@thegeneralist

I would say go up via Levers Water and  Swirl Hause. The carry from the latter is not as steep or as long as you would expect. Makes for a pretty loop.

Very jealous!

Cheers

Sanny

Regarding Mellbreak there’s an easier ascent from Kirkstile up the western flanks. Still plenty of push / carry but not as fierce or loose as the northern end. Some of the tracks on these flanks are sheep tracks so keep bearing left at any fork.

You’ll see it on here running almost along the N-S grid line, joining the top at the saddle
https://www.streetmap.co.uk/map/idld?x=313800&y=519976&z=115&sv=313800,519976&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=map%5BFS%5Didld&searchp=ids&dn=751&ax=311800&ay=519476&lm=0

@scuttler

Spotted that when going up Hen Comb. Looks like it could make for an interesting descent too.

@thegeneralist

So did you do Wetherlam then?

Cheers

Sanny

****, wrong valley 🥵

Also, cramp

What a noob 🥺

So did you do Wetherlam then?

Er, not yet. I’m working on it.

Badly.

PS. How the hell do I have reception here…..

@thegeneralist

So where did you end up then? Did you learn anything from the experience? If it was me then probably not! Ha! Ha!

Right. The solitary photo…

So I went up slightly right behind the youth hostel, instead of slightly left, so ended up in Red Dell Instead of by Levens Water.  I decided to continue anyway, but the path was pretty scrotey…. bog and stuff.

In mitigation, I was utterly gubbed by that point as I took a mate round Coniston during the day: Semi Walna, Torver Common, Parkamoor, Hawkshead etc. So I was 40km in when I started up Wetherlam. Just looked on Strava and it appears I did 2.1km ascent, which is about what I’ve managed the rest of the year put together.

Anyway, so Wetherlam. Was a nice day out but I won’t be back. As someone said, loads of grass. Also loads of techie rock bits, but it just didn’t gel. The rocky sections tended to be unhelpful spikey with no real line. The easiest way was nearly always off the path down the side. Very unsatisfying. There were a few nice sections, after the junction but nowhere near as good as some of the classics.

Anyway, great to be out after such a long break, and even better to find I can almost do big days out still.

Just need to find the right hill fir the next one….. Which I think is Great End.  Just such a bloody long drive

@thegeneralist

Interesting. When I rode it the week before last, I have to admit that it was right up my street. I really enjoyed the rocky sections as I was able to play about with lines. The grass was super dry when I rode it too which made it flow nicely. Did you go down the stone pitched path at the bottom to drop down by the river where the weir is? Funny how two folk can ride the same route and have a totally different experience.

Re Great End.

That has the makings of a cracker as you can ride off the summit down to Esk Hause then have multiple options – Angle Tarn and Rossett Gill, Sprinkling Tarn and Styhead Gill (the classic) or even XC via Rossett Pike to Stake Pass. Did the latter in reverse last summer and saw tracks indicating it gets ridden down to Stake Pass. The only problem is deciding which route to take. I reckon Styhead Gill tops it followed by Stake Pass and Rossett Gill but that’s just me!

Kidsty Pike and Haweswater fells are next up for me. Return via Harter Fell to finish with Beda Fell. Big day out!

Cheers

Sanny

While I am on, has anyone ridden from Blea Rigg or Sergeant man down to Grasmere?

Cheers

Sanny

I’ve done Blea Rigg on foot. Please take the following with caution as it was a while ago…

Around the summit would be unrideable. Big chunky rocks and steep steps.

I climbed from Goody Bridge via Lang How. Descending this way would be OK once you got away from the summit, some mellow singletrack followed by a boggy stretch. The lower parts would be fun but short lived.

I descended directly down to Easedale Tarn. I think this was steep and narrow, probably unrideable in places but I don’t recall it being an absolute no go – you’ll probably be able so scope bits of it from the summit and make a call. Bridleway down from Easedale Tarn is good.

right up my street. I really enjoyed the rocky sections as I was able to play about with lines. The grass was super dry

Part of my problem was the grass being wet. I had one point where I was just accelerating with both brakes just below lock, hoping I would hit a flatter bit before the next drop. It was ok that time but it made me very nervous of the gradient.

Which is odd really as the gradient is generally pretty mellow. Certainly nowhere near that 40% figure where I generally know I have no chance whatsoever.

Ho hum. Some days it doesn’t quite click.  I’ll try something else.

