Lakes Holiday
- Thread starter Rickshaw Phil
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
. What an awesome place to live and ride.
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
After three rides in three days a bit of a rest was called for - fortunately this coincided with the weather changing for the worse but we got a walk round Tarn Hows on the Wednesday and made plans for Friday when the forecast looked very promising.
On the day however, it was showery in the morning and the wind was quite blustery. We decided to see what it looked like in the afternoon and things did actually improve, so the bikes came out.
The plan was to do a similar length ride to the last one, but riding up the road against the wind was enough to convince the others that they'd prefer to do a shorter route, so we decided to ride round the lake again. I'd done a bit of a recce to see what the cycle path using the old railway to Torver was like. Apart from a muddy section at the Coniston end it seemed okay, so we went that way. Unfortunately, the persistent rain on Thursday had created something of a pond where the mud was and the ground to the side was like a quagmire (Gav got wet feet again finding that out
) so it was a bit of a non starter. We therefore went up the road a bit and joined the path further on.
Having done the section of the route as far as Water Yeat 3 times this week there were no surprises and it was pleasant enough in spite of riding against the wind. It was therefore quite nice when we turned north and got a bit of a boost.
As already mentioned it had rained a bit the previous day so there was some flooding on the road to Brantwood. Fortunately it wasn't deep and no one had to get their feet wetter than they already were.
Gav had said not to worry about waiting round as he knows I'm a quicker rider, which gave an opportunity to scoot ahead and get photos.
Once again, we ended up at the Bluebird Cafe (spot a theme developing here?
) but they had different staff on today who wouldn't do the decaf cappuchino that Gav had the last couple of times.
14.81 miles this ride with 10.6 mph as my average speed.
It's frustrating - the dry bit of path is visible but it's a choice of boggy ground or riding through that flood to get to it. We opted not to get up to our axles in mud.
Near High Nibthwaite.
Gav braves the first flood on the road to Brantwood.
Photo stop.....
......And this is the best of the shots I got from this point.
More flooding with Doug braving it this time. Like the earlier one, this wasn't deep, but must have stretched for about 300 yards.
Brantwood. Former home of John Ruskin.
Heading for our favourite pub (The Black Bull) after the ride. A nice way to finish off the week
On the day however, it was showery in the morning and the wind was quite blustery. We decided to see what it looked like in the afternoon and things did actually improve, so the bikes came out.
The plan was to do a similar length ride to the last one, but riding up the road against the wind was enough to convince the others that they'd prefer to do a shorter route, so we decided to ride round the lake again. I'd done a bit of a recce to see what the cycle path using the old railway to Torver was like. Apart from a muddy section at the Coniston end it seemed okay, so we went that way. Unfortunately, the persistent rain on Thursday had created something of a pond where the mud was and the ground to the side was like a quagmire (Gav got wet feet again finding that out
) so it was a bit of a non starter. We therefore went up the road a bit and joined the path further on.Having done the section of the route as far as Water Yeat 3 times this week there were no surprises and it was pleasant enough in spite of riding against the wind. It was therefore quite nice when we turned north and got a bit of a boost.
As already mentioned it had rained a bit the previous day so there was some flooding on the road to Brantwood. Fortunately it wasn't deep and no one had to get their feet wetter than they already were.
Gav had said not to worry about waiting round as he knows I'm a quicker rider, which gave an opportunity to scoot ahead and get photos.
Once again, we ended up at the Bluebird Cafe (spot a theme developing here?
) but they had different staff on today who wouldn't do the decaf cappuchino that Gav had the last couple of times.14.81 miles this ride with 10.6 mph as my average speed.
Last edited:
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
Thanks Phil 
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
You're welcome.Thanks Phil
- Location
- Glasgow
New camera takes great pictures. Mostly due to the photographer's skills, of course 
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Thanks.New camera takes great pictures. Mostly due to the photographer's skills, of course
I'm not entirely happy with how good the focus is compared to the other one. Will have to look at the settings and see if anything can be adjusted.
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
welsh dragon
Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
Brilliant photos as always Phil and a tremendous write up. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. It is always a pleasure to see your write ups, in fact I very much look forward to them as they never disappoint.
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
I'm glad you like them.
