Summary
A ride along the United Utilities concrete road to SWINDALE, HAWESWATER, BURNBANKS and up to ASKHAM, then LOWTHER CASTLE and return via WHALE, KNIPE and BAMPTON GRANGE.28 miles (45 km) 1,870 ' climb (570 m) Grade – moderate overall, but some undulations and a couple of hills. 0S 90 (Penrith, Keswick)
Start – Shap village centre GR NY 564 151
Map
To view elevation details please use this link and select "Elevation Graph" from the top left hand side corner of the map.http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=629203
Description
Go north on the A6 from the car park in the middle of Shap (wc, shops, cafe, pubs), quickly going left off it (sign Bampton/ Haweswater) and again quickly left (Keld/ Thornship).
Pass through Keld and up to meet the unfenced “concrete road”. This is a United Utilities private road, but bicycles are permitted on it. Turn right here (sign Rayside) but then continue on this sometimes potholed concrete road (ignoring signs to Rayside) to a scissor crossroads, where turn hard left (unsigned – the road to the right is for Bampton) and continue up the nice valley to the end of the Swindale public road.
Retrace your steps back to the scissor crossroads, going left (Private Road sign only) to meet the public road close to the dam at Haweswater. Here go left for a ½ mile (1 km) gradual climb to look at the dam itself (can continue to Haweswater Hotel if open), again retracing your steps down past the concrete road end and in a minute go left into Burnbanks for a look at the village, then returning to the main road and going left to Bampton (sign Penrith).
Bampton (shop, pub) soon arrives, and the valley floor is followed north (left) to Askham (shop, pub), where turn right (sign Lowther) to drop down to the river and then a steady climb through the park with Lowther Castle on the right.
Nearing the top of the park go right (sign Lowther) , quickly going straight on at a larger road, and turning down the road to Lowther Castle (cafe), and good views of the facade. This is at 19 miles.
Yet again retrace your steps, this time to Askham, where go left on the road you came in on (Helton/ Ullswater) and very soon bear left for Whale and Knipe. This is a gentle climb to Whale, then dropping down through gates to Knipe, where go left (Shap sign).
A steady descent brings you to Bampton Grange, where the Shap sign takes the road up a significant hill before a nice mostly flat ride brings you back to Shap.
