With The Lake District and The Yorkshire Dales on our doorstep - KDCS offers an exciting selection of cycle rides throughout the local area and beyond. There are social gatherings including slide shows, talks and supper evenings and members are kept up to date with cycling news and issues through this web site, emails and our Facebook pages. KDCS are an affiliated group of Cycling UK.

KDCS route 20 - A circuit north from Shap

Summary

A ride along the United Utilities concrete road to HAWESWATER, BAMPTON and up to ASKHAM, then LOWTHER CASTLE and east to MORLAND, then south and west back to SHAP.

27 miles (42 km) 1,725 ' climb (525 m)

Grade – moderate overall, but some undulations and a couple of hills.

0S 90 (Penrith, Keswick) and 91 (Appleby in Westmorland) Start – Shap village centre 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=475914

Description

Go north on the A6 from the car park in the middle of Shap (wc there), 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 simply continue on this sometimes potholed concrete road (ignoring signs to Rayside or Bampton) to meet the public road close to the dam at Haweswater (5+ miles/ 9 km).

Turn right and continue into Bampton (shop), where go left (sign Askham) and through Helton to Askham (shop and pubs, 11 miles/ 18 km to here). Here turn right ( Lowther Castle/ Bird of Prey sign) to drop down over the river to a steepish climb up through Lowther Park.

Near the top of the climb turn right (Lowther Castle/ Bird of Prey sign) and follow the signs along and down to the cafe at Lowther Castle. It is another steepish climb back up to the road, where go left and straight over at the nearby scissor crossroads (sign Penrith/ A6). If you do not wish to go to the Castle cafe simply carry on up through Lowther Park to the aforementioned scissor crossroads, there bearing left.

At the A6 go left, immediately over the M6 and immediately right (sign Melkinshaw/ Cliburn) onto a wide road. 

Take the 1st right onto a narrow easily missed lane in  ½ mile/ 1 km (sign Great Strickland/ obscure NCN 71), going on to Great Strickland, there going left (Morland/ 71). The pub here has a Bradley Wiggins 2012 Tour de France yellow shirt.

Bike on to  Morland, where go right (small 71 sign only) then straightaway left downhill (pub, cafe here, 19 miles/ 30 km).

Here turn right by the Crown pub on Water Street (small 71 sign only) and continue on for a couple of miles/ 3 km, turning right at the 2nd crossroads (sign Sleagill/ Shap).

Go straight through Sleagill, up the long-ish hill to the top, where views of the Lake District open out. Go left at the crossroads (Crosby Ravensworth), reaching the road to Shap in a couple of miles (3 km). After a couple of undulations you drop steeply back to Shap, there turning left at the A6 back to the start. (27 miles/ 44 km)

Note 1 – turning left at Sleagill and passing through Reagill up to the Shap road mentioned above is a less demanding and more sheltered climb alternative, but misses out the views.

Note 2 – a flatter shorter alternative from Great Strickland to Shap is possible, by missing out the drop to and climb from Morland. To do this alternative continue straight over (sign Little Strickland/ Shap) at the stepped crossroads in Great Strickland  and continue straight on at all junctions to meet the Shap road mentioned above, there turning right for the undulating drop to Shap. This is 3+  miles less (5 km) and 250' (76 m) less climb.

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