Great End, yes indeed, my plan was to drop into Esk Hause and then follow the bridleway all the way down. Love that descent.

Interesting that you rate Stake North. I’ve only done it once and wasn’t master enough of endo turns to make it worthwhile.

There’s a theme emerging here….. 🤣

Kidsty Pike. I thought it was pretty good. Steep and techy until the last grassy bit.

@thegeneralist

Wet grass is no fun.  We had it bone dry which I suspect made a big difference. Felt super confident riding down it while the rocky path at the bottom was most enjoyable for a man made track.

Stake Pass is totally marmite. I love it but then i love an endo hop having practiced so many in verbier over the years. My pal Tristan did it with me  and hated it with a passion.

Great End will be a winner for you. It never seems to feature on lists of great Lakeland descents but it really should. When I was up it last June, it was a beautiful summer’s evening and I had a couple of gliders swoosh past me as I enjoyed the scenery in peaceful solitude.

@lowey

Great picture. Have you ridden the footpath on the shore of haweswater? My plan is to start at the Brotherswater side then up, over and down Kidsty Pike, loop the lake, up the two outlying fells beside the coffin road, drop onto Gatesgarth at the saddle, Harter Fell, High Street then head over to Angle Tarn which is a banger in my book before finishing with Beda Fell and the Ullswater shore track. Thoughts? It’s a big day for sure but satisfies my desire to link up the familiar and the new to me in a figure of eight loop. Basically a High Street highlights ride.

@Mark88

Thanks for the tips there fella. Most helpful. Any others you wish to share in that area, please do!

Cheers

Sanny

@lowey

Is there anywhere in the Lakes that you have not ridden? You seem to have a pic for every occasion which I very much approve of. Ha! Ha!

@sanny this wouldn’t link into Harter Fell, so probably not what you want, but from a couple of pages back re Branstree and Selside Pike:

The Wainrights aren’t worth riding but the Old Corpse Road to Haweswater would be a good techy descent – one for the dry I’d suggest.

From memory the Wainrights were boggy and pretty unremarkable.

head over to Angle Tarn which is a banger in my book before finishing with Beda Fell and the Ullswater shore track.

Place Fell instead of Beda Fell??

Sanny,

The lakeside path is pretty good actually, very undulating and quite rough in places. Not to be underestimated. I did it after Kidsty and an awful climb up High Street and the Pen Bridleway. It just about finished me off.

Your ride would be quite the day. Look forward to the report!.

@Mark88

I am expecting them to be boggy. The stuff round there is well known for it!

@scuttler

What is Place Fell like to ride? Never ridden it but looked at it many times.

@lowey

Assume you mean the Ullswater shore track?  I know it well and you are absolutely right, it is not an easy spin on flat track.

Any experience of the Haweswater footpath along the shore heading north-ish?

Cheers

Sanny

@Sanny

That was in reference to the Haweswater west Shore. Not the Ullswater BWW.

@lowey

Brilliant! Loving the pics. May have to revise my plans on the day but that is the beauty of riding in the lakes. Great to have options.

You got a great day there. Very jealous.

Cheers

Sanny

Another week, another adventure. I decided that the call of the Far Eastern Wainwright’s had to be answered so I picked the best weather day last week and headed down. Starting at Glenridding, it was an easy road spin along to Hartsop. Cutting off up the bridleway, I passed through the picture postcard pretty hamlet as I gradually gained height on tarmac and Land Rover track. Taking my test Pivot e bike, it was an easy if steep rise up to the washed out footbridge at the head of Hayeswater. The climb up to The Knott is a push / carry but the trudge was broken by speaking to several coast to coasters. One had come all the way from Albany in Western Australia. He was three days in and had gotten accustomed to wet feet! A narrow singletrack push took me over Rampsgill Head before quickly reaching the summit of Kidsty Pike. The views down into Riggindale and Haweswater are impressive. As I looked over Riggindale Crag, I wondered if anyone has ridden it? Later in the walk, I met an older walker who came up it and said it had a couple of steep sections but as the ride progressed and I viewed it from different angles and  am sufficiently intrigued to want to try it.

Kidsty Pike was fairly enjoyable, The section to Kidsty Howes is fast and flowy. There is a short and steep section of rocky channel that I did not fancy riding down with there being evidence of Fix the fells about to do some work there. Oh joy, more stone staircases…………The last section down to the shore was a bit soft in places but it all went.

