Cycle Holiday in Lake District

whitestar1

Whats the best advice for a two cycle tour of the lake district. Looking for route, BB for sleep over, parking.

Mikey41

Practice hills a lot.

Where abouts will you be going? I'll see if I can help with routing.

Monty Dog

Duddon Bridge, up over to Eskdale and turn left for Hardknott, drop down and around the Langdales, up Wrynose along to Cockley Beck, back down Dunnerdale to Duddon Bridge. (you said you were in the Lakes, so may as well enjoy the best bits!)

whitestar1

Mikey41 wrote:

Practice hills a lot.

Where abouts will you be going? I'll see if I can help with routing.

Not sure yet. Still looking for suggestions

Guanajuato

Monty Dog wrote:

Duddon Bridge, up over to Eskdale and turn left for Hardknott, drop down and around the Langdales, up Wrynose along to Cockley Beck, back down Dunnerdale to Duddon Bridge. (you said you were in the Lakes, so may as well enjoy the best bits!)

Absolutely cracking route that, though I think its a right turn at Eskdale (assuming you mean the road over Birker fell to eskdale). But as said earlier - practice your hills! Just look at the descent from Hardknott to Cockley Beck.

Some good and more gentle routes can be had around Newby bridge and in the Lyth Valley, west of Kendal. The roads to try and avoid are the A-roads that are wide enough for a lane in each direction, but still narrow and twisty - so anything between Windermere, Ambleside, Hawkshead, Grasmere and Coniston really. North of Grasmere, the A591 isn't so bad, and the A595 up the west coast is fine. But stick to B roads - they may be narrower, but cars generally are going much more slowly.
For something a bit out of the ordinary, head from Sedbergh up to Tebay and through Orton to Penrith, then pick up the C2C through Keswick to Whitehaven.

Leemerlin

Dont know what standard of accom you are lookig for but my dad has a camping barn near egremont on the west coast.
You could use it as a base and ride out from there. Good rides out to ennerdale to the west with Keswick beyond and hardknott etc to the south.

www.uldalefarm.co.uk.

Drop them an email.

Near ravenglass there is a narrow gauge steam railway ( locals call it L'arl ratty)
You can jump on this to eskdale at the bottom of hardknott, have a days ride, and either ride back down to ravenglass or if you book a return on the train you could grab a post ride meal in the woolpack inn before catching the train back to ravenglass.

durhamwasp

Why not try and do the Fred Whitton challenge over 2 days?

whitestar1

durhamwasp wrote:

Why not try and do the Fred Whitton challenge over 2 days?

That will be just too much for me and my mates!!! I am looking at it but maybe next year.

cyclingsheep

I usually stay in Windermere at a BB as I catch the train up from London. You have Kirkstone Pass really close which is a lovely climb or you can go in the opposite direction towards Coniston. You haven't said what kind of distances you expect to cover which will have a lot of bearing on where you should base yourself.

whitestar1

cyclingsheep wrote:

I usually stay in Windermere at a BB as I catch the train up from London. You have Kirkstone Pass really close which is a lovely climb or you can go in the opposite direction towards Coniston. You haven't said what kind of distances you expect to cover which will have a lot of bearing on where you should base yourself.

I am willing to cover upto 50 miles for the day. Thinking of two days with an overnight at a BB or something. Got my son and two mates who are noway in good shape.

overlord2

whitestar1 wrote:

durhamwasp wrote:

Why not try and do the Fred Whitton challenge over 2 days?

That will be just too much for me and my mates!!! I am looking at it but maybe next year.

:? You are cycling in the Lakes. If you want flat go to Norfolk.

I don't get it you choose the most mountainous part of the UK and then effectively say you can't climb hills.

john1967

Overlord2 wrote:

whitestar1 wrote:

durhamwasp wrote:

Why not try and do the Fred Whitton challenge over 2 days?

That will be just too much for me and my mates!!! I am looking at it but maybe next year.

:? You are cycling in the Lakes. If you want flat go to Norfolk.

I don't get it you choose the most mountainous part of the UK and then effectively say you can't climb hills.

Were did he say he can't climb hills?he just said he wasn't ready to do the Fred whitton challange which takes in some of the hardest climbs in England.
You don't have to be contador to spend a weekend cycling in the lakes.

cyclingsheep

john1967 wrote:

Overlord2 wrote:

whitestar1 wrote:

durhamwasp wrote:

Why not try and do the Fred Whitton challenge over 2 days?

