Skidds on Skiddaw :)

Tackled Skiddaw last night. Have been waiting for some decent weather to return so we could get this ticked off before the end of the summer. This was also our first time climing it with bikes, so we figured it would be quite interesting!

The evening weather was perfect. good visibility, warm, and a slight breeze.

On the way up:

Flat bit past Little Man thankfully suprisingly rideable. Then it kicks up again:

Lots of sharp little rocks at the top, one tube change and hardening of tyres followed:

Gratuitous BrantPorn shot 😀

We did tidy up after ourselves eventually:

Then the downhill! Thankfully it was worth the effort. It would have been over far to quickly, but my two compadres suffered pinch flats by the time we got back to Little Man. So we had an enforced break while we sorted ourselves out.

The next section down the *steep* zig-zags to Latrigg carpark was a touch hair-raising, certainly a good test for my V2's! The discs were hot and black by the bottom, pinking as they cooled. Speed was instantanious if you let go 😯

Then a nice fast cool down across the side of Latrigg back into Keswick. No walkers, just daft speeds! 8) Brilliant.

Christ that path has turned into a superhighway since I was last up there.

The path does look very 'improved' – is there much in the way of techy stuff on the descent?

Bloody hell what happened to that place it's like Glentress.

Err, didn't realise it had changed. Never walked up the bridalway, always walked up from the north side.

Not really technical, i suspect it's been speeded up somewhat! Still, some sections aren't as smooth as they look. Lots of loose and sharps about.

Having walked up recently I can tell you it's lot steeper than it looks. I saw a few cyclists turn back half way. But the middle bit looked ideal for riding.

Long time since I've seen pipe lagging on an MTB.

Good work!

Great stuff! Thats one fast descent! 🙂

Here are some pics i took one Tues night when the kmbrs went up Skiddaw. We came off the front and down to the right.

Nice sunset over Dumfries

And another from further down

BTW, We were up there again on Sun afternoon and i managed to pedal ALL the way up….. 😆

Nice pics BTW.

stoney – Member

Here are some pics i took one Tues night when the kmbrs went up Skiddaw. We came off the front and down to the right.

BTW, We were up there again on Sun afternoon and i managed to pedal ALL the way up…..

Clipped in by any chance? One of my friends was, and he peddaled a fair bit more than me on me flats.

Nice bike btw 🙂

Clipped in, its the only way!

You picked the right night Andy_K – we were on the allotments having a BBQ and Skiddaw looked great from below. Like Stoney mentioned, arguably the best route down is Ullock Pike (cheeky and fun technical though) – although Stoney and the others might have found a new route last Sunday 😉

You should pop over on a Tuesday if you can for a KMB ride (6.30 at The Pedlar)

We had better give that new route a miss on a Tuesday night!!!!!

I was going to go and have a look on Sunday morning if the weather's good. If not, it's Sticks Pass from Thirlmere.

Gopt a gpx for your route? I'm over there sunday, was planning to run skiddaw but might take the bike instead…

Duckers – here's the direct bridleway route from the centre of town:

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=14794

You should be able to download a gpx through the 'Download Route' link.

…and here with the Ullock descent – it can get busy during the day though (cheeky):

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=14795

and slightly sphincter twitching 🙂

Any pics/video of the Ullock Pike descent?

Nothing great i'm afraid.

Not that i know of grumm…..but it is truely awsome and in my top 2 favs.

Ha that looks pretty scary. How does the level of gnar compare to say, the descent from Grisedale Tarn on Helvellyn?

I haven't done grisdale since they did all the 'improvements', so can't comment, but the top section is giggly steep. Passed a bloke on his hands and knees trying to get up the scree 🙂

Ian, that looks truly awful. I'll be doing it next week 🙂 🙂 🙂

Ullock from the top of Skiddaw:

Start of the descent:

Looking back up Skiddaw from Carlside Tarn:

On Ullock:

Looking back up Ullock from part way down:

I wasn't going to ride today but I think I might be off up Skiddaw now 😀

Christ, what have they done to Skiddaw? That's really sad. This time next year there'll probably be a service station half way up.

Christ, what have they done to Skiddaw? That's really sad.

It's been like that for a while now. First time I tried Skiddaw it was really technical, lots of little lines worn into the hillside, little drop-offs and big rocks! I had to turn back at the end of the first steep pitch cos the weather came in quite suddenly.
A group of us tried it again a year or so later but the wind was horrendous, we couldn't even walk with the bikes never mind ride them!

Then they went and put in a bloody great road up it. Big popular hill, tourist honeypot town nearby and a car park right at the foot of the hill, that kind of thing often happens. 🙁

Ullock Pike was featured in Dirt Mag a while back, with the caption "Tracey Mosely on a Ridge near Skiddaw"
I've walked up it quite a few times and am looking frowrad to giving it a go.

Cheers parkedtiger those pics look ace – will have to give it a go. 🙂

Cheer Grumm 🙂

AndyP – Member

Christ, what have they done to Skiddaw? That's really sad.

I came off Helvellyn down Sticks Pass this afternoon and the bomb holes at the top have been filled 🙁 (although now there's a series of fast dips / jumps, which were fun, but more in keeping with a trail centre 😕 )

There's digger part way down so I don't think the sanitizing has finished just yet.

From skids on Skiddaw to Hops on Helvelyn!!! sound like it was good fun.