Lake District Epic
There are some days in the mountains that are truly special. Tackling the English Lake District in winter produces such days. Follow Rich Duckworth on this epic Lake District mountain bike route and take your own adventure!
There are some days in the mountains that are truly special. Tackling the English Lake District in winter produces such days. Follow Rich Duckworth on this epic Lake District mountain bike route and take your own adventure!
This is a superb route for wild and rugged scenery, on good roads with long climbs and great descents. When riding in autumn and winter, you really do need to make sure that your bike is well serviced, that you have tools and inner tubes and good cold weather clothing. It’s also wise to use a rear light during daytime riding, as tree lined country roads with hidden sunlight can make it difficult for cars to pick you out early. Anyway, to the route.
We start this ride from Oxenholme railway station near to Kendal, as you can take the train to the start and finish and enjoy an environmentally friendly adventure. Nearby Kendal can provide excellent opportunities for a bite to eat as you finish the ride too, and the ride is also easy to do if you’re planning on a few days in the Lake District. Make sure that you check the weather reports prior to setting off, as the Howgills are beautiful but remote and wild.
The Howgills provide sublime views to those driving up the M6 motorway and passing through Cumbria. Close to the road, these wild hills stand proudly and defiant. The climbs are steep and at times brutal, but the rewards are epic. It’s time to take a closer look at the hills that sit between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.
Route Information
Stats 80 km 1,181 metres
Refreshments & Where to Stay
Nearby Kendal has everything required and the two national parks in the area have a wealth of great accommodation choices.
Character
A long and remote route amidst the hills. Weather can be wild here, so be prepared. The climbs are long and steep, but the views are amazing.
Route
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Yesterday’s journey to my first crack at a UCI Marathon Series started about fifteen years ago, after seeing Miguel Martinez solo to a marathon win on Eurosport, having ditched his punctured back tyre and ‘rimming it’ from about 5km out. I’d been an armchair fan of Cape Epic and loved the footage of the dust covered athletes racing MTB’s in dramatic landscapes. I’m in my fifties. I still want to be that man. Tragic I know.
Route Information
Stats: 53 km and 650 metre of ascent
Refreshments & Where to Stay
Easingwold has everything that you need, as does historic Helmsley. Porters tea rooms in Helmsley serve the very best cake and coffee. Helmsley would be a superb holiday location, with its castle, nearby Reivaulx Abbey and so many great places to eat. The roads nearby are ideal for all cyclists too.
Larisa at Newburgh Priory along this route
Character
Heading from the calm flat roads of Easingwold, the route soon climbs and takes in some tough hills, passing by historic abbeys and buildings along the way. Riding on mainly quiet roads, this is one of the best rides you’ll find anywhere in the UK.
Route
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Over the last thirty five years of cycle racing, I’ve often considered my peers and their contentment at riding the same disciplines, indeed the same races, year in year out. Each to their own and all that, but it’s not for me. It’s probably a Myers-Briggs personality thing. Firstly, I like new experiences; secondly, as a very average amateur athlete, I have never really found a discipline that has offered fame and fortune. Riding the same races over and over again holds little appeal.
The longest road climb in the world is in the majestic hills of Colombia. Quite appropriate really, when you consider that this is where the best climbers come from. Let’s take a look at this amazing route and maybe inspire you to take it on.
A classic Lancashire cycling route
This short but rewarding road cycling route in Lancashire takes you into the hills and open countryside, visiting the climb of Jubilee Tower before descending back to the village of Garstang. It’s a route for an easy evening or to lik in to a longer ride in rural Lancashire.
Distance: 24 miles
Ascent: 1,550 feet
Refreshments: FiG Tree Fairtrade Cafe at Garstang or The Priory at Scorton.
Character: A gently undulating climb to a high and wild moor, topped by a preposterous folly. Sensational views in clear weather, with the Welsh, Manx and Lakeland hills spanning the westward horizon.
Route
1. Head out of Garstang on the Lancaster Road (i.e. pedal North).
2. Turn right at the mini-roundabout into Green Lane East and gain a narrow lane barred to cars.
3. Turn right at the end and meander through the meadows of Wyresdale to the village of Scorton.
4. Turn right at the Priory into Snow Hill Lane and climb over the M6 and into the Forest of Bowland AONB. The sassier lasses round these parts buy tee shirts such that the words “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” undulate across their chests.
