Stage 2A Troutbeck to Keswick via Threlkeld
Stage 2B Troutbeck to Keswick via Hesket Newmarket
The North Western Fells
Stage 3A Keswick to Cockermouth over the passes
Stage 3B Keswick to Cockermouth via Lorton
The Western Fells
Stage 4A Cockermouth to Eskdale Green via Ennerdale Green
Stage 4B Cockermouth to Eskdale Green via Egremont
The Southern and Central Fells
Stage 5A Eskdale Green to Ambleside over the passes
Stage 5B Eskdale Green to Ambleside via Coniston and Hawkshead
Ambleside and the Central Lakes
Route 1 Over the Wrynose and Hardknott passes from Ambleside
Route 2 Around the Central Fells
Route 3 A circuit of the Eastern Fells from Ambleside
Penrith and the North East
Route 4 Haweswater and Ullswater from Shap
Route 5 Lowther Park and Ullswater from Penrith
Route 6 Around Inglewood Forest
Keswick and the North West
Route 7 Loop around the Back o’ Skiddaw
Route 8 Whinlatter and Honister passes from Keswick
Route 9 Across Allerdale
The South West
Route 10 Back o’ Sellafield and Wasdale Head
Route 11 The Far South West from Ravenglass
Route 12 Around the Furness Fells from Broughton
The South East
Route 13 Around Grizedale Forest
Route 14 Across Windermere from Cartmel
Route 15 A circuit around Whitbarrow
Appendix A Useful contacts
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C What to take
Appendix D Further reading
ROUTE SUMMARY TABLES
Descending Wrynose Pass (Route 1)
Wasdale Screes in crisp spring sunshine (Stages 4A and 4B and Route 10)
INTRODUCTION
A heavily berried holly tree on the climb around Lingmoor Fell with the Langdale Pikes in the distance (Stage 5A and Route 2)
This compact and easily accessible corner of the North West is packed with the best of everything that England has to offer including cycling. It has all of the land over 914m (3000 feet) with England’s highest summits, the largest and deepest lakes and rare wildlife such as red squirrels, nesting osprey and a solitary golden eagle that desperately needs a mate. The scenery was wild and dramatic before man arrived, first settling in the fertile valleys to grow crops and rear cattle, and then venturing into the fells to mine copper, lead and other ores. By medieval times the region was criss-crossed by packhorse tracks that linked the main commercial centres of Ambleside and Keswick with the outside world. Over time these tracks became the roads we know today. Some have very steep gradients and cross the highest passes in England providing cyclists with challenging rides amid stunning scenery.
Over the last 150 years, the growth of tourism and outdoor activities has transformed the region, particularly the eastern and central parts that are more easily accessible to those visiting for a weekend or just a day. Today, Ambleside, which a century ago was still a small market town, has accommodation and eateries to suit all pockets, outdoor shops in every direction and an increasing number of specialist retailers selling excellent locally produced foods. Then to mitigate the risk of tourists staying away during the colder, greyer months, there is an increasingly busy calendar of festivals in the region covering everything from beer and food to film and jazz. This means that the main towns of the district are now tourist destinations in their own right almost regardless of the fells and lakes that surround them, adding another layer of interest and variety to this beautiful part of the country.
There are numerous opportunities for easy, family-orientated cycling on traffic-free trails and quiet lanes around the shores of many lakes. But that’s not what this guide is about. This book caters for those who want to tour through the mountains and valleys of England’s largest national park, perhaps crossing one or more of the six famous passes which are all over 305m above sea level with gradients that occasionally touch 1 in 3 (33 per cent). While none of these climbs is high by European standards, the narrowness of the valleys in the Lake District means that roads have to take a direct route to the top rather than meandering their way up, resulting in sections with gradients that would be classified as hors catégorie in the Tour de France. Thankfully, they are just a fraction of the length of the classic climbs found in the Alps and the Pyrenees, but they are challenging to ride so need a good level of fitness.
Lake District National Park
Until the region was popularised in William Wordsworth’s (1770–1850) 1820 edition of A guide through the District of the Lakes, it would have
