the bike move underneath you” way the best way to get down. Also if you’ve got a skill compensator bike (160mm travel) like I’ve got helps massively 😳

bjj.andy.w – Member
A lot depends how you ride it. For me I find the ” let go of the brakes, stay loose and let the bike move underneath you” way the best way to get down. Also if you’ve got a skill compensator bike (160mm travel) like I’ve got helps massively

Same as my method regardless of bike 😉

All true, also helps if you don’t have to try and stop on the steepest, loosest and rockiest section for walkers!

I had two mahoosive moments on the lower part around the big turns. There were other MTBers pushing up and I just thought ‘oh look, an audience, time to style it up!’

Came in pretty hot and loose and was full two wheel drifting the turns before I knew what was happening; not out of skill more out of luck did I manage to stay on the bike but I imagined it looked good!