5. Turn left at the top and follow a high terrace, dodging jaywalking pheasants as you go.
6. Another left turn at the end (no signage) then pay heed to the Ford sign as it can reach respectable depth and the surface is rather too cobbled for hitting at high speed on skinny tyres.
7. Drop to the main Scorton-Abbeystead road and turn right. Follow this up a series of rises until a steep pull out of narrow gulch where the road runs parallel to a stream.
8. At the top of this climb, turn left (unsigned) to a spectacular, winding descent into Abbeystead.
9. Turn left and then, where the road turns 90 degrees to the left, go straight on, signposted “Quernmore 5”
10. Climb through plover and hare country, turning left at the top to the Tower. Look on the verge on the right for the memorial to cyclist Peter Nowell.
11. Plunge to Quernmore Crossroads, turning left. Try to combine admiring the view with staying in the saddle on the hairpin.
12. Follow the switchback southwards, re-crossing the motorway on Whams Lane
13. Left at the bottom will take you into the hamlet of Hollins Lane, convergence with the A6 and the homeward leg
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Route Information
Stats: 49 miles of reasonably flat riding
Refreshments & Where to Stay: Preston and Blackpool are nearby, as is historic Lancaster
Character
A great loop around the westernmost lump of Lancashire. Although Blackpool lacks certain finesse, the atmosphere is generally cheery and the views are stunning. On a clear day, the panorama includes Wales, the Isle of Man, the Lakes, The Howgills, The Dales (Ingleborough’s bony crown is pre-eminent), the Bowland Hills, Winter Hill and Ashurst Beacon. The short ferry hop makes this a memorable excursion.
Route
1. Head out of Garstang on Moss Lane, over the humpback bridge. Cross the A6 with care at the Bellflower.
2. Turn right into the ominously-named Kilcrash Lane. Follow this through flat farmland to Pilling and turn left into Head Dyke Lane
3. At Preesall, turn right to Knott End and follow this down to the slipway. Ferries generally run on the hour and half-hour and the trip takes all of five minutes. Expect to pay £1.50 for you and a further 50p for the bike.
4. At the farther shore, take up the promenade and dodge the hordes of strollers, giddy kiddies and unleashed dogs through Bispham and Blackpool.
5. At Squire’s Gate, join the main road heading south (there’s a good continuous cycle lane) but you can duck back onto promenade at St Anne’s if the main road is too busy for your liking.
6. Rejoin the main road, then turn left near Lytham Windmill into Station Road.
7. Meander through to the incongruous picture-postcard village of Wrea Green, its thatched roofs looking ill-suited to Lancashire’s rainfall.
8. Go straight on at the church (village stores on your right) and (easily missed) take a shortcut by a wall (just before the main road) into Kirkham. Cross the dual carriageway with care.
9. In Kirkham, turn left into Carr Lane and zigzag North and East to Inskip.
10. Turn left on the B5269 then right (after the village) into Pinfold Lane.
11. Turn right into St Michael’s Lane at the end and pass Myerscough agricultural college to join the A6 at Guy’s Thatched Hamlet.
12. Pootle north on the A6 then follow signs forking right back into Garstang.
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Sitting at an altitude of 1968m the Cormet de Roselend connects Beaufort(744m) in the Beaufortain valley in the west and Bourg-Saint-Maurice(840m) in the Tarentaise Valley to the east. The climb has a rich TDF history. It was first featured in the 1979 Tour de France and ten times since. In 2019 the climb was cut from the tour as a mudslide rendered the climb impassable. It returns in 2020 for stage 18 and just happens to follow our preferred route over the Cormet!
I used to be a bit of a philistine when it came to coffee, coffee was just coffee and instant tasted okay. That was until I started drinking freshly ground and freshly made coffee. What a revelation and how bad instant now tastes. Far from being any kind of connoisseur, but I can now appreciate the subtle undertones of flavours in different coffees, although this has created a bit of hole for myself, demanding good coffee wherever I travel, even bikepacking.