Lakes routes for an Off road tandem?

doubletrouble

First post here on bikeradar so hi to everyone

Used to do a lot of biking years ago, triathlon, time trailing, mountainbike racing, road tandem, sort of drifted away and havnt really turned a peddle in anger for years, have recently got the bug again and now the kids are older have bought another tandem (GT Quatrefiol) for me and my wife.

We're looking to go to the lakes in october where we normally go walking for a long weekend but this year we're going to take the tandem, quite happy to stay on the roads and plod along enjoying the senery and stopping at the occasional pub but i was wondering if there are any "do'able on a tandem" off road trails that poeple could recomend, ideally fire road type tracks, loops rather than there and back, definatly no styles to climb over. :shock:

Will be B&B'ing in Keswick but willing to drive up to about an hour to a good location where hopefully there will be good parking

Cheers in advance
Jeff

dave_hill

Got to be Grizedale Forest - besides the North Face Trail (which I would NOT attempt on a tandem, trust me!) there are four other way-marked bike routes which are all on fire road, so should be just what you're looking for.

If you want a reasonable road tour from the KEswick area on some fairly quiet lanes, take the road out of Braithwaite up to the visitor centre at Whinlatter, and carry straight on over Whinlatter Pass over into Lorton Vale. There's lots of lanes to explore in this area and it's well off the normal tourist route. You could do a tour of Fellbarrow and then head back over Whinlatter...

or...

if you're feeling REALLY brave...

head South from the Lortons on the B5288. This road takes you down by Crummock water and then to Buttermere at the bottom of Honister Pass.

Here you've got a choice - either bear left in Buttermere and head over Newlands Hause into the Newlands Valley, then back to Braithwaite via Little Town on the Western flank of Cat Bells (the scene of Beatrix Potter's "Mrs Tiggywinkle" tale).

Or, you can head straight up and over Honister Pass and down into Borrowdale.

Bear in mind though that either of these options involves some serious climbing (there's prolonged sections of 1-in-5 and 1-in-4 gradients on both roads) and the descent of Honister into Borrowdale is also very steep - there's actually a sign on the cattle grid about half-way down which advises cyclists to dismount and walk!

doubletrouble

Cheers for that Dave, that sounds fantastic, Ive read good stuff about Grizedale forest but wasnt sure if it would be suitable for us,

Allready looking at something that will bring us back along the track below Catbells, have walked this so i know that its is do'able.

Cheers
Jeff