The plan so far:

Leave Euston on Thursday after work and arrive in Oxenholme about 9.30. Camp overnight.
Do something adventurous on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.
Get the train back home late afternoon on Sunday.

I need some help with the middle bit, as I know how hard it is to judge what’s do-able on a bike in the Lakes. Wild camping would be good. Dumping gear and doing some techy riding at some point would be good. Nice views would be good.

I was tentatively thinking about crossing Windermere by Ferry, heading for Coniston (poss via Grizedale) then doing Walna Scar, Boot, Wasdale and back but I’ve no idea if this is do-able in the time I’ve got or how to split it up.

My reserve plan is to leave the bike at home, get the bus to Langdale and do some scrambling.

Please bombard me with your wisdom. 😀

Still be able to get a train to Staveley @ that time of night possiblycheeky camp nearby then do the Sadgil Haweswater Nan Bield Ill Bell Garburn loop then drink loads @ the Brewery!. Then you could ride up Dubbs to troutbeck then Jenkins crag over to Elterwater Iron Keld and Claife possibley Grizedale.
Weather is damp at the moment and a big loop might be a bit much.
If you do not fancy camping on the Thursday got a spare bed you could use might cost you a few beers you do drink don’t you 🙂

Pack your waterproofs! I love hearing about other peoples solo riding plans so please keep us updated. I’d make sure you have a campsite ready for when you arrive after dark on thursday. If it were me I’d stick to the larger towns with campsites unless you’re the really hardy kind who loves rain and mud. Pubs serving hot food and ale make up for a shitty days riding and give you something to look foward to, spent countless days on tours dreaming of large cumberland sausage and chips with a pint of Stella. Plan perhaps to get to keswick over 2 days using bridleways etc in a roundabout way and then you can cycle back down to Oxenholme on sunday morning. And if not if you can get to windermere there’s a station there or I think there’s a bus company that takes bikes now. Have fun.

Thanks for the info (and offer of a bed!). I’ll have to go and pore over the maps some more.

It won’t be this Thursday but possibly next, so I’m hoping the weather improves.

Available to ride Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday can sort out a Bivi route 🙂

The weather has been shite today, just been out on the bike for an hour and nearly got blown away. Hope it clears up for you over the weekend!

Might well take you up on that postierich. I take it you’re based in Kendal? Anyway, I’m off to look at the map

A good plan is to check youth hostels as it means you can dump your stuff and they are almost all located next to some great lakeland riding YHA Lakes linky

In terms of planning, the ideal is big mountain passes but if the weather is like today you’d be better off doing some low level puddle splashing and staying out of the cloud.

I’d recommend Hawkshead or Elterwater YHA as bases for riding – both doable from Windermere train station – ferry or not.

Wild camping is do-able but VERY restricted – you might have to be in at last light, out at first light which kind of restricts leaving gear anywhere. Better bet is to try B&B or YHA, at least you get somewhere warm, dry and secure.

Weather up there today was shocking as you may have seen if you watched today’s stage of the Tour of Britain…

There’s a whole maze of trails from Oxenholme/Kendal over to Windermere (or you can just take the road). Out to Boot/Wasdale is probably a day. If you can head back via Elterwater, Garburn Pass etc, that’s a fantastic ride.

Thanks all. YHA is a good shout. Got plenty to mull over while I pray for better weather.

Please Please if you’re taking your bike, book a reservation on the train. I’d hate for you to get the weather and the planning but be refused access to the train with your bike, and it is mandatory on Virgin.You’ll be travelling at absolute peak time on the return from a destination that’s popular with cyclists……

Ta for the warning Blob

Well, I made the trip but I left the bike behind as I really wanted a wild camping adventure and I just hadn’t sussed a way of loading the bike instead of me.

Anyway, had an amazing time walking and scrambling in hot sunshine all weekend. Two nights out in the wilds, walking from Langdale over to Pillar via Jack’s Rake, climbers’ traverse on Great Gable, etc. Negotiating the steeper, narrower bits of Jack’s Rake with a big, heavy backpack was particularly exciting. 😯

Thanks all for tips and advice. I will be heading to the Lakes again with a bike as soon as I’ve made a frame bag, bar harness and seatpack. It’d be great to hook up with STW locals when I do. 😀

Oh, and bizarrely, coming down Rossett Gill at 9am I came across two kids’ BSOs abandoned by the path. Good effort to whoever carried them up/down there but I’m baffled as to why they bothered.

Cheezpleez – have you considered doing the Tim Woodcock Coast to Coast, St Bees to Robins Hood Bay. I reckon you’d love that but may need a little more than 3 days.

Yep, thought about it for this trip but didn’t have enough time to prepare properly and also thought it might be more fun to take longer over it. One for the future.

didn’t you take advantage of the BSO’s? glad you had a good time, the weather ending up pretty good at the weekend.

Ha! I had enough weight on my back without adding a couple of 35lb BSOs. Definitely wouldn’t fancy riding them on the upper section of Rosset Gill. Weather was incredible

Had an evening on top of High street Saturday night bike packing with a great days riding the following day give me a shout next time your up with the bike!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/383295251
Little vid

we live in Eskdale and my outlaws live in Kendal. I often ride to theres on Friday after work to meet up then cycle back in the morning. But that is on my road bike. We used to live next to Grizedale and did plenty of central routes on the mtb.
Now if you had a cx bike you would get the best of both worlds.

Something like this is easily enjoyable : the ride from Friday kendal to the windermere ferry is nice, even on a mtb on the road. camp @ hawkshead,grizedale, coniston, walna scar, boot,
Saturday burmoor camp wasdale head camp
up styhead, sprinkling tarn, east down mickleden to great langdale, little langdale, bumbleside back to kendal and train home to Lon-don Sunday knackered and content, if not a bit wet and smelly.

this is my round without the sections east of windermere to/ from kendal 😀

Nice vid postierich! And ta, I’ll give you a shout next time I’m heading to the Lakes.

Thanks for the info Sleepless. So much to do…

Did you see any shooting stars then? We bivvied at the top of Kirkstone Pass on Friday night and saw the most amazing meteors I’ve ever seen! Bit of a bummer that the pub was closed by the time we arrived though (about 9pm) so destroyed our plans to get some ales in.

Weather was perfect on Saturday.

@cheezpleez – great idea. I’ve thought of similar myself. Public transport does make biking difficult so walking is often the easiest option. Did you walk directly from the train station into the hills or get another transfer in the morning? More details please….

I did an overnight coach from London Victoria into Aviemore earlier this year (£50 return). Wasn’t a pleasant journey but did allow for easy access into the hills. I took my mtb in a clear polythene ctc bag and stashed it at one of the outdoor shops whilst I went bikepacking and did the cairngorm loop. Thinking of doing a similar walking trip soon.

I got a train to Windermere then buses to Langdale, which worked fine. I was out walking by 10am. A bike would obviously make things easier. You do need to reserve a bike space with Virgin Trains though.

I was in a tent so didn’t see any meteors 🙁 but I did see all this: