A few of us are heading to the Lakes next weekend for some riding and I’ve always been keen to do Walna Scar. I did hear that is was sanitised some time ago. Is it still a good techy ride? What is the best loop to include this? Any GPXs for good routes?

Cheers,
Matt

Tbh mate I wouldn’t bother, I’m sure someone will be along to say it’s the greatest ride ever but I found it lots of work for very little reward, CW at least. I think it would be vastly better to do it ACW, go straight up to the gap from Coniston, seems like you’d get far more downhill that way.
Here’s a gpx, you can start by going along the lakeshore to the campsite if you like.
https://www.justgoride.co.uk/routes/15302

I like it, with dunnerdale and Seathwaite thrown into the loop.

Go to brown pike too

I really like this route

Walna Scar

Descent to Seathwaite is excellent and the Newfield Inn are welcoming however muddy you are. The pull up to Walna is deceptively tough and some of the descent has been sanitized but the top section and bits around the mines are great.
Might not be the best value ride but definitely a great day out. And good in the winter.

No idea why you’d want to do it ACW …
The best bit of the ride is the descent of Stevensons Ground to Seathwaite pub.

The descent to Torver is nice. Ie the “mines” bit in the post above this one.

When Walna east descent was sanitised, this bit was completely banked out. (I thought it was running quite well in October)

IIRC, when they sanitise it, the gravel is sort of level with my handlebars. Which makes it rubbish

I seem to recall that @golfchick’s man did the complete ascent from Seathwaite to Walna Nick ( on an eeb) which to me doesn’t scream “amazing descent opportunity” ( No disrespect to Mr Chick intended 🙂 )

I much prefer it clockwise, the road climb then push from Coniston is pretty brutal. If you’re not keen on pushing, heading up from Broughton Forest via the fire road to Natty Bridge is mostly rideable.

The descent towards Coniston is recovering well from the santisation IMO, bit loose and bedrocky in places. Carrying on to the car park and then down the road to Coniston wastes a lot of height though, I’d either drop to Torver (after the section in the photo above) or reclimb from the car park and descend Church Beck.

Descending direct to Seathwaite from the col would be a waste too IMO, zero technical interest, just long and bumpy. Far better to descend to Stephenson Ground and then over Long Mire.

Thanks for the info, chaps. It sounds like it might be okay. Another option we are considering is the Styhead and Stake Pass route here –

http://fattyres.co.uk/routes/lake-district/sty-head-stake-pass/

How does this hold up in the winter?

Styhead and Stake Pass route here –

I don’t rate that route at all. The descent from Styhead to Borrowdale is utterly amazing,

And the bit at Esk Hause is good.

but the rest is a bit crap really.
This is the ascent from langdale up Rosset Ghyll

The following quote from that link is just complete horseshit:

killer climb of Stake Pass. This soon pays for itself however with the technical, but wholly rideable and enjoyable descent back into Great Langdale.

I’m a passable punter rider, but thought Stake Pass was pretty bad. I walked down big chunks of it.

Here’s the good bit of Stake near the bottom, that we didn’t walk : 😉

PS. This is part of the descent from Walna to Torver.

@thegeneralist he did indeed clean it on his MTB and I have to agreed I can’t see why you’d do it the other way. Worth noting as well that if you plan on going through the woods after the ridiculously sharp road climb that it has been felled and was abysmal when I last rode through. If I was planning to do it now I’d park in Seathwaite and finish on that ace descent and miss the woods by shooting off right at the wall half way up walna scar. I much prefer doing the anti clockwise loop of Coniston to included the mines descent of walna scar but not the rest as found the rest to be average.

Worth noting as well that if you plan on going through the woods after the ridiculously sharp road climb that it has been felled

Broughton Forest after the Hummer Lane climb? That’s a shame.

I did it in the middle of last year, and the first BW singletrack section had been closed/blocked, but only 100-200 yards was actually affected by the forestry work, and the second good bit (tricky climb and decent descent) before it joins the road was still OK.

