Start - near Ambleside Rugby Club, Borrans Rd, Ambleside, LA22 0EN GR NY 373 037
distance - 22 miles (35 km) 2,250' climb (685 m) grade – off – road moderate, but several steep tarmac climbs. OS 90 (Penrith/ Keswick/ Ambleside) and 97 (Kendal)
Over the past few years a number of linked shared cycle/ pedestrian paths have been created in parts of the central lakes, providing a useful number of off-road routes. Public roads can be used to link them up.
There are numerous mix-and-match route possibilities within this network, and these 5 routes 29 – 32 are just a few of them.
The paths are mostly of hardcore material, good to cycle on and good for most size of bike tyres (28 mm and wider).
distance - 22 miles (35 km) 2,250' climb (685 m) grade – off – road moderate, but several steep tarmac climbs. OS 90 (Penrith/ Keswick/ Ambleside) and 97 (Kendal)
Over the past few years a number of linked shared cycle/ pedestrian paths have been created in parts of the central lakes, providing a useful number of off-road routes. Public roads can be used to link them up.
There are numerous mix-and-match route possibilities within this network, and these 5 routes 29 – 32 are just a few of them.
The paths are mostly of hardcore material, good to cycle on and good for most size of bike tyres (28 mm and wider).
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=775844
Description
From outside the rugby club, the route goes immediately left on the one-way road signed A593 Coniston/ Hawkshead/ Langdale, but in 50 yds/m follows (left) a wooden footpath sign to Clappersgate/ Hawkshead, over the pedestrian river bridge and left on to the shared path alongside the busy A593 Coniston road.
In a few minutes the shared path ends, and cyclists must use the road. The route continues past the nearby Hawkshead turn and in three hundred yds/m goes left over a river bridge (NCN 6 Bowness/ Coniston sign), then turning right (NCN 37 Elterwater/ Coniston) onto the lane leading to Skelwith Fold.
In Skelwith Fold it bears left, and then goes straight on at the next nearby junction (both Hawkshead signs). The Drunken Duck pub at the crossroads is soon reached, where the route goes right (Tarn Hows/ Coniston sign).
From here it simply follows the Tarn Hows/ Coniston signs, flattish, then up a steep hill and soon bearing right (Tarn Hows) for a stiff climb up to Tarn Hows.
At the first (pedestrian) entrance to the NT car park/wc a bridleway on the left leads to High Cross and Coniston, and this is taken. An NT sign on a gate warns “cyclists beware – steep descents, uneven surfaces, severe drops” but the original route to which this refers has since been hugely modified to be much more accessible and friendly. There is however soon a slightly stony gently descending 150 yds/m S bend which might be a bit awkward for narrow tyres, although mountain bikes would not even notice it.
The surface is fine hereafter, and the bridleway to Coniston soon bears right for the sometimes steep but well surfaced drop, to soon cross the minor public road coming down from Tarn Hows and in a couple of minutes later to join for 30 yds/m the B5285 Hawkshead – Coniston road before returning behind a hedge on the right onto a permissive bridleway to Coniston. If the path is busy with pedestrians, simply take the flat road into Coniston. This is 8 miles (13 km) from the start. The route has now joined NCN 37 and this 37 is intermittently followed for several miles.
At the main A593 road T junction in Coniston centre the route goes right (37 sign) and immediately left by the Black Bull (37, Coppermines YHA) for a gradual but finally steep ½ mile rise (1 km) up to a bridleway small gate on the right (Yew Tree Farm/ Elterwater sign).
This easy bridleway descends to near the A593 Coniston – Ambleside road (access track coming in just after a gate) then continues on a nice gently undulating gravel path running roughly parallel to the highway. The path continues for a mile + (2 km), crosses straight over the Tilberthwaite road, and soon joins and goes left over the bridge and up (unsigned) the Hodge Close tarmac public road.
This tarmac road climbs, occasionally steeply, to and past Hodge Close quarry, before ending at a gate (37 sign) onto a bridleway. The gated bridleway descends gently to Stang End, and is generally easily rideable.
