Ullock Pike – Best route?

A bit short notice but thinking of doing Ullock Pike tomorrow. Never done it before.
Looking at other people’s strava the route down seems obvious but there is some variation in the route to the top.
What is the best way to get to the top ?
I assume that all the ways up will be a pain but which way up is the more tolerable ?

Any strava or GPX of a good route will be great

Only ever did it one way, tourist path to the top of skiddaw, then turn back, steep shaley descent of death starts about 300m south of the summit, I use OS maps app to just check I’m at right bit if the clouds down.

Down to carlside then west along longside edge and keep going.

Awesome.

Only one way up from Latrigg/Keswick. The path forks to access Little Man but the main path keeps on up to the main Skiddaw summit. You really can’t go wrong by sticking the main path (however that is no substitute for taking a map and knowing how to use it). After the zig zags it’s mostly rideable.

As Nobeer says after you’ve been to the true summit come back on yourself and after about 200m you’ll find the top of the scree slope and from their on in again navigation is obvious assuming you don’t accidentally go down Carl Side.

Enjoy.

I nicked this gpx off another guy’s strava who’d done it. and took out the bits where he started. So you’ll have to plot your own way up to join the loop. Start from Keswick and ride round the back first if I were you, make a decent ride of it, lonscale fell then up the front. Straight up the front of the mountain is brutal but you soon forget the climb.
https://www.justgoride.co.uk/Routes/39886

My map shows a Bridleway option to the top of Skiddaw – Is the “tourists path” and the easiest way to get up with a bike ?

All the other ways up are footpaths

Aye, that’s the one. I think you can go skiddaw house-sale how and up that way too, but I’ve never done it.

Thanks for the info everyone

I’ve seen Strava rides where they take one of the footpath options up but I think I’ll be sticking with the bridleway if it’s “less” brutal

It’s not so bad. You can ride to Latrigg (200m ascent) on or off road, then push/carry up the zigzags (450m ascent), then ride much of the remainder to the summit (275m ascent), so just about half riding. There are much more brutal ascents in the Lakes.

See Google Earth – https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Keswick/@54.6127762,-3.0958697,767a,35y,303.94h,73.46t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487cc2477a050ef9:0xc5fde4338572418d!8m2!3d54.601276!4d-3.134706 – obvious path is obvious

It’s quite a short route on its own. Another option to extend it a bit, is instead of doing the latrigg climb, head the threkeld on the disused railway, then past the blencathra centre towards (not quite to) skiddaw house. Then south west round Lonscale Cragg(fun) to pick up at the latrigg car park and the main climb described above

As above the path is obvious. My only bit of advice not above is go early, it’s a popular walking route and rubbish dodging the pedestrians.

El boufador is spot on, that’s a great wee add on. Or if you’re in the mood, Grisedale pike at the end!

Is the old railway open again? The last few times I’ve been it’s been closed between Keswick and Threlkeld. Might be reopened now though, been a year or so since I was there and they were working on it then I think.

If your wanting a shorter option, then park at Dodd Wood and ride up the main path towards the summit, then pick up the footpath to the left that takes you to ‘White Stones’ from there follow the footpath up to Carlside Tarn / bottom of the Skiddaw Screw, then just follow the ridge line as normal.

My only bit of advice not above is go early, it’s a popular walking route and rubbish dodging the pedestrians.

Weekend maybe. Midweek, no dramas. There’s also go late for those people that can’t be arsed getting out of bed.

Midweek, no dramas.

My experience of the lakes is a lot less people mid week but a much larger number of deliberately obstructive/shouty/entitled keen walkerists, where as the weekends attract a lot more normals.

On a path like ullock ignoring the former isn’t easy in a fair number of places but certainly mid week is better on things where ignoring and riding round is more viable.

YMMV of course and it could just be my dumb luck.

There’s also go late for those people that can’t be arsed getting out of bed.

Also has advantage of making a pub finish much more acceptable.

Keswick threlkeld railway still shut. There are 2 descents off skiddaw- you want the diagonal left trending one, rather than the steep zig zags that take off further south. The diagonal is obvious in good vis c 200m short of skiddaw summit cairn (from spot height 928 on map). The rideable lines on Ullock steep sections are generally left trending but on a first descent can be tricky to identify from above. Rode it on Sunday evening, in perfect conditions just now. I normally drop off left to Ravenstone hotel/ Dodd wood rather than trying to continue down to the end of the ridge, it’s better riding. Enjoy!

Any update? How did it go?

My mate’s YouTube vid is a bit long, but shows a go pro view of the Ullock Pike bit from Sunday night:

It was great. 2 of us did it.
we went to Glenderaterra and Lonscale first before hitting the BW upto Skiddaw.
Disused railway line was shut, so a “pain in the arse” route to start which involved a road climb, road descent, road climb then the good stuff along the lower mountain side of Skiddaw.
As for the BW climb to the top and Skiddaw. We joined it at the top car park after a good mountain-side blast along the lower part of Skiddaw.
Main climb up summit was a hard long slow climb. Lots of walking. Some riding. Probably not as bad as some others I’ve done; namely Nan Bield and High Street.
We went down the very steep Scree Run from Skiddaw, scary section as its loose steep and there’s a dangerous drop on the right hand side.
Great views at the top.
Ullock Pike was a great ridge descent. The views, scenery and the riding were probably the best I’ve ever done in England.
There was one section on the Ullock descent I took the wrong line and ended up getting faced with an insane rock section, had to carry down for a few metres, I turned round and looked back at it and saw a much easier line to the left of it which I should have taken! Apart from that it was a great singletrack and just about the right level of tech for me.
Hardly any walkers, none at all on Ullock descent.

After the descent there were 7 km of road to get back to Keswick (all on the A591) which was a crap way to end the ride but overall I can’t complain as it included some of the best stuff I’ve ever done and would do it again soon if it wasn’t such a long drive to get up there.

Superb. 👏🏻

TomB
My mate’s YouTube vid is a bit long, but shows a go pro view of the Ullock Pike bit from Sunday night:

Good video, I took a bit of a tumble towards the bottom (the easy bit!) a few week ago, at about 12 mins in the video, good to have another look at the trail.

Sweet, not jealous at all!

Is there a way down the insane rock section? I’ve yet to find it. The second bigger one I mean.
The first smaller one has a trail that snakes to the left that’s easy enough. Second one has been a carry down every time

Is there a way down the insane rock section? I’ve yet to find it. The second bigger one I mean.
The first smaller one has a trail that snakes to the left that’s easy enough. Second one has been a carry down every time

The first smaller one is the one I’m on about! I decided not to ride it only to realise afterwards there’s an easy path on the left.

The second one, I rode it but had to dab a few times and stopped to have a good look at the line a couple of times. There’s no way I could have just done it in one go, but at least I avoided carrying down that one.

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkeeeee.

From the 26 inch wheel archive.

‘kinell. Props, as da yout say