Walna Scar road

altern_8
altern_8 Posts: 1,562
edited January 2009 in MTB rides
me and bro are looking at doing this on new years eve about 12,if anyone wants to join us we will be starting in coniston,we have tried to find this b4 without no luck,so if anyone can help us or join us,thanks in advance.....shud be a laugh......

Comments

  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    12 o'clock? New Years Eve? You sure?

    Are you just going to do an up to the top and back down again? Or are you planning on doing the full loop?

    I've done this route many times over the years and despite the fact that a full loop is only 13 miles it usually takes about 5 hours. If you set off at 12 you'll still be out at 5 at that rate.
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  • stumpyjon
    stumpyjon Posts: 4,069
    Oh yes, remember it well, walked al the way up only to find unrideable snow on top, scared myself silly on the decent back to Coniston, cracking day. Not sure I'd be starting it at midday on new Year's Eve though.
    It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

    I've bought a new bike....ouch - result
    Can I buy a new bike?...No - no result
  • Me and Altern 8 are just doing the route up to the top from coniston then back down into torver. We did the downhill into torver in Sept, it is a good ride. So it should only take us 3 hours, hopefully...... :wink: By the way if any1 thinks we are travelling from Yorkshire, we aint, we got a nice lil cottage in coniston for the week, luvly.... :lol:
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    Makes more sense. But it's still a hell of a push for a 20 minute descent!
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  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    altern_8 wrote:
    we have tried to find this b4 without no luck

    It's pretty difficult to miss really!! Have you got a map? There's a (free) car-park right at the bottom of the Walna Scar road on Little Arrow Moor, just start from there.

    Honestly, it's so well used if you ask anybody "outdoorsy" looking in Coniston where it is, they'll tell you!
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  • altern_8
    altern_8 Posts: 1,562
    dave_hill wrote:
    Makes more sense. But it's still a hell of a push for a 20 minute descent!

    well the decent we did was worth the hour and half it took us to get to the top,my bro has since told me that we did ride a bit of walna scar last time we was up there........we are coming down into torver as we dont think we would have time to ride it all,so we are going up on to it from coniston as that is where we are staying,bro is there now,im joining him on new years eve,leaving hull at 6am in morning,so hopefully start ride about 12.......you make it sound hard??????

    is it that much of a slog to ride it from coniston till we are near torver mate????

    and we have lights for bikes mate,so even if it gets dark,we can have a even better laugh on the downhill sections.....
  • stumpyjon
    stumpyjon Posts: 4,069
    I just remember seeing Dave disappear off into the distance on the upper sections as I grimly hung on. Mind you we had walked all the way up from the side opposite to Coniston through the snow. From what I remember the bit from Coniston to the Torver turning isn't too bad, all rideable, just uphill. It's from there on up to the pass that becomes tricky.
    It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

    I've bought a new bike....ouch - result
    Can I buy a new bike?...No - no result
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    I've just plotted your route out (or what I think it will be...)

    If you start in the village centre with the aim of getting to the col on Brown Pike, you'll go from about 120 feet above sea level to just shy of 2000 feet in the space of 3 miles - in good weather reckon on about 2 hours.

    Your return leg should be about 1 hour, assuming that you'll fork right at Cove Bridge and follow the Western side of Cove Beck down to Tranearth, then out on to the main road at Torver. Then you've got about 2.5 miles of tarmac into the village. So your 3 hours is about spot on.

    Have fun anyway, I hope the weather stays fine for you - the webcams in Coniston village show that the fells look fairly clear today!
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  • altern_8
    altern_8 Posts: 1,562
    my bro went from Little Arrow Moor on sunday up to near goats water,said it took him just over a hour to get there he said skys where blue,a bit of ice here and there,but said it was good.....if i knew how to post pics on here mate i would show you where we went last time,might give you a idea of where we want to get to from coniston......im looking 4ward to what ever ride we do up there,as like you said its a good climb up,but the only way to get back is all downhill....and we dont mind the hard slog for a good blast on a downhill section......
  • altern_8
    altern_8 Posts: 1,562
    well we did it,made it from coniston to the top of walna scar where it goes downhill on the other side,took us about a 2 hours to get up there but we was stopping and taking pics along the way,which i hope to post on here soon.....

    then the downhill back down took us 45 mins to get back into coniston via torver....we rode the road upto the car park at Little Arrow Moor,if thats where it starts,it was foggy till we got past the bridge you cross up above torver,then the sun was out and blue skys as we where above the cloud cover,we are hoping to go back sumtime this year to ride the full lot.......a lot of walkers where asking if we was going down the smooth side,when we said no,they said good luck,lol
  • we live on the North edge of Grizedale Forest and often ride out on the Walna Scar route.
    one trip you might like in the summer is a mile swim in Coniston, then cycle up Hawkshead hill, down to Knipe Fold, up to Iron Keld over to Little Langdales, Wrynose Pass towards Dudon Bridge, Ulpha, Walna Scar road back to Coniston. Then run up Wetherlam around to the Old Man and back down to Coniston.

    A proper use of a day in the Lakes as we Locals say.
    A bike is for life not just for xmas
  • S1eepless wrote:
    we live on the North edge of Grizedale Forest and often ride out on the Walna Scar route.
    one trip you might like in the summer is a mile swim in Coniston, then cycle up Hawkshead hill, down to Knipe Fold, up to Iron Keld over to Little Langdales, Wrynose Pass towards Dudon Bridge, Ulpha, Walna Scar road back to Coniston. Then run up Wetherlam around to the Old Man and back down to Coniston.

    A proper use of a day in the Lakes as we Locals say.

    Sounds like a nice lil loop....... Think I have got a couple of hours to spare next week. :wink:
  • I went to Grizedale Forest on Tues 30th and then Altern 8 joined for a jaunt at Grizedale on Thurs 1st. We rode the North Face Trail, it has got some very nice singletrack, just a shame it is connected by alot of boring fire roads. I enjoyed both the uphill singletrack at the start (not good after a skin full the night before :( ) and the fast downhill at the end. Now if you put the best bits of the North Face Trail and the red route at Dalby together, you would have one hell of a sesh.
  • there are good trails out of the forest, but then you tangle with walkers and other traffic. I wish Winlatter was a bit closer so both forest tracks could be done in a day without using the van to join them up.
    I think some more tracks are being installed at Grizedale. I will ask my pal at the Forestry, but there are a few machines knocking about, some new meter wide tracks............... . .. .. .
    A bike is for life not just for xmas
  • I was talking to some guy on Tues at Grizedale (whilst trying to get my breath back from the 1st uphill) and he was mentioning how good Winlatter is. Just wish I had more than the alloted 6 days in the Lakes for biking and drinking. Defo going to go back there some time soon.
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    I know a cracking route in and around Grizedale which incorporates the best of the NFT and some outstanding natural trails - PM me if you want the route map.
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  • altern_8
    altern_8 Posts: 1,562
    posted some pics of ride at>http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12600956&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

    just in case it gets moved from the ride section.......

    dave>will deff get map off you mate.....