That will be just too much for me and my mates!!! I am looking at it but maybe next year.

:? You are cycling in the Lakes. If you want flat go to Norfolk.

I don't get it you choose the most mountainous part of the UK and then effectively say you can't climb hills.

Were did he say he can't climb hills?he just said he wasn't ready to do the Fred whitton challange which takes in some of the hardest climbs in England.
You don't have to be contador to spend a weekend cycling in the lakes.

I agree, hence why I mentioned Kirkstone and the routes to Coniston from Windermere. They are challenging for the less fit but not as brutal as Hardknot or Wrynose.

whitestar1

john1967 wrote:

You don't have to be contador to spend a weekend cycling in the lakes.

I like you john1967!!! I nor my mates are Contadors or Wiggins. It's just a cycle run in beautiful Wales by three old guys and a teenager without a clue where we are going but up for a challenge. Hence my call for help by those who have been before - need help to plan this trip!

whitestar1

cyclingsheep wrote:

I agree, hence why I mentioned Kirkstone and the routes to Coniston from Windermere. They are challenging for the less fit but not as brutal as Hardknot or Wrynose.

Thanks I will look into this today. Have you been on the route?

keef66

"It's just a cycle run in beautiful Wales by three old guys and a teenager without a clue where we are going"

You're not wrong about that bit

styxd

There's a few routes you can do that don't involve much climbing. Check out the Cumbria Christmas Cracker route. A pretty flat 60miles.

navrig

http://www.woolpack.co.uk/

Stayed here before when walking and sailing. Good pub, beer and grub.

BigDaddyG

There are some great routes, but alot depend on where you are based. Living in south Cumbria I favour the Coniston, Windermere, Cartmel, Hawkshead and all the roads attaching those. The Cumbria cracker takes in many of my favourite roads, and is nice run through some of the best the Lakes has to offer.

As it has been said, if your looking for serious challenges then Wyenose/Hardknott and Honister are the big challenges.

Rule of thumb is pick a base then pick a destination............ 99 times out of 100 you can do a loop useally down the side of a famous lake or through some wonderful forests.

Leemerlin

whitestar1 wrote:

john1967 wrote:

You don't have to be contador to spend a weekend cycling in the lakes.

I like you john1967!!! I nor my mates are Contadors or Wiggins. It's just a cycle run in beautiful Wales by three old guys and a teenager without a clue where we are going but up for a challenge. Hence my call for help by those who have been before - need help to plan this trip!

I think you'll find that the lake district is in Cumbria, which is England, not Wales. ???!!
Are you getting Cumbrian fells mixed up with cambrian mountains?

Think you'll need more than a few pointers from a web forum if that's the standard of geography :shock:

Don't worry, as a Cumbrian I won't take offence with you getting us mixed up with the welsh! Honest.

whitestar1

ok Leemerlin you got me :roll: yep it's wales i want to go and its not another English invasion just in case you get any ideas With a name like merlin how did you come to live in wales?

Guanajuato

Cumbria or Cymru? Easy mistake Get someone else in the team to help with the route planning!

Never cycled in Wales myself. I'd be tempted with a loop around snowdon from Caernafon to Blaenau Ffestiniog via Beddgelert and back via Llanberis or Betws-y-Coed. Or a circuit of Anglesea if you want to avoid hills. The Conwy Valley to Betws-y-Coed is lovely, but might be a bit too busy with cars. Plenty of off-road routes round there though.

Definitely avoid any plans around New Quay - you don't want to end up in the wrong country again. And make sure you know which Towyn (one near Barmouth, one near Rhyl) if you have any plans around there :P

essjaydee

Hee Hee and I thought my navigation skills were bad

Had a mate who was a motorcycle courier and went to Newquay, Wales to deliver a package, and address was for Newquay, Cornwall :oops:

john1967

You don't have to be contador to spend a weekend cycling in wales.

whitestar1

essjaydee wrote:

Hee Hee and I thought my navigation skills were bad

Had a mate who was a motorcycle courier and went to Newquay, Wales to deliver a package, and address was for Newquay, Cornwall :oops:

Nice one! I am not the only one

styxd

Its not poor navigational skills, its just ignorance.

freddiegrubb

Mr. Leemerlin, you speak for yourself us "marrers" can be very touchy & don't get me started on the woolybacks.