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Hello Folks. I've been off to the Lakes again for a week of fabulous cycling weather so here are a few more ride reports:@gavgav, Doug and I stayed in Elterwater this time (within crawling distance of the Britannia Inn
) so we had a few different cycling options.For our first day the forecast looked best for the morning so we set out before getting the shopping in and headed up Great Langdale, pausing in Chapel Stile to pick up some snacks. I took the Raleigh with me this time which feels so much nicer than the knockabout bike on these roads.
Shame about getting held up by the bus going up the valley in that case.
We had a good ride up the valley as far as the road goes before it swings left towards the climb to Blea Tarn. This climb is steep (signed at 25%) and Simon Warren rates it as 8/10 in his book, so both Gav and Doug were finding it tough going. Gav was doing better and went on ahead while I stayed with Doug to offer some encouragement. Doug did want to get off and walk at one stage but I did persuade him to get back on and beat the hill, which he did manage to do after a few more stops.
At the top we found Gav chatting with a nice bloke from Coniston who had come out on his bike rather than sailing as there was a big swimming event happening on Coniston Water.
I've said before that the scenery up here is like something out of a fantasy film and it makes the climb well worth the effort.
Moving on we had a gentler ride (apart from meeting a guy in a Land Rover who wasn't giving way to anyone) over into Little Langdale. Doug and Gav wanted to ride a little way up towards Wrynose Pass, which we did before heading the other way and finding lots of traffiic problems as people unused to these very narrow lanes struggled to get past one another. It was definitely good to be on bikes as we'd have been stuck in these queues for ages in the car, but were just waved through this time.
Further down the road we found another traffic hold up where motorists were unwilling to pass a couple of loose sheep.
Back down at Elterwater we weren't ready to stop yet so headed for Skelwith Bridge and up the climb to the Drunken Duck, suddenly finding it easier going when Doug suggested having lunch up there (and very nice it was too
).Returning to Elterwater our mileage for the morning was 16.6 done at 10 mph average.
Looking up Great Langdale a couple of miles into the ride.
A quick snap before we start the Blea Tarn climb.
Doug looks impressed by the warning sign.
But it looks like that face was justified (Sorry Doug).
We made it to the top though.
Looking at the tarn
These two managed to stop the traffic.
These felt well earned at the Drunken Duck
More great scenery on the way back to Elterwater.
Just about to descend into the village.
Last edited:
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Second Day: Before our ride today we headed off to the Kirkstone Pass Inn to see the Helvellyn Triathlon which a friend was competing in. It was a great event to see but Rob came through quicker than anticipated so we just missed him.
After seeing the riders go through we dropped back to Elterwater and geared up for our own ride. We were headed for Grasmere this time which meant the climbing started almost straight away as we took the road up to the YHA at High Close and down Red Bank. The plan today was to do a bit of exploring up some of the lanes we wouldn't normally go along, then head towards Ambleside.
Doug and Gav managed the climbing better this time and were quite impressed by how steep Red Bank is
. I was told in no uncertain terms that we weren't going back that way.
Entering Grasmere I immediately took us up the wrong lane. Never mind, the plan was always to just have a look at places we'd never been. We'd gone up the second lane and were just doubling back when there was the distinctive roar of Merlin engines and the last two airworthy Lancaster bombers flew almost overhead. Too quick to grab a photo but it was a fabulous sight.
Back at Grasmere again we headed through town, past Dove Cottage and towards the old "Coffin Road" (named for being the traditional route for funeral processions to Rydal church), as on the map it looked like a good alternative to the main road. As it was a bit of a climb I went first to see what the surface was like. It looked fine at the start so I texted to say come up. Just after the message had gone a couple of walkers appeared who I asked if it was the same all along - they said no! "It's rocky, steep and you'll have to carry the bikes in places.". Riding back I found Doug and Gav had already crested the climb so we decided to risk it. The road was absolutely fine........ for the first quarter mile or so, then became more rocky and we had to push the bikes, then became steep and rocky. I doubt it could be ridden even with a full-on mountain bike. Chapeau to those bearers who managed to carry a coffin along this route, it ain't easy going!
Fortunately Doug and Gav saw the funny side and further on we were rewarded with some fab views. We'd taken longer than intended and it had been more strenuous than planned so once on the Under Loughrigg road we decided to head back.