Rode Parkamoor and Walna Scar on Sat. As you cut from Grizedale to the Parkamoor descent, there are a few trees down, and you have to take an unmarked diversion, which is easy enough to navigate, but a bit of a pita.
The woods after the steep road and before Stephenson Ground are shot. The bridge is out, but you can cross the Brook with care. Forget about trying g the sweet singletrack though. Best to stay on tbe fire road and detour round, as lots of trees down.
As for Walna Scar itself, the top bit is getting washed out and is a giggle. Bottom half to the carpark is just quick flat corners.
I can’t see the attraction of riding up from Coniston, but each to thier own

Bottom half to the carpark is just quick flat corners.

Agree that the bottom half of the Walna road is pants, hence why lots ( most?) drop down past the mines

I can’t see the attraction of riding up from Coniston, but each to thier own

I don’t think there is any attraction in and of itself, but what comes down must first go up.. No?

I love Walna Scar. Its a crackin route which ride’s well in all weathers.

Make sure you take the left at the car park up to Crowberry Haws for the excellent descent down to Church Beck. Then finish off with a few in the Sun!.

Rossett Gill can totally get F*&^ed on a bike again its an awful carry up and the drop back to Seathwaite is just riddled with walkers heading Scafell bound. Ive ridden it and yesterday I was one of said walkers. There is much better riding from the langdales past Weatherlam and into Coniston.

If you are riding around Walna the run down from Stephensons ground is totally recommended.

Thanks for all the advice, folks. I think we might go for this route on Saturday. Will this include all the good bits?

Walna Scar

There is much better riding from the langdales past Weatherlam and into Coniston.

Could I trouble you for a few more details?
I did Coniston Old Man – Swirl How – Wet Side Edge, which was nice.
Keen to hear of stuff going the other direction.

Ta

Thanks for all the advice, folks. I think we might go for this route on Saturday. Will this include all the good bits?

Stevenson Ground To Seathwaite descent – tick😀
Top half of Walna East descent- tick😀
Mines to Torver section – tick😀
Lovely bit of trail past the tarn on Torver Low Common- tick😀
Nice descent to Woodland Fell – tick😀

I * think* that the section of Bridleway on that route just east of Stevenson Ground is the bit someone above (Golfchick?) is saying has trees down.
Easy enough to follow the forest road instead I guess.

It’ll do, there are options, the first third over Blawith common could be cut out (its alright ut is usually pretty wet, so youll be potentially soaked before youve really got started) or swapped for more riding in the duddon valley, which would be my preference, or you could head up to Natty bridge on the fireroad in Broughton moor forest and head over to walna via the mines, this would cut out a lot of the climb from seathwaite, which is an almighty bastard.

Broughton moor forest is being harvested so a lot of the trails have been pulverized but you should be able to pick your way through on the fireroads

There are loads of variations on this ride so id just stick with what you’ve got and eye up alternatives for next time once you’ve got a feel for the ground

Give us a wave if you go over Blawith, were just a couple of miles south of there

I’ve done walna scar a few times when doing c2c. When I’ve got to the bottom I’ve always thought I must have taken a wrong turning as it’s always been a let down for the effort it took to get over it. Seen plenty of bikes on it when I’ve walked it who look like they’ve had fun. I guess local knowledge is very important on that mountain!

If I was driving to the lakes to go riding it wouldn’t be high on my list. If I was staying close by then that’s different.

I wouldn’t do a ride ‘just’ to do Walna Scar, it’s a fun descent, but possibly not the highlight of a WS-themed ride. I always need to add a selection from the likes of Parkamoor, the drop to Seathwaite, the singletrack from Natty Bridge to Stephenson Ground, the stuff in Broughton Forest (hopefully not RIP) or maybe Church Beck at quiet times.

If anyone has a GPX for a ride that includes more good stuff than the route above, I’d be grateful for a copy. Failing that, I think we’ll go with that route.

Cheers,
Matt

That’s a decent route, I wouldn’t change too much. It’s worth checking out the fireroads in advance in Broughton Forest on a map as they are a bit confusing in terms of direction rather than try to wing it following the GPS for tracks which may not be passable.

Other things to note – there is a road descent off Torver Common in the first half, which may be a bit disappointing. You might want to follow the Cumbria Way past Beacon Tarn to rejoin. That cuts out a road descent, longish busy road section and another road climb onto Woodland Fell.

Small point – on the WS descent, your GPX actually leaves the track to head for Torver just before the interesting rock chute pictured up there, you might want to hang on until you get a couple of hundred yards past it and then look for a path on the right to head down, there are a few.