Heading up tomorrow, and it seems to have been pouring down all day today. Are there any particular bits which should be avoided? Suggestions for a nice 30-40km route would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Borrowdale Bash is just under 30K, if that’s any good?

Straight up and down Skiddaw is a good, mud free, waste of a couple of hours.

Did borrowdale a couple of weeks back,

will just be wet rocks, really good ride if you haven’t done it.

Cool, that was easy. Thanks!

How easy is it to navigate your way around the Borrowdale route? I’m up there at the end of July.

If you print the route out, it’s easy. There are quite a few road sections and it goes round Derwentwater, so there’s plenty of things to go off.

Cool. Might check it out. Possible to do that and Skiddaw in the same day?

If you’ve got the legs. It would depend which Skiddaw route too…I wouldn’t recommend tinas suggestion. 🙂

I just printed this out:

Link

there are a couple of permissive footpaths, just in case you get confused when your following the route and come across a couple of footpath signs and walkers.

BASH!

There does seem to be a lot of road on the Bash, but I suppose at least road can’t be boggy 🙂

Don’t be soft, get up Helvellyn. The mountain rescue are very good, these days.

There are ‘alternative’ diversions you can take. The main one is near the start, but it will be quite muddy up there at the moment.

EDIT: The link above includes one diversion that follows the footpath up to Watendlath…that’s worth doing unless it’s busy (nice weather, popular time of day, weekend, etc.)

When you’ve ridden up that “road” you’ll be grateful its tarmac.

most of the road sections are single lane dead quiet.

I’d go off a different map to that Bogtrotters one. I can see that they’ve tried to include a few more offroad sections…they don’t really work though. After Watendlath they’ve taken the first gate on the descent, you’re better off going through the second one (goes straight to Rosthwaite). Then after that the route goes onto the Cumbrian Way to Stonethwaite Bridge…that’s not worth doing in my opinion and I’d just do the short road section instead.

I wish someone had posted the proper map and I wouldn’t have had to write this! 😀

Why not call into Keswick Mountain Bikes (in Keswick, strangely) and pick up a leaflet called “Biking Around Keswick”. It’s free and you can also talk the guys in the shop about current conditions – they’re really helpful.

The leaflet opens out to an A3 OS map (1:50,000 slightly shrunk) and it shows 4 routes with written directions/turning points:

– The Skiddaw Loop (28 km, moderate)
– Lonscale Fell & the Glenderaterra Valley (18 km, moderate)
– The Borrowdale Bash (the correct version that @d45yth refers to) (28 km, harder)
– Old railway line (10 km, family friendly so probably not what you’re looking for).

Can’t comment on the routes, I’m afraid but I’ll be doing the Bash and Skiddaw Loop for the first time next week when I’m up on business 😛

HTH

Stu

I wish someone had posted the proper map and I wouldn’t have had to write this!

Your not able to post a map?

I hadn’t realised it was different to the singletrack one from a few months back. Just the first that came up in google.

edit: issue 81, which is what I followed (again prob not the right one for these lot, but I had a great time) takes you over a little bridge at watendlath up a tough climb and then down a great descent.

+1 for BB. Helvellyn is a good ride, down Dollywagon if you’re feeling ninja, Sticks is a bit easier on the arms but still very good.

The Borrowdale bash is the best wet weather route in the Keswick area by far, but there are also few alternatives,Lonscale terrace,Skiddaw House to the dash falls,Old coach road to Dockreay returning over Sticks pass, call in to the Keswick MTB shop for route maps..

Really undecided at the moment , but I have next week off, and a pass-out for mon to thurs away camping with the van, bike n boots, without the missus and am torn between Lakes ( to at least do Skiddaw and the Borrowdale Bash, with the bike) and Exmoor to explore.
Will decide Sunday morning , forecast dependant.

Thanks for the tips. We did the Bash on Saturday, excellent, and a shorter route round Lonscale today. Thought the descent into Keswick from Lonscale was a bit over-rated – fast but wide and full of walkers.

Descent from Watenlath was brilliant though, as was the bit after Honister.

Helvellyn next time I think 🙂

Wet ride from Keswick?

Tick