Gaz & I set off early on Sunday to make the most of the great sunshine & warm weather... funny how it was friggin freezing first & last thing though!! We set off at 8.30am, got back to mine at 8pm, 12 hours of great fun, what a day off...
A truly great day out followed on, with over a 100 miles covered, loads of new lanes discovered & as always some pretty good cafes visited too... The Chicken came out to play today too, but the poor ole Turtle had to work! So these pics are just to make both Lucy & the Turtle a little bit more green with envy... hee hee!
Our route took in the following lanes after refuelling in Ambleside...Some of the U numbers have links to YouTube vids, but then we had issues with all things electrical for most of the day, so no comms, no films etc, back to mobile phone pics... oops....
Langdale - U5739 - an easy lane with loads of great views in the bottom of Langdale then over Hard Knott Pass down to Fell Foot to U5001, this is a tough little trail with some cool rock steps on it. See the first one here.
From Tilberthwaite we headed round to Hodge Close for U5004, which again has some nice rock steps on it, this took us to U5015, which is fairly easy generally but it seems to have had a load of chunky gravel put down at the moment so this made the short steep uphill a bit more challenging, then the little uphill rock step that was hard work on my XT but really easy on the DR, Gaz rode it in style as normal!!
Coming out at Knipe Fold we dropped down to U5024 which has grown over quite a bit at the moment especially at the northern end, but its a pretty lane with some nice views.
U5050, the Grizedale lane was next up, new for Gaz & second time for me this week, excellent fun, & we met the only other two bikers I've seen on the trails around here this year, two young lads on an XR400 & a KTM 2 stroke, the lad on the XR was a pretty good rider although we got the impression they were local to the area by the way they rode.
Next up was U5062, then over to U5213 at Colton,, both of these lanes were pretty easy, but again some great views & Moss Wood is owned by the Woodland Trust & has loads of little interesting bits in it, very pretty place.
We did some road stuff to get to Ayside looking for a long looking lane there, turns out it's now a tarmac one that goes past the reservoir & up to Simpson Ground, but from there it becomes Foxfields Lane U5228 which is ace, there is water, open hillsides & you can see right upto the Helvellyn & High Street ridges on such a clear day as we had. We rode down U5244, it's short & pretty but why is there two gates on it?? seriously no need for the second one at all.
We then went over to U5600 & U5590, the limestone lane that runs around the northern end of Whitbarrow & both old favorites & took U5333, Gamblemire Lane down into Kendal for tea & cakes.
By now it was 6pm ish, so we headed back north via a little lane that isn't on the council maps just past Ings, it takes you back up towards Dubbs Road, 581007. We've been told that Gatesgarth Pass has been re-opened as a BOAT again, but there are no signs to say that & the council maps still show it as a deadend at Applethwaite Common, so we need to do more research for this one, we've both ridden it on mountain bikes & it would be cool as a challenge on an enduro!! Dubbs road was OK, best thing about it was the views though, truly beautiful...
After this it was a blast back home, what a fab day & it cost as much for the teas & cakes as it did for the fuel... wow bikes are bloody ace!!
Bring on more days like this one please, some of the best riding I've ever done & all of it on our doorstep too!!
All of the maps with the byways on can be found here: Cumbria County Council Website.
There is more sun to come apparently, shame we have to work, it's so overrated... ;-(
Evenings could be a goer though!! :-)
Our route took in the following lanes after refuelling in Ambleside...Some of the U numbers have links to YouTube vids, but then we had issues with all things electrical for most of the day, so no comms, no films etc, back to mobile phone pics... oops....
Langdale - U5739 - an easy lane with loads of great views in the bottom of Langdale then over Hard Knott Pass down to Fell Foot to U5001, this is a tough little trail with some cool rock steps on it. See the first one here.
Coming out at Knipe Fold we dropped down to U5024 which has grown over quite a bit at the moment especially at the northern end, but its a pretty lane with some nice views.
U5050, the Grizedale lane was next up, new for Gaz & second time for me this week, excellent fun, & we met the only other two bikers I've seen on the trails around here this year, two young lads on an XR400 & a KTM 2 stroke, the lad on the XR was a pretty good rider although we got the impression they were local to the area by the way they rode.
Next up was U5062, then over to U5213 at Colton,, both of these lanes were pretty easy, but again some great views & Moss Wood is owned by the Woodland Trust & has loads of little interesting bits in it, very pretty place.
We did some road stuff to get to Ayside looking for a long looking lane there, turns out it's now a tarmac one that goes past the reservoir & up to Simpson Ground, but from there it becomes Foxfields Lane U5228 which is ace, there is water, open hillsides & you can see right upto the Helvellyn & High Street ridges on such a clear day as we had. We rode down U5244, it's short & pretty but why is there two gates on it?? seriously no need for the second one at all.
We then went over to U5600 & U5590, the limestone lane that runs around the northern end of Whitbarrow & both old favorites & took U5333, Gamblemire Lane down into Kendal for tea & cakes.
By now it was 6pm ish, so we headed back north via a little lane that isn't on the council maps just past Ings, it takes you back up towards Dubbs Road, 581007. We've been told that Gatesgarth Pass has been re-opened as a BOAT again, but there are no signs to say that & the council maps still show it as a deadend at Applethwaite Common, so we need to do more research for this one, we've both ridden it on mountain bikes & it would be cool as a challenge on an enduro!! Dubbs road was OK, best thing about it was the views though, truly beautiful...
After this it was a blast back home, what a fab day & it cost as much for the teas & cakes as it did for the fuel... wow bikes are bloody ace!!
Bring on more days like this one please, some of the best riding I've ever done & all of it on our doorstep too!!
All of the maps with the byways on can be found here: Cumbria County Council Website.
There is more sun to come apparently, shame we have to work, it's so overrated... ;-(
Evenings could be a goer though!! :-)
