Hi,
I’m off to the Lakes on the 23rd for a week and I am taking my road bike for the first time.
I am after some route recommendations please, I am stopping in Glenridding.
Not fussed on distances as I am after some short rides and some longer rides.
Thanks for your help.

James

Short one to start with

Probably some great road riding to be had but passing all those great off road rides would break my heart.

Kirkstone Pass is the obvious one from Glenridding.
Only thing I’d say is try to avoid the A66 Keswick road and also the road between Windermere and Ambleside. A66 is very fast, the Windermere – Ambleside one is very narrow and, although it has a cycle lane at various points it’s still unpleasant.

Other than that, pick a map, find a route, it’s all good. If a tad hilly in places. 😉

head up over kirkstone and then you could go:

Down the struggle to Ambleside, then explore the langdales, coniston or roads around grizedale.

Or down towards windermere from the top of the pass (nice descent), then turn off towards ings before you get to the roundabout at the bottom of the pass. After ings theres a combined cycletrack / pavement which leads to stavely then you can turn R in staveley and head towards crook and explore a lot of the little roads around there (underbarrow, crosthwaite, levens, strawberry bank etc etc).

Lots of nice roads to explore but i’d avoid:
Ambleside – windermere road
A592 Windermere to Newby bridge
591 windermere to kendal
590 at the bottom end of the lakes.

plenty of options for long / short rides with big passes or short steep climbs. Whatever takes your fancy really!

the wheelbase ‘tour de staveley’ is a nice route:
http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/le-tour-de-staveley/

Some great info there, thanks for the tips. Hadn’t really thought about going south!

Thanks again.