Looks for something new tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had any experience of wetherlam. Is there a good way up or down ?

I usually walk before riding something like that but at the last minute I’m getting away in camper for a day or 2.

Appreciate any help

It’s only OK, half of its a grassy bog then it gets more interesting but it’s not a world beater. This is the Lad Stones descent- Sanny z the mountain guru on here, recommended it to me which suggests it’s the best way off the hill. The views are amazing though.

If you can live with mega cheek then the Old Man itself is excellent. Or maybe try some of the off piste stuff in Langdale (not Stake Pass or Rossett Pike, they aren’t much cop either).

Not done it, but the whole Coniston top carpark, Natty Bridge, over to the Duddon Valley then up and down Walna Scar is a good ride.

up via levers water and then down i think what is the one munrobiker mentioned. it ends on the top of the descent to coniston on the path from tilberthwaite which is a cracker so worth doing just for that bit. not been up wetherlam for over a year but did the last descent section coming from tilberthwaite a few weeks ago, seemed a lot rougher and rockier than last time. great fun.

whatever you do don’t try going up wetherlam from tilberthwaite, someone got mixed up and took us that way the first time i did it, was like rock climbing with bikes, not even sure if it would be doable on your own, never again.

Cheers.

I have since thought about parking at tilberthwaite head over to the waterfalls at coniston then up wetherlam via coppermines,up swirl how and then right round the back. Wet side edge it is called on map? Might look a bit grassy on satellite ? Any experience?

if you go up the right hand side from tilberthwaite and are fairly fit(fitter than me) its all rideable apart from avery short bit after crossing the second stream(after the stream crossing its all a steady ride up) and the descent towards coniston is the good one i mentioned before.

not sure what the climb to swirl how is like but have been down wet side edge after doing the old man before, its been a while so can’t remember it that well, think it was ok but nothing special.

Hole rake down to copper mines is sneaky but good if you can incorporate it.

Yeah bigfoot done the decent towards coniston before a couple of times.
Thanks for the info guys. Still undecided though ….sure I’ll figure something out.
Cheers

TR.

In Coniston this week with family. May have a smidge of time late tomorrow afternoon to have a shuftie around the Old Man.

Couple of people have mentioned a good descent from OMC, is that directly NNE to Low Water? Looks like only a short path section then fire road…

I’ve been hankering to go up Walna Scar, Dow Crag, OMC then north along the ridge to Great Carrs then down to Little Langdale, but doubt I’ll have time tomorrow.

What’s a good descent off the Old Man to do in the 90 minutes between when the ramblers disappear and darkness falls?

we usually go up past low water, i’m reasonable at lakes descending but there is a couple of sections i don’t think i would ride coming down that way.

not sure about the route you say with dow crag but the one we have done a few times from coniston is up past low water then from the top along to great carrs and down wetside edge into langdale back to coniston, should just be doable in 3 hours if your reasonbly fit and ok carrying a bike.

the descent isn’t that good, one of those thats better in a group racing down the hill picking your own lines, jumping of rocks etc. and theres one little trickier section lower down that usually catchs someone out, but its the only one i know from the old man

edit to add from the top of the old man the path is obvious for a while but at some point to get onto the descent to wetside edge(not sure if before great carrs or after) it becomes hard to follow for a while so a phone with a map on it would be handy, i’ve done it about 4 times in a group but if i went on my own i’m still not sure i would go the right way without checking.

Hi Big foot. Many thanks.

not sure about the route you say with dow crag but the one we have done a few times from coniston is up past low water then from the top along to great carrs and down wetside edge into langdale back to coniston, should just be doable in 3 hours if your reasonbly fit and ok carrying a bike.

Yep, we’re talking about the same route, except that I was thinking of starting from the top of walna Scar and doing Brown Crag, Buck Pike and Dow Crag before getting to the Old Man and then continuing as you have described. If I’m short on time then your route sounds much more sensible.

the descent isn’t that good, one of those thats better in a group racing down the hill picking your own lines, jumping of rocks etc.

Am I to take it from this description that its relatively mellow? Can’t quite work out the import of what you are saying…. did you need to liven it up by racing different lines?

yeah, its mainly a wide open grassy descent with one short rocky steepish bit. also at this time of year there will be a boggy section just after that before dropping down to the river, first time on that route someone went high speed into it then getting launched OTB.

if it wasn’t for the fact we sometimes want to go up the old man we probably wouldn’t ever ride that descent.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/25ucLq2]20180505_145633[/url] by Dave Lowe, on Flickr

Wetside Edge. Its ok if you like fast grass with a little rocky chute at the end.

Only real descent from Wetherlam is Lad Stones ridge. Its ok, but I wouldnt rush back.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/RKFEC6]DSC_0167[/url] by Dave Lowe, on Flickr

Well I thoroughly enjoyed that. Didn’t finish the family ride till about 3pm so was chasing the sun up OMC. Still a fair few ramblers about, all of whom were wonderfully friendly. Not that I was moving particularly fast as I gasped up the path bike on shoulders.
The voie normale descent by low water looks amazing on the right day. Looks ferociously difficult.
Got to the summit at about 5:10 with dusk due at 5:54. Did the ridge to the North and loved it. There was loads of easy bits but also a fair few techie sections. I walked a fair chunk as the wind was huge and I didn’t want to take any risks. Loved the grassy knoll section down Wet Side. Was getting quite dark by that point but didn’t really want to turn my lights on till I got to the Bridleway.

Anyway. Loved it. But also need to try more stuff with other people so I can push myself a bit without the prospect of a slow cold wet death if I screw up.

Many thanks for the swift info all.

glad you enjoyed it.
it can get a bit wild up there, made the mistake of jumping of a rock just after the summit of the old man and got taken so far sideways in the wind i nearly crashed into the rider several bike widths to my left.
cloud came right down on us once as well, could barely see 10′, phone needed checking evey few minutes to keep going the right way.

Also worth noting that Walna Scar East seems to be getting back into a good shape after the resurfacing.
Might nip up and do it from the top.

Amazing to think this bit was smooth rockfill a few years ago. All that blasted rain is at least good for something.