I had planned to head north on the Haweswater shore track but taking @lowey ‘s advice, I decided to save it for a future ride. The section I rode back to the car park at Mardale Head was a lovely taster though, albeit one tempered by my broken left pedal trapping my cleat leading to a proper smack down on my left shoulder.

From there, I headed to the Corpse Road over to Swindale. It was a push up but as a descent, I reckon it would be a lot of fun. Breaking off the track, I headed over Selside and Bradstree. They were a bit wet but nowhere near as bad as they would be in winter. The views were nice even if the trails were dull. I saw other tyre tracks so imagine folk head up onto Branstree and go in the other direction which to me would make more sense and offer nice views east.

Hitting the saddle of Gatesgarth, I switched on the motor and powered up the climb onto Harter Fell. It was an absolute joy to ride up and I soon found myself at the cairn – cue more spectacular views. Padding up for the descent, I was expecting tech and was not disappointed. The first half is pretty straightforward but things get spicy when it gets steep towards the Nan Bield high point. I happily admit to walking one short section as I did not fancy being clipped in and struggling to unclip. I met several more lovely walkers – a couple with two gorgeous collies, a young woman doing the horseshoe and an older guy who was a new born walker from Grimsby who said he knew I was Scottish when he saw me riding down as nobody else would be so mad to ride it. To be fair, he was right but a lot of Lakes locals would rightly disagree. Was it good? No. It was great and would be a terrific add on to Nan Bield.

After that and a refuel with Jelly Babies, I pushed up onto Mardale Ill Bell. I have ridden it in the other direction previously and pushing up it made me resolve to do it again soon. From the summit, it is an easy schlep to the top of High Street.  Now High Street can get a bit of a bad rep and I think that some of that is unfair (not all but definitely a lot!) However, today was going to be the awesome version of High Street. Dropping down to the Knott, I retraced my steps to the junction where I came up from Hayeswater. It is a lovely mix of fast, grassy, rocky and loose. Simply put, classic Lakeland riding.

Those of a nervous disposition should look away now as I decided I wanted to do more hike a bike so headed up onto Rest Dodd. It was a carry all the way but the pay off was smashing views in all directions. Dropping off the comically steep but totally rideable northern slopes, I plummeted to the saddle before doing an out and back to The Nab. Despite there being another set of tyre marks, I doubt this will ever make it into a repeat visit peak. The way across is littered with peat hags and in the wet, it would be a slog. I enjoyed it but am in no rush to repeat the experience.

Heading back, I trended west to reach Satura Crag and reconnect with the descent from High Street. After chatting to a woman and her dog who had nabbed a cracking overnight spot for their tent and a brief detour onto Brock Crag, I made my way over the slow speed rocky tech of Satura before flow returned with the trails around the side of Angle Tarn. I last rode this over a decade ago and it is still a peach of a trail. The scenery is stunning while the trail bears repeated visits. I had planned a visit to the top of Angletarn Pikes but decided to save it for another day so that I could ride the trail again. Reaching Boredale Hause, I took the footpath down. Since I last rode it, Fix the fells have done their best to turn it into another rocky staircase of despair but riding it with a bit of speed through the high ferns, it was still a proper giggle

In summary, Harter Fell, Mardale Ill Bell and High Street down via Angle Tarn are all terrific descent options. Kidsty Pike was good but not amazing. The singletrack around the north side of Haweswater is definitely getting a future visit. Branstree to the Corpse Road would be nice for a shorter summer blast if you are not wanting tech. Or a frozen winter day perhaps?

So @lowey @fergal @scuttler @mark88 @justinbieber @munrobiker @thegeneralist

What adventures in the Lakes have you been on of late then?

Thoughts on my route and ride suggestions always welcome!

Cheers

Sanny

PS I will write up my Coniston Old Man adventure soon. It was also a smashing day out. Not long distance wise but high on quality.

Couple of months off with an old knee injury flaring up but hoping to get out this week.

I’ll be able to get a day time ride Thurs or Fri if anyone wants to join? Probably Angle Tarn, Styhead Tarn unless there’s other suggestions.

Would love to, but I’m going oop north this weekend.

They were probably my tracks down Rest Dodd @sanny. You’re right. I won’t be rushing back there. I carried on off the front of The Nab which I found hardwork walking down. Oh well. Another 2 ticked off.