KDCS - route 34

Summary

A hilly ride from Lowick over Subberthwaite Common and Woodland to Broughton-in-Furness and return.

Distance  21 miles (33 km)   Climb 2050'  (620m)   Grade – hard

OS – Landranger 96 (Barrow-in-Furness & South Lakeland).

This route crosses over the hilly and remote Subberthwaite Common west of Lowick, and then via Woodland to Broughton-in-Furness and return. Traffic on the Common is minimal, and the views are extensive. The hills can be steep. There is a 1 mile stretch of easy  bridleway, ok for tourers. 

The route can be effectively halved in distance and climb by just riding Subberthwaite Common and not continuing to Broughton.

Rides 33 and 34 more or less meet at Lowick Bridge, so pick and mix options are available.

Map - full route

 

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=830943

Map - short route

 

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=830936

Description

The ride starts from the Lowick Church and Community Hall car park (GR SD 2903 8605), just up from the Lowick Bridge turn up past the Red Lion inn. The car park has a donations box – but parking is also available on laybys on the A5084 road to Lowick Bridge.

The ride goes left and in a couple of minutes right at a turn, unsigned apart from the blue Lakes & Dales Loop cycle sign -  a bike inside an oval loop, no “L & D” wording or anything.

In a few more minutes an unsigned Y junction is reached. Here the ride goes right and along a generally flat gated lane to a small unsigned Y junction near Blawith, a small settlement on the A5084 Coniston road. 

Going left here is the first of the days gradients, but not too steep or long. Another Y is soon reached, the only sign being a stone sign ahead reading “Tottlebank only”. This is followed – flattish, but then climbing to pass above Tottlebank, and where the public road ends, at a wooden bridleway sign, being replaced by a generally rideable stone farm track.

After a short easy incline the track gently descends for nearly a half mile (1- km) to a wooden post, where the bridleway now bears away from the track onto a flat grassy strip. After approx 350 yds/m of grass the path descends gently and for a similar distance the surface becomes rougher but mostly ok – and may be blocked by water at one point for a few yds/m, but generally ok to push the bike on drier ground alongside. A slight downward incline takes the ride to the public road at the Giant's Grave, there going left up the steep hill to the summit 250 yds/m away.

(Note – the stone track continues on down to Birch Bank after the bridleway leaves it, but can be blocked by water at several places. There is a public road to and from Birch Bank.)

The road drops from the summit, soon arriving at an unsigned Y (apart from L&D signs), with the Birch Bank road nearby. The route continues straight on, soon turning right (unsigned) with a short ascent before dropping steeply to a scissor crossroads junction at Fell Gate (no signs).

The route goes right, again dropping steeply down to the valley floor and continuing to another Y, which is actually signed.

 The steeply climbing road to the right is signed to Ulverston (also L&D), and is the homeward bound route back to Lowick. 

From here the route continues to Broughton and back, but is optional, and if preferred can be omitted and the uphill road home taken from here. This would be an 11 mile (18 km) ride, with 1270' of climb (385m).

Otherwise the route bears left (Coniston/ Broughton/ L&D) to Woodland, then going left ( Broughton) at a T and on to the appropriately named “The Hill”, featuring 2 sharp climbs up to the A593 Broughton – Coniston road junction.

At the junction take the adjacent minor road, the Grizebeck/ L&D road, which drops rapidly, but  ¼ mile (0.5 km) beyond where it levels out take the easily missed short rising path on the right (finger post sign - public bridleway  Broughton 1 mile) to the disused railway line bridleway to Broughton a mile away (2- km) away. 

Take the pleasant disused line to Broughton, with its facilities and charm. This is now  11 + miles (18 km) from the start.

For the  return to the A593 junction there are various options 

a) either simply take the old railway line back and up to the A593.

 

b) follow the  L&D south from the square on the road  towards Ulverston. This has  2 sharp zig-zag climbs before arriving at the main A595, where turn left (sign Barrow).  Take the  immediate first left  (effectively straight on) onto a minor road (L&D sign only) where the A595 bears right by a large layby, . This is largely on the level for 1 ½ miles (2+ km) , (the Wall End Farm bridleway and the railway path bridleway joining on the left) and soon after the steep climb up to the A593 begins. This option is 1 ½ miles (2+ km) further than returning on the old railway line and a bit hillier.

c) as (b) above, follow the L&D south  from the square on the road  towards Ulverston.  Leaving Broughton is a short up and down before quickly coming to where the road climbs steeply and swings to the right (this is ½ mile/ 1 km from Broughton). A few yds/m after the climb starts a small grass triangle on the left indicates a tarmac road – unsigned at the road, but with Wall End Farm/ Beancroft signs further in. Continue on this tarmac road to its end at Wall End Farm ¾ mile away (1+ km), where turn hard right for the gently descending 0.3 (½ km) bridleway to the road to the A593. This bridleway is easy for mountain bikes, and ok for tourers. At the public road turn left for the A593.

Back at the A593 junction, the route simply reverses the outward route – down The Hill, through Woodland, turn right for Ulverston and back to the Y junction reached earlier.

The left turn (Ulverston/ L&D) is immediately steep and the climbing continues for about a mile (2- km) - near the top passing the bridleway at Giant's Grave from Tottlebank ridden earlier – and over and down to the Y/ Birch Bank junction.

The route now goes left (L&D) on the final stretch. A shortish steep section is after the 1st gate, but then the road descends gradually, past a couple of farms and down to the Y of the outward leg, so here bearing right and left at the next turn to arrive back at Lowick Church car park in a couple of minutes.