At Stang End the route goes right, onto a tarmac road (wooden 637 sign Elterwater/ Ambleside), then in ¼ mile (½ km) leaves it by a farm, through 2 gates in the small farmyard (same 637 signs) and then though a gate onto a new gravel path after the farmyard (Cumbria Way footpath sign only).
It passes through a couple of gates, and on entering the woods it bears right (where the Cumbria Way goes left), and drops down, sometimes steeply, to the public road at Colwith.
Going left here takes you to Elterwater (see rides 29 and 32), but this route goes right, steeply uphill to join, going left, the A593 towards Ambleside.
This main road is quite narrow and can be busy, so take care. It rises at first, then drops down towards Skelwith Bridge. Continue on the main road, past Skelwith Bridge Hotel and the Langdale turn towards Ambleside for a quarter mile or so (½ km), and after a short rise the route goes left onto a small lane (width restriction sign only – Ellers Lane) where the main road swings 90° to the right.
The lane is very steep for the first hundred yds/m before flattening slightly and then comes a further 50 yds/m rise before a wooden bridleway sign (no name) takes the route away from the lane – this is c 500 yds/m from turning off the main road.
Almost immediately the bridleway goes straight ahead through a National Trust gate marked High Close Estate – Loughrigg Tarn. This well surfaced, flat and easy to ride bridleway overlooking Loughrigg Tarn is followed to its end in about a mile (2 - km), there going right after passing through the gate and climbing to and straight on at the nearby road summit (where a road comes in from the left).
There follows the very steep descent of Red Bank and soon after flattening the route goes through a National Trust gate on the right signed “ Grasmere Lake Shore“ and “NCN 6 Ambleside 4 miles”.
This path drops down and then swings right along the beautiful Grasmere shoreline, and after a short shingle section turns left over the river footbridge (NCN 6 Rydal/Ambleside), left once over it and shortly right (same signs).
The track soon joins the busy footpath to and from the popular White Moss car park, before turning right over another footbridge (NCN 6 Ambleside/Rydal Caves sign). Public toilets are 300 yds/m further on towards the car park at this point.
Over the footbridge the track climbs steeply through the wood (the only non-tarmac climb), before entering the open and turning left (NCN 6 Ambleside sign). This scenic bridleway passes Rydal Water and then climbs slightly up to join a public tarmac road, soon descending past Pelter Bridge car park.
At the nearby junction turn right onto the Under Loughrigg road (NCN 6 Ambleside 1 ½ sign) and follow it to its end at the junction with the main Ambleside - Coniston Road, by the road bridge..
Here either cross over to and go right briefly on the shared footpath (NCN6 Bowness/Coniston) to then cross the river bridge you came out on and push your bike on the pavement back to the nearby start point or join the traffic over the road bridge and bike via the one way system back to the main road and the nearby start point.
In a few minutes the shared path ends, and cyclists must use the road. The route continues past the nearby Hawkshead turn and in three hundred yds/m goes left over a river bridge (NCN 6 Bowness/ Coniston sign), then turning right (NCN 37 Elterwater/ Coniston) onto the lane leading to Skelwith Fold.
In Skelwith Fold it bears left, and then goes straight on at the next nearby junction (both Hawkshead signs). The Drunken Duck pub at the crossroads is soon reached, where the route goes right (Tarn Hows/ Coniston sign).
From here it simply follows the Tarn Hows/ Coniston signs, flattish, then up a steep hill and soon bearing right (Tarn Hows) for a stiff climb up to Tarn Hows.
At the first (pedestrian) entrance to the NT car park/wc a bridleway on the left leads to High Cross and Coniston, and this is taken. An NT sign on a gate warns “cyclists beware – steep descents, uneven surfaces, severe drops” but the original route to which this refers has since been hugely modified to be much more accessible and friendly. There is however soon a slightly stony gently descending 150 yds/m S bend which might be a bit awkward for narrow tyres, although mountain bikes would not even notice it.
