…and cloud covered Michael 😉

Have you done Gamling End down to Scarth Gap,

Nope, but I’ll add it to the list ! Always fancied that run off Red Pike down to Buttermere but have never got around to it.

like that Barrow Scree run but 10 times the length (ie certain death rather than just probable death)

Just grit your teeth and hold on tight – you were the only one who managed to stay upright that night, I’m sure you’ll be fine 😀

its zigzaged up Sail

It’s a fun descent with your third brake down (ie foot) for the sharp turns – but not as good as it used to be.

Liar 😉

…and if you’re coming up Whiteless Pike (which is a great descent by the way), it’d be better to head left, down towards Sand Hill, then up and over Grisdale Pike. Then you’ve got a choice of descents: Hobcarton, Sleet How, Whinlatter via the south loop. Stoneycroft’s a fun descent too, or cut left part way down and head over Barrow. All very cheeky though.

Causey pike?

Causey Pike’s fun but it’s more fun taking in the whole of the Coledale Horseshoe. Lots of options up and down, good clockwise or anti-clockwise.

I always preferred Hugga Wugga:

fergal – if you’re looking for something silly to do in that area over the summer, Great Gable down to Styhead is more ridable / fun than Scafell…like Gav says, it’s a carry until you get behind Great End. The front of Gable’s very popular with walkers though so late in the day is better.

Is the BW that starts lower down (Knott Head?) worth doing?

Just before the viewing point / ice cream van ? It’s fun at the moment as it’s so cut up from last year’s floods – however, there’s a digger in there now so it looks like it’s under repair. From the top of Barf is good, and the path down to the old pub (not quite following the gill on the ground) is nuts.

If XC’s your thing, there’s a path across the tops from Lords Seat over Broom Fell, Greystones, and Kirk Fell (I don’t think it’s marked on an OS map), then you can cut north off the summit of Kirk over to Ling Fell and Sale Fell (Wythop Moss can get a bit boggy), drop through the woods to Beck Wythop, and down the old road to Thornthwaite.

parkedtiger, what are these options you speak of?

There’s the marked bridleways I’m guessing you’ll be aware of Grumm – there’s also a couple of cheeky options further around towards Barf and some nice drops off the road (if you know where to look 🙂 ). I wouldn’t use them during the day though – too many walkers.

If you want to add a little extra to the ride, park down in Thornthwaite and follow the C2C marked bridleway (just on your left after the old garage). There’s also a few other options on the return trip that are worth keeping an eye out for (try following Comb Beck and you should find them 😉 )

Stonethwaite side of Stakes isn’t a technical descent – it’s a short-ish hikeabike in the other direction. The valley floor is a fun rock garden and is usually pretty wet.

If you like to seek out new and interesting stuff:

http://freemusicarchive.org/

Dave – depending on how many you are, you could go for the camping barn ’round the back of Catbells. It sleeps 12 with coal for the burner available on the farm:

http://www.lakelandcampingbarns.co.uk/barnview.asp?ID=2

Good spot for riding Causey / Hindscarth / Robinson, etc, and the Swinside’s only a five minute ride away.

From the recent White Paper:

‘…The English Baccalaureate will encourage schools to offer a broad set of
academic subjects to age 16…we will introduce a new award – the English
Baccalaureate – for any student who secures good GCSE or iGCSE passes in
English, mathematics, the sciences, a modern or ancient foreign language and a
humanity such as history or geography…At the
moment only around 15 per cent of students secure this basic suite of academic
qualifications…So to encourage the take-up of this combination of subjects we will
give special recognition in performance tables to those schools which are helping
their pupils to attain this breadth of study…The English Baccalaureate will be only one measure of performance, and should not be the limit of schools’ ambitions for their pupils. Schools will retain the freedom to innovate and offer the GCSEs, iGCSEs and other qualifications which best meet the needs of their pupils. Pupils will of course be able to achieve vocational qualifications alongside the English Baccalaureate…’

Yep – already emailed smudge for a ‘stock check’ – cheers Troutie / Pook

Doesn’t look like the snow’s in danger of melting today – Latrigg was all ridable on Tuesday night but up on Skiddaw it was knee deep in a lot of places. The well-trodden routes might be the safest bet. Sorry – haven’t been up Whinlatter since it snowed.

Yep – snow in Keswick – should be fun up on the tops today 😀

Lower Man – White Side – Raise – Sticks Pass down to Glenridding gets my vote. Nethermost Pike – Birk Side – and Comb Crags down to Wythburn is an interesting alternative if you don’t mind ending up Thirlmere side.

Timing’s everything around here – set off late in the afternoon and you’ll not see a soul; the walkers are all back in town by then, fighting for a table in the pub 🙂

Horse – Member

Cool, the option I do is up past Castlerigg Campsite and over the fell to drop down near Ashness Bridge.

That’s Walla Crag Horse – watch out for walkers if it’s a nice day…it’s quite a popular walk coming up from Ashness (and down Cat Gill).

Gav – did YH Dave mention Saturday to you last night ? He’s planning something silly apparently, setting off from the Pedlar about 9 a.m.

Camping barns ?

Like mboy says, torrents are your friend. There are so many plug ins and vst instruments to choose from, it is hard to know where to start. Waves do a nice selection and they bundle them up into nice packages.

