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 27 -A circuit of Skiddaw from Keswick

Summary

A circular anti-clockwise ride around Skiddaw, in the northern part of the Lake District National Park.
It starts here at the former Keswick railway station, although can be started from anywhere en route (Mungrisdale, Caldbeck etc). The roads are predominantly quiet, busier approaching Keswick.
The views can be marvellous.

Distance 32 miles (52 km),    2110 ' climb  (640 m)   Grade  - mostly flattish, some undulations.
OS Landranger 90 (Penrith, Keswick & Ambleside)

Start – Former Keswick Railway Station (later Hotel), behind Keswick Leisure Pool, Station Rd. CA12 4NE.
Station GR NY 2701 2381. There is parking either in the Pay & Display or on nearby roads.

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=869181

Description

The Keswick – Threlkeld Railway Path is a tarmac 3 mile (5km) and nearly all flat route east from the former station and later hotel (now closed). It forms part of National Cycle Network 71, better known as the C2C (Sea to Sea). Some alternative routes also have the 71/C2C designation. The Railway Path between Keswick and Threlkeld re-opened in December 2020, 5 years after Storm Desmond washed away 3 bridges and closed the route. 

The Railway Path from the station/ hotel is straightforward, with a slight incline leading to where in c ½ mile (c 1km) a right fork signals the start of an alternative 71/C2C to Threlkeld via Castlerigg Stone Circle (detailed later on in this Description). 

Continuing straight on comes the newly re-opened 150 yd/m long Bobbin Mill Tunnel, with original brickwork, under the huge A66 flyover. The now nearly flat ride continues alongside the River Greta, the new bridges over the river echoing the style of those washed away.

At the path end, zig-zags take the path up to and briefly alongside the A66 before going into and through Threlkeld village (pubs, coffee shop/wc). The alternative 71/C2C Keswick to Threlkeld via Castlerigg Stone Circle comes in on the right just after the zig-zags.
 
The route passes through the village, then bears left and uphill (71/C2C) shortly before the A66 junction. A steady climb leads to the highway end, where after a gate (71) it becomes a shared path on the old road, soon dropping down to run alongside the A66 up to the White Horse pub at Scales.

Two signs just after the pub are both 71/C2C, one back down to the A66,  whilst this route takes the uphill road.  In 3 miles (5 km) the  quiet and gated ride goes left at the Mungrisdale Mill Inn, following the Alternative C2C/ Reivers sign (the main 71/C2C route here goes right). 

In a few hundred yds/m the Lakes & Dales Loop comes in from the right. 
This is signed by a bike inside an elliptical circle, but with no NCN number or L&D notification. The L&D is followed for the next 14 miles (22 km), until it leaves near Overwater.

The ride continues into nearby Mosedale, where there is an optional 3 mile (5km) detour up a nice river valley to and back from Swineside and beyond. 

Otherwise 1 ¼ miles (2 km) beyond the village the road swings right (L&D sign) and on to High Row. (Note - 100 yds/m after the above sign there is, left, an unsigned minor road off it for a hillier short alternative option, see below).

The route continues through nearby High Row (L&D) and in a mile + (2km) to a T, there going (right, L&D) to Hesket Newmarket.

(Note - the hillier option road climbs away from the main route, soon crosses a ford (footbridge also), before continuing climbing (sometimes quite steeply) to above Calebreck and then follows a drop towards Hesket Newmarket. The main route coming in on the right from High Row is soon joined.)

The drop continues to Hesket Newmarket (shop, tearoom), where NCN 10/ Reivers is joined. The main route continues on the L&D through Hesket Newmarket and on to  Caldbeck

(Note – just after the shop in Hesket Newmarket and where the main road swings right, small 10 signs take Reivers/10 up a small rising lane ahead. This is another hillier option, continuing westerly on foothills, with some climbing, before joining the main route. It is well signed.)

The main route soon arrives at and passes through nearby Caldbeck (pub, shop, tearoom - no L&D signs). This is 16 miles (26 km) from the start, the halfway point. It then continues west through Whelpo, Parkend and beyond, (the alternative hillier option 10 coming in from the left). 

It soon bears left towards Orthwaite and Mirkholme (L&D/10) with good lakeland views. Soon after the drop to Longlands, L&D/10 turn right to Overwater, but this route continues straight on to Orthwaite and beyond to join (going left) the busy but descending A591 at High Side.

Dodd Wood Forestry Commission facility (wc, cafe, osprey viewing point) comes after a few minutes, and in a few more minutes the route leaves the A591, bearing left to Millbeck/Applethwaite/Skiddaw onto a mildly undulating road. This eventually rejoins the A591, where (going left) a section of shared bike/ pedestrian path crosses the nearby A66 roundabout before joining the downhill road into Keswick.

For a quick return to the start from the roundabout, simply in 150 yds/m go left (Brundholme Road) to soon arrive back at the former station. 

Otherwise take the road down, going left at the main road roundabout (Town Centre/ C2C). The road along the edge of the town centre is followed, and in ½ mile (1 km) turn left down Station Road, past the YHA and back to the former station start, behind the swimming pool.

Alternative Keswick to Threlkeld 71/C2C via Stone Circle -  a good if hillier route when the Railway Path was shut by Storm Desmond.

The ride also starts along the Railway Path, however then in c ½ mile (c 1km) bears right off it  (sign Threlkeld via C2C) to soon join (going right and uphill) the nearby busy A591.

Take great care here crossing over to the left hand uphill lane of the A591, as the road is busy and visibility restricted. The route then goes left at the nearby Carlisle/M6 junction, and immediately right (C2C/ Castlerigg Stone Circle). 

There follows a long steep climb to pass the Stone Circle on the right, then after a drop to a larger road go right (71/C2C) and right again at a nearby junction (71/C2C), then going straight on (Threlkeld C2C) where another C2C goes right to the Old Coach Road. 

After a nice descent of a mile+ (2 km) it meets the A66, which is crossed, via a pedestrian refuge, to join the main route, going right on the shared path into Threlkeld.