Why don't you ride your mountainbike in the Lake District ?

Only been a handful of times. Seen very few bikers – and even not those many walkers when off the main routes. Lot of space I guess.

Don’t go a lot as I have some pretty good ride from door routes, and have to drive past lots of good terrain to get to lakes, so it doesn’t seem worth it – except for a beer and bikes weekend.

I’ve ridden a lot in the Lakes and would love to do it more often but the 7hr drive from London + the cost of the weekend away is too much at the moment – need to keep saving so I can buy a rabbit hutch in SE London for half a mill!

I suspect ££ may be one of the reasons there’s fewer people coming into the Lakes at BH weekend – a lot of people are feeling the pinch and a local ride or road ride are a lot cheaper than a weekend away

just back today from a week in the yorkshire dales.. from burnsall to reeth and didnt meet a single bike off road..

I guess i am very lucky to have all weather trails on my door step, I have only just started washing my bike after blowing the dust off with an airline all summer 😉 Mike Smith you know where we are, your welcome back anytime 🙂

Just got back, the A4 shows 66mpg for the 930 mile round trip(went up to Cumbrea afterwards) so thats £80 in fuel and accommodation was £30 for two including breakfast.

Didn’t take the a bike though that would be silly Red Socks are better for them hills! 🙂

Just a couple of photos from the Sunday ride Esk Hause looking at Great Gable and the top of Grains Gill

most folk on here simply arent good enough 😉

Gav, those pics have given me a yearning to get back to the Lakes ASAP. Grains Gill is a quality trail, only done it the once but its a much more “interesting” way down to Seathwaite. IMO miles better than going down Styhead Gill. Wouldn’t mind another crack at it some day and trying cleaning it.
Just wondering have you ever ridden Dalehead Crags?

After reading the posts above i was expecting to find the route finding a problem but it seems you are all well accustomed to the mahoosive network of trails up here.and well aware of the OS maping and classic route sheets available from all of the bike shops in the area.The cost of fuel seems to be a big factor and indeed the prospect of a long drive may put off the city dwellers.

Maybe better signage of a particular route (Borrowdale Bash etc ) is something that would be of benefit to encourage more usage of the trails, or is this not really an issue? after discussing this in Biketreks at Ambleside it seems route finding for there customers can be a problem.

Scarey carey Grains gill is a cracker with some amazing sections midway down, we did it specifically because the Styhead descent gets busy and is narrow in places, Dale head crags is also equally as good, bike set up is key though and tyre choice/pressures are a big factor in a good run down.

You can relax GaVgAs – there were blimmin’ loads heading out today from Staveley. The natural order of the universe has been restored.

Good Good Martin, all the better trails are miles away from there anyway 😉

I was one of the crowd heading out from Stavley did a cracking loop taking in Garburn pass – was pretty quiet once out in th’ills tho

Did a loop of Rosset Ghyll and Stake Pass on Sat, some fantastic riding when not pushing up, and was genuinely amazed not to see any other bikers all day. I like the lakes 🙂

nice one nick,any photos?

I live in Kendal, I reckon I see more roadies than I do MTBs up here but then it’s a big place to hide them all.

That said, when I’m driving to Manchester on a Friday and I see all the MTBs on the cars going north, I get close to pulling a sickle and turning around.

National Park policy is to discourage visitors from entering the area with their vehicles by making parking difficult and siting the attractions around the periphery of the park. Proper mountain biking is dying slowly back to the few diehards who feel comfortable in the outdoors and many of the originals have gone over to the road. The few remaining mountain bikers are sticking to trail centres where they feel safe, can park and can buy plastic drink bottles then scatter them along the trail. Horrific traffic congestion on the motorways also means that fewer people are ready to jump in their cars on a Friday and shoot off to some far-flung mountain area like they used to 20 years ago.

Similar pressures mean that previously popular climbing routes are becoming clogged with vegetation through lack of use and parties of young cavers are seldom seen down caves.

Wozza Kendal based here to give us a shout if you want some company on the trails!

Not biking specific, but we’ve cut down on hillwalking trips to the Lakes the last couple of years mainly because Friday evening trips up the M6 from the Midlands seemed to consistently turn into nightmarish epics, even with nipping off a bit earlier. Now it’s for longer weekends only, which are much rarer. And I wouldn’t even consider going to the Lakes on a Bank Holiday weekend.

Srubbish really. Hate living here ;-D

A few pics below f that BH weekend Gav was talking about.
I can understand those of you living hours away……it’s a pain in the arse drive up for sure. Worth it though?

postierich – Member
Wozza Kendal based here to give us a shout if you want some company on the trails!

Dropped you a message.

Just a few more from the weekend on our own (Total Gridlock as you can see) 😉

clareymorris – Member
Srubbish really. Hate living here

Excuse me Ms Morris – we live in the Lake District, you live in Cumbria 😀

I’ve not been home since March. Longest time in 20 years. 🙁
Hopefully going home in a week…. 😀

That’s because lake Districts residents are **** ;-D

OOps – got sweary starred!!

Gav – I can do a few pics!

Climb up Rosset Gill starts

Obligatory new bike pic, I think top of Rosset Gill about to descend towards Esk Hause (after a small detour up the random mountain top left of pic)

Then down the other side.

I think this was Styhead Gill, I had to stop here and take a couple of pics as my arms were about shot! Long old descent.

Ended up around 35k I think, from Langdale up Rosset Gill, to Esk Hause around Styhead Gill, up to Stonethwaite, spot of lunch then across Stonethwaite Fell and down Stake Pass. Brilliant route 🙂 Been looking at some of the other stuff we could have ridden off it like Grains Gill and will need to try and get back up before winter hits.

^^^ yes that’s the Styhead to Stockley Bridge descent Nick.
Up Rosset Gill is not fun… but down is a fair old challenge (No I didn’t clean it all)

Scarey, we did Grains Gill last time as an alternative to avoid the unridable traversey section at the top of Styhead. I gotta agree with you, it’s a better descent. There’s one nasty exposed section at the top with a big drop into the Gill that had me walking/scrambling, but the rest is fantastic, all the way down to Stockley Bridge.

Seems an awful lot of photos of people walking, not my thing TBH. I also remember seeing people riding along the ridge to Helvellyn and thinking it didn’t look all that much fun.

dragon…there’s only one way to get to the top of the vast majority of big-old lakeland descents. Sometimes you can push, but more often than not it’s a carry.

[edit] same again last Sunday (Harter Fell/Nan Bield) and no doubt more of the same this weekend 🙂 [/edit]

i love riding int eh lakes. done some epic days up there.

however i live 9hrs drive away.

I’ve been biking down in the Lakes regularly for the last 15yrs or so. There were 7 of us down from Stirlingshire just this weekend and we all had a superb time. Most of the folk with us hadn’t ridden there before and hadn’t experienced the very friendly, outdoors oriented vibe of the place.

I’m pretty sure everyone headed back up North on Sunday already planning their next trip down there, I know I was.

C.
😀

Aw man, i wish I’d not revisited this thread – was supposed to be going to Hebden Bridge on Sunday but I’m getting that Lakes yearn once again 😀

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Does anyone have a view on this trail – as a descent obviously 😉

scarey cary – little known gem, so keep hush. Get to it from the Robinson ridge or up from the top of Newlands. Bit of bog to reach it and tricky rocky bit in the middle (grab the little tree if you fall right……)

Good on you boxelder, its now on my hit list! Time to get creative and start mapping… Which i find almost as enjoyable as the actual ride