Send me an email (parkedtigerATyahooDOTcom) – I’ll dig out a selection that are ’email attachment size’ for you if you like.

By delay, do you mean a delay between your playing and the sound coming out of your laptop (does that make sense ?). That could be down to the latency on your soundcard – basically the time is takes for the analolgue signal to be converted to digital, then back to analogue before being output by the laptop. Best course of action is as advised above – an external interface. Loads of options – I’ve always used Echo gear.

The snow didn’t stick around very long – we did Barrow Door / Rigg Beck last night and it was pretty clear; a few patches here and there, and on the summit of Catbells too. Glad you enjoyed Hobcarton peterd – one of the best 🙂

Bad timing (or good timing depending on your love of snow 😕 ) Where did you get to in the end peterd ?

I think it depends what you’re used to – I’ve been running Cubase for twenty years and I find it easy and quick to use, whereas I struggle with something like Logic. As mentioned above, Essentials is just a slimmed down version. With loops, I find it’s easier to edit loops outside of Cubase (I use Soundforge), then use Cubase to arrange, add vocals, live instruments, etc.

Is there something specific you’re trying to do molgrips or are you just finding it generally frustrating ?

Yep.

Sorry Paul ! I guess that highlights the fact that we’re so lucky to have so many choices, I’m maybe being too picky !

A quick Rigg Beck blast is usually something like Braithwaite, up to Barrow Door, right and up between Outerside and Causey, and straight across the col at the top to start the descent – the only sticky point is a left about 200m after the col…can be tricky to pick up if you don’t know it’s there. That eventually brings you out at the purple house (as was) on the Newlands road. Back into Keswick and that’s about a 90 minutes ride (approx). One alternative when you hit the road, take a right over the small bridge, then an immediate left – head across the valley up towards Little Town and there’s a bridleway heads up to Hause Gate (between Catbells and Maiden Moor). The drop down the otherside towards Manesty is a fantastic steppy technical descent, brings you out by Derwent.

Hindscarth’s got fewer carries than Robinson on the way down if that helps 🙂

Not sure how things will be with the weather – I’ve been in bed all week with a virus so have been a bit out of it, but it’s been raining really heavily by all accounts.

1) Is Gasgale Gill descent worth it?
Yep – not technical, just fun. Does leave you a bit out on a limb though in terms of joining up with anything else.
2) Which is the climb of preference for Whitless?
Depends where you start from – from Braithwaite, the fastest option is by Force Crag and left at Coledale Hause.
3) Rigg Beck; is it worth while or better to go for glory heading East of Causey Pike (have run, hopefully walk/bike this weekend).
Both directions are good, heading towards Buttermere is the longer option (not really Rigg Beck that side but it tends to be refered to as such).
4) What is the best route off Grisdale; Hobcarton End (and then NW or NE?), Sleet How, or down to Coledale Hause and then W as above or East into Coledale?
Hobcarton is the most fun and drops you back onto the red. Dropping down to Coledale Hause is okay, better if you’re then heading up to Grassmoor, Whiteless, or Crag Hill…the run down to Force Crag mine is nothing special.
5) I remember earlier in the year some talk of East off Dale Head – worth the carry or not?
It’s okay but it depends where you go next – Rigg Head Quarry gives you a second descent and takes you down to the graveyard behind Castle Crag. If you’re going to bother with the carry, Hindscarth or Robinson are better descents.
I’d avoid most of the above before about three in the afternoon though – very popular with walkers.

I quite like heading off Grisedale via Sleet How 🙂 I can’t clear that top section but there’s a few that can get down with just a few dabs. There’s two / three step-downs that I just don’t have the balls to try 😥

the otherside of the warnscale beck

Not tried that one nick. It does look good from the other side though !

We had a look in the Summer Nick but headed over to Gable in the end. A really tight twisty path- there’s a path off the end of Whiteside down to the bottom of Gasgill(over by Crummock) that we found unridable and it looked like being potentially the same. Probably worth a crack though just to tick it off the list 🙂

Blower – Member

never gone straight down,whats it like after the gate?

Straight down to Rosthwaite is a speedy descent (walkers permitting) – Frith Wood is a bit slower and a bit rockier.

That’s Frith Wood – nice alternative…usually pretty slippy. Just to add to the above, Stonethwaite – Langstrath – Stake Pass – Angle Tarn – Esk Hause – Styhead Tarn – Seathwaite. It’s a long hikeabike from Stakes to Esk Hause but it’s a nice techie descent.

Try the Wooly Hat Shop

There’s Luca’s[/url] down near the pencil factory, or you could try the Borrowdale Gates[/url] at the other end of the lake, or maybe Armthwaite Hall[/url]. Morrells is the best food if it has to be within walking distance / town centre.

If you’re on the top of Stake Pass – it’s a bit of a detour, but you could always take a left and head over to Angle Tarn. It’s a boggy slog to the highest point (behind Great End) but the descent down to Styhead, and then on to Seathwaite, is excellent.

Rosthwaite UP??!!

If the weather’s bad (which from the forecast it could be), heading up to Watendlath, High Tove, Thirlmere would be good alternative to fall back on (although it’s VERY wet up on High Tove !), rather than heading up over Greenup Edge. Otherwise, it’s a long way on the tarmac 🙂