On Bog Lane a car was stopped blocking the way. The driver was out and looking at a buzzard which was sat on the wall by the road and looking like he owned the place. I tried to get past the car to get a better photo, but this was too much for the buzzard who took off and found a new perch further along the road.
At Skelwith Bridge we decided to give the riverside path a try rather than the road. Last time we were here it had been damaged by the winter weather and was all but blocked at one point. I'm pleased to report that it's been nicely repaired and I couldn't even tell where the bad boggy bit had been. This path is of course also very popular with walkers so progress was slow and the bells got a lot of use (and some nice comments about the sound).
16.1 miles at 9mph average this time which isn't bad considering the amount of pushing we had to do.
Before our ride - watching tougher riders than us taking on The Struggle.
Climbing out of Elterwater towards Grasmere.
Some great views while exploring the lanes.
Too steep and rocky to ride. This wasn't even the bad bit.
The view from the Coffin Route made it worthwhile though. Visit on foot, not on your bike if you are in the area.
Buzzard holding up the traffic.
After seeing the riders go through we dropped back to Elterwater and geared up for our own ride. We were headed for Grasmere this time which meant the climbing started almost straight away as we took the road up to the YHA at High Close and down Red Bank. The plan today was to do a bit of exploring up some of the lanes we wouldn't normally go along, then head towards Ambleside.
Doug and Gav managed the climbing better this time and were quite impressed by how steep Red Bank is
. I was told in no uncertain terms that we weren't going back that way.Entering Grasmere I immediately took us up the wrong lane.
Never mind, the plan was always to just have a look at places we'd never been. We'd gone up the second lane and were just doubling back when there was the distinctive roar of Merlin engines and the last two airworthy Lancaster bombers flew almost overhead. Too quick to grab a photo but it was a fabulous sight.Back at Grasmere again we headed through town, past Dove Cottage and towards the old "Coffin Road" (named for being the traditional route for funeral processions to Rydal church), as on the map it looked like a good alternative to the main road. As it was a bit of a climb I went first to see what the surface was like. It looked fine at the start so I texted to say come up. Just after the message had gone a couple of walkers appeared who I asked if it was the same all along - they said no! "It's rocky, steep and you'll have to carry the bikes in places.". Riding back I found Doug and Gav had already crested the climb so we decided to risk it. The road was absolutely fine........ for the first quarter mile or so, then became more rocky and we had to push the bikes, then became steep and rocky. I doubt it could be ridden even with a full-on mountain bike. Chapeau to those bearers who managed to carry a coffin along this route, it ain't easy going!
Fortunately Doug and Gav saw the funny side and further on we were rewarded with some fab views. We'd taken longer than intended and it had been more strenuous than planned so once on the Under Loughrigg road we decided to head back.
On Bog Lane a car was stopped blocking the way. The driver was out and looking at a buzzard which was sat on the wall by the road and looking like he owned the place. I tried to get past the car to get a better photo, but this was too much for the buzzard who took off and found a new perch further along the road.
At Skelwith Bridge we decided to give the riverside path a try rather than the road. Last time we were here it had been damaged by the winter weather and was all but blocked at one point. I'm pleased to report that it's been nicely repaired and I couldn't even tell where the bad boggy bit had been. This path is of course also very popular with walkers so progress was slow and the bells got a lot of use (and some nice comments about the sound).
16.1 miles at 9mph average this time which isn't bad considering the amount of pushing we had to do.
Before our ride - watching tougher riders than us taking on The Struggle.
Climbing out of Elterwater towards Grasmere.
Some great views while exploring the lanes.
Too steep and rocky to ride. This wasn't even the bad bit.
The view from the Coffin Route made it worthwhile though. Visit on foot, not on your bike if you are in the area.
Buzzard holding up the traffic.
- Location
- Glasgow
Great pictures and report, Phil, thanks for posting!
Poor Doug, dragged up another hill!
Poor Doug, dragged up another hill!
Nearly there
Veteran
- Location
- Cumbria
I do live in a nice place your pictures remind me of its beauty
Lilliburlero
Pro sandbagger
- Location
- South Derbyshire
Fascinating thread and pictures, Phil
OP
OP
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
For our third ride in as many days we planned to do a longer one. Heading down to the southern end of Windermere and back.