The surface is fine hereafter, and the bridleway to Coniston soon bears right for the sometimes steep but well surfaced drop, to soon cross the minor public road coming down from Tarn Hows and in a couple of minutes later to join for 30 yds/m the B5285 Hawkshead – Coniston road before returning behind a hedge on the right onto a permissive bridleway to Coniston. If the path is busy with pedestrians, simply take the flat road into Coniston. This is 8 miles (13 km) from the start. The route has now joined NCN 37 and this 37 is intermittently followed for several miles.
At the main A593 road T junction in Coniston centre the route goes right (37 sign) and immediately left by the Black Bull (37, Coppermines YHA) for a gradual but finally steep ½ mile rise (1 km) up to a bridleway small gate on the right (Yew Tree Farm/ Elterwater sign).
This easy bridleway descends to near the A593 Coniston – Ambleside road (access track coming in just after a gate) then continues on a nice gently undulating gravel path running roughly parallel to the highway. The path continues for a mile + (2 km), crosses straight over the Tilberthwaite road, and soon joins and goes left over the bridge and up (unsigned) the Hodge Close tarmac public road.
This tarmac road climbs, occasionally steeply, to and past Hodge Close quarry, before ending at a gate (37 sign) onto a bridleway. The gated bridleway descends gently to Stang End, and is generally easily rideable.
At Stang End the route goes right, onto a tarmac road (wooden 637 sign Elterwater/ Ambleside), then in ¼ mile (½ km) leaves it by a farm, through 2 gates in the small farmyard (same 637 signs) and then though a gate onto a new gravel path after the farmyard (Cumbria Way footpath sign only).
It passes through a couple of gates, and on entering the woods it bears right (where the Cumbria Way goes left), and drops down, sometimes steeply, to the public road at Colwith.
Going left here takes you to Elterwater (see rides 29 and 32), but this route goes right, steeply uphill to join, going left, the A593 towards Ambleside.
This main road is quite narrow and can be busy, so take care. It rises at first, then drops down towards Skelwith Bridge. Continue on the main road, past Skelwith Bridge Hotel and the Langdale turn towards Ambleside for a quarter mile or so (½ km), and after a short rise the route goes left onto a small lane (width restriction sign only – Ellers Lane) where the main road swings 90° to the right.
The lane is very steep for the first hundred yds/m before flattening slightly and then comes a further 50 yds/m rise before a wooden bridleway sign (no name) takes the route away from the lane – this is c 500 yds/m from turning off the main road.
Almost immediately the bridleway goes straight ahead through a National Trust gate marked High Close Estate – Loughrigg Tarn. This well surfaced, flat and easy to ride bridleway overlooking Loughrigg Tarn is followed to its end in about a mile (2 - km), there going right after passing through the gate and climbing to and straight on at the nearby road summit (where a road comes in from the left).
There follows the very steep descent of Red Bank and soon after flattening the route goes through a National Trust gate on the right signed “ Grasmere Lake Shore“ and “NCN 6 Ambleside 4 miles”.
This path drops down and then swings right along the beautiful Grasmere shoreline, and after a short shingle section turns left over the river footbridge (NCN 6 Rydal/Ambleside), left once over it and shortly right (same signs).
The track soon joins the busy footpath to and from the popular White Moss car park, before turning right over another footbridge (NCN 6 Ambleside/Rydal Caves sign). Public toilets are 300 yds/m further on towards the car park at this point.
Over the footbridge the track climbs steeply through the wood (the only non-tarmac climb), before entering the open and turning left (NCN 6 Ambleside sign). This scenic bridleway passes Rydal Water and then climbs slightly up to join a public tarmac road, soon descending past Pelter Bridge car park.
At the nearby junction turn right onto the Under Loughrigg road (NCN 6 Ambleside 1 ½ sign) and follow it to its end at the junction with the main Ambleside - Coniston Road, by the road bridge..
Here either cross over to and go right briefly on the shared footpath (NCN6 Bowness/Coniston) to then cross the river bridge you came out on and push your bike on the pavement back to the nearby start point or join the traffic over the road bridge and bike via the one way system back to the main road and the nearby start point.
