Did a two day ride at the weekend that I’ve been meaning to do for ages.

Set off early Sat from Leeds in the car with my partner, cycled 100km from Ambleside to Ennerdale via Grizedale and the Wrynose and Hardknott passes, stayed the night at Ennerdale YHA, up at 7am Sun to take advantage of the extra hour that the changing clocks gave us, looped around Ennerdale forest past the Black Sail hostel, back to the Ennerdale YHA for breakfast, then 100km back to Ambleside via Whinlatter, Hosister pass and a fabulous gravel forest trail east of Thirlmere.

Soooo, here’s the route, as I figured it’s worth sharing, but unfortunately I have not a single photo worth posting here… For anyone disappointed by this, here’s one from a trip to the Alps this summer, which I’ve been meaning to post on a thread of it’s own

https://www.strava.com/routes/16042915

Might be stealing that for next year 😃

Bookmarked. nice one.

That sounds like a pretty good day out.

One to try next year when I’m up there visiting the family.

It’d be a massive day out! 200km OK, but nearly 5000m climbing… I’d struggle, but wouldn’t mind a go actually…

I’d be keen to expand the route, are there any nice trails/forests that that route misses? Only thing I’d considered adding was the Old Coach Road

That looks fantastic! Saved for next year. 🙂

Brilliant, I’d really like a go at this. Thanks for sharing.

OP … What kind of bike did you use? MTB?

Looks good. I’d definitely opt to climb Dunmail Raise on the traffic free tarmac cycle path opposite where you rejoin the tarmac from the Forest. It rejoins the road at the summit. Also some good detours possible into Miterdale Forest (Eskdale) if you’re not tired enough after Harknott and Wrynose!

There’s lots you could add. For a start, there’s a cycle trail from the end of Ennerdale, along the lakeside to Bowmess Knott (where the tarmac ends), avoiding the road through Croasdale – which you can do on the return.

Nice little detour at the top of Honister – that added some climbing!

I wouldn’t fancy the coach road on a gravel bike tbh. Certainly not downhill towards Keswick. I’d be interested to know what gearing ratios you used please?

Coach road would be ok along the top but the climb out of St John’s in the Vale would be rough on a gravel bike, I think. Leaving Keswick past Castlerigg over to the Vale, then through to the Thirlmere road is nicer than the main drag.

OP … What kind of bike did you use? MTB?

Me and my partner were on (almost) matching Genesis CDF’s with big (but slick) tyres. Overall we did close to 80km offroad and 130km on, but we spent over 50% of riding time offroad as if was generally slower going.

If we’d gone on the MTB’s I reckon lots more off-road could be added. From the top of the Honister pass down the Borrowdale bridleways to Dewent for sure, some farmland stuff in and North West of Ennerdale, and I assume plenty more I don’t know of.

But the Wrynose, Hardknott, Newlands and Honister passes are so damn good I’d say a gravel bike is the best compromise for the route, to make sure to still get the best out of those.

In any case, the Dunmail Raise bridleway climb and the Bowness Knott bit you suggested, boxelder, would have been good for sure and look smooth enough.

you’ve launched a major planning operation here. Bunch of guys I know from Belgium are talking about getting the ferry to Newcastle, then 2 or 3 of us, riding the C2C route to Keswick, then riding this……

@charliemort

Great! I’ve just edited the route on Strava to add a couple of bits people suggested, so it bumps up the offroad length to perhaps close to 90km

Thanks – so the strava link above is the amended route?

what was your riding time per day approximately? I’m guessing around 10mph average? A couple of us may have a go in early December

Yep, edited in that link, but be aware that that link is plotted by hand not mapped (I don’t have the gadgets for the latter…)

The route should be pretty good even in bad weather as I’d tried to make sure it sticks to well-surfaced stuff so Dec should be OK, snow permitting.

Speed, urg, I have a feeling we were slow and didn’t even manage 10mph. I think we were out 8 hours the first day and 10 the second, so I guess averaging something like 8mph! Not so bad considering the 2500m of climbing each day, but slower than I expected for sure.

could anyone recommend a gravelly type route to from Preston / Lancaster to link in with this, maybe across Forest of Bowland, to make a 3 / 4 day ride, probably finishing at penrith and getting the train back?

Thanks, will look into this!

I can’t think of a gravel route from Preston, but the Salter Fell road in the North Bowland Forest is fabulously wild for this spot of the world. It gets a bit rough for a CX bike at the East end, but it’s only for a couple of miles or so. The rest is easy going.

You should be able to link that in on a Preston to Lancs route, though there may be a fair bit of road necessary in between

Cycling across Bowland and Salter Fell

+1 Salter Fell. If you need any more [cough] gravel-type routes near Preston then just shout, as I’m from that area.

I’m also doing my own Ted Gritton later this year with a mate. It’s a different route to the one above though.

2nd Salter fell

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28P48uf]Untitled[/url] by eastham_david, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/279EKNA]Untitled[/url] by eastham_david, on Flickr

some ideas from around here (Preston/Chorley etc) would be welcome reggie, i’m fed up with canal paths a small short green lanes.

Well we’ve done it and I’m sitting in the car knackered….

Kristof drive from Belgium to Calais Tuesday, picked me up in Kent weds am, and we drove to slaidburn. Started riding as the heavens opened around 415. Over salter fell then a few other bridleways got us to Kendal around 9pm.

Rode to bowness Thursday am and then picked up the route in hawkshead, again in a deluge. Wrynose and hardknott were grim into a complete gale – Kristof rode but I had to walk a bit despite my 32/42 gear – headwind was ridiculous. Lunch at the wool pack inn around 3pm (the first place we saw open) then diverted off route to have a look at wast water, and got to Ennerdale yha around 7pm.

Friday rode to Ambleside. Hard knot and the other pass before it were even madder. I got blown off the road twice, and I weigh 15 stone . Thankfully the rain stopped as I was losing my sense of humour. I can only assume Kristof was a duck in a previous life as he appeared unaffected.

Keswick to Ambleside was also into the gale, but thankfully the route minimised the miles on the A road as I was losing it doing about 8mph on the flat.

Massive curry then today rode around Windermere to bowness, a few bridleways around Kendal, then back over salter fell.

I’m buggered, Kristof isn’t, but I guess he is 20 years younger, 10 kg’s Lighter and finalising training for 10 days bike-packing around Slovenia

Think we ended up at about 235 miles and 8000m climbing

So thanks for the route – we loved it

awesome! how do i get the gpx for that?

Ian

The lakes bit is at the top of the thread

I can send you the Slaidburn to lakes bits if you want