We started off by riding past the Drunken Duck again (not open yet even if we wanted to stop) then dropping down the hill towards the Hawkshead road and taking the new path towards Wray Castle. When we last rode this bit the gravel surface was newly laid and I don't think it was officially open yet so it was nice to find the surface had settled and was much easier to ride. By Wray Castle we then joined the path that follows the lake shore towards the ferry (I always like this bit even if it was a bit jiggly riding on this bike). Next was aht e climb up the hill towards Far Sawrey, turning off at the first junction to Cunsey where I once again misjudged how long and steep the climb towards Graythwaite Hall is and tried to go up it too fast. Fortunately from here to Lakeside the trend is downhill, so we made good progress and stopped for our lunch by the lake.
Once refreshed we continued to Newby Bridge being passed on the way by a driver who having ignored an opportunity to overtake decided to go just before the railway bridge, forcing the guy coming the other way to an abrupt halt.
We resisted the call of the Swan Hotel and instead climbed over to the Rusland Valley. This area, south of Grizedale and between Coniston Water and Windermere, is a bit of the county I'd thoroughly recommend to my fellow cyclists - nice country for riding, nice scenery and because it's not the bit the tourists all flock to see, the lanes are fairly quiet.
As we headed north the lanes started to climb up, particularly when we got around the Dale Park area. Doug and Gav were having to go slow on this section and needed a couple of rest stops on the way. The drop down towards Esthwaite Water was worth it though. We passed a couple of other riders coming up the other way, one of whom Gav reckoned was the spit of Pete Waterman. Don't know if he rides a bike?
The rest of the way we weren't quick and when we got back to the Drunken Duck, Gav said if he stopped he didn't think he'd get going again so we resisted and rode slowly back to the house.
I still think they did well though and todays stats were 31.7 miles at 10.2 average.
On the cycle path near Wray Castle.
View from the path by Belle Isle
At Lakeside for our lunch stop.
While there the train arrived. (Austerity tank "Repulse" for those interested.)
Followed by Tern.
Riding up the Rusland valley.
En route to Esthwaite Water - a break was needed after the 324' climb.
Tired but still going.
Back at Elterwater.
We started off by riding past the Drunken Duck again (not open yet even if we wanted to stop) then dropping down the hill towards the Hawkshead road and taking the new path towards Wray Castle. When we last rode this bit the gravel surface was newly laid and I don't think it was officially open yet so it was nice to find the surface had settled and was much easier to ride. By Wray Castle we then joined the path that follows the lake shore towards the ferry (I always like this bit even if it was a bit jiggly riding on this bike). Next was aht e climb up the hill towards Far Sawrey, turning off at the first junction to Cunsey where I once again misjudged how long and steep the climb towards Graythwaite Hall is and tried to go up it too fast. Fortunately from here to Lakeside the trend is downhill, so we made good progress and stopped for our lunch by the lake.
Once refreshed we continued to Newby Bridge being passed on the way by a driver who having ignored an opportunity to overtake decided to go just before the railway bridge, forcing the guy coming the other way to an abrupt halt.
We resisted the call of the Swan Hotel and instead climbed over to the Rusland Valley. This area, south of Grizedale and between Coniston Water and Windermere, is a bit of the county I'd thoroughly recommend to my fellow cyclists - nice country for riding, nice scenery and because it's not the bit the tourists all flock to see, the lanes are fairly quiet.As we headed north the lanes started to climb up, particularly when we got around the Dale Park area. Doug and Gav were having to go slow on this section and needed a couple of rest stops on the way. The drop down towards Esthwaite Water was worth it though. We passed a couple of other riders coming up the other way, one of whom Gav reckoned was the spit of Pete Waterman. Don't know if he rides a bike?
The rest of the way we weren't quick and when we got back to the Drunken Duck, Gav said if he stopped he didn't think he'd get going again so we resisted and rode slowly back to the house.
I still think they did well though and todays stats were 31.7 miles at 10.2 average.
On the cycle path near Wray Castle.
View from the path by Belle Isle
At Lakeside for our lunch stop.
While there the train arrived. (Austerity tank "Repulse" for those interested.)
Followed by Tern.
Riding up the Rusland valley.
En route to Esthwaite Water - a break was needed after the 324' climb.
Tired but still going.
Back at Elterwater.
Last edited: