Summary
A ride on tarmac and mostly newly created shared use cyclepaths from Windermere Ferry along the west shore to Wray Castle, Blelham Tarn, Hawkshead, High Cross, Coniston, Hodge Close, Colwith, Drunken Duck pub, Pull Woods, Wray Castle and back along the west shore.distance – 27 miles (43 km) 2,300' climb (700 m) OS 97 Kendal and 90 Penrith, Keswick & Ambleside
grade - moderate overall - new paths generally easy, a few hard tarmac climbs.
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=776198
Description
After leaving the ferry on the west side the route in 400 yards/m turns right off the road (National Cycle Network 6) to pass on a tarmac road along the lake shore.After leaving the open shore and tarmac, the track becomes a wide trail through woods. This is a family -friendly track, although there is one small climb. Pass through Red Nab car park (NCN 6 signs) and continue along the lakeshore to a small climb to the public road by Wray Church. Wray Castle (NT) is nearby.
Take the driveway almost to the castle and then descend the bridleway on the left (sign Ambleside/ Hawkshead) through the trees, and turn left at the bottom to the main road.
There take the new shared path opposite (sign Ambleside/ Hawkshead) and quickly another new path left turn off it (Hawkshead sign), then cycling past Blelham Tarn.
This gated track then leads to a steep slope up to a barn, there going right and through mainly open land to arrive at a public road.
A blue bike sign directs the route downhill to Hawkshead, then in 200 yards/m left onto a track (same sign) and soon right off it (wooden sign Hawkshead ½ mile) to cross a few fields and arrive at Hawkshead. This is about 7 miles (11km) from the start.
(Note – Hawkshead can be avoided if required by staying on the public road (not taking the Hawkshead track on the left, in the previous paragraph) to the main B5286 road, where go right (unsigned, towards Ambleside) and uphill for a couple of minutes to the Knipe Fold/ Field Head turn – see below for continuation from here).
through more gates to arrive at a public road.
After refreshments etc leave Hawkshead on the main B5286 Ambleside road, and in about a mile (2- km) go left at the Knipe Fold/ Field Head turn.
The lane has a couple of steep sections, and after joining (going left) a larger road the climbs continue before flattening and arriving at the crossroads on the Hawkshead – Coniston road. Most of the climbing has now been done.
(Note - The Forestry Commission High Cross public car park and entrance to Grizedale Forest is opposite the crossroads just mentioned. If preferred this can be reached directly from Hawkshead off – road, by taking the gradually climbing bridleway up through the arch beyond the Co-op (Vicarage Lane), straight on when the tarmac ends, up to the waymarked Green route Grizedale Forest Trail to High Cross. The Green route bears right at 3 junctions, but when the Green route goes 90 degrees left High Cross is reached by turning right - down to the car park and forest entrance. The bridleway up from Hawkshead is ¾ mile (1 + km), gradually rising, good for mtb s, but pushing may be needed for road bikes, and the Forestry Trail is wide and fine for everybody. This 2 mile (3 km) off– road alternative avoids the steep and sometimes busy road climbs from Hawkshead to High Cross. From High Cross car park simply go over the crossroads to the new path entrance, as below).
The next new path starts immediately before the crossroads, on the right, a wooden sign indicating Coniston/ Tarn Hows. It soon enters a wood and descends (sometimes steeply), following the Coniston signs. Half way down is the Forestry Commission work site and road entrance, sometimes a bit muddy. Here the route goes right to then go left in ¼ mile (½ km), and thereafter the descent towards Coniston is fine, again with some steep descents on a good surface.
The route crosses over the minor public road down from Tarn Hows, and in a couple of minutes later joins 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.
Leave Coniston on the A593 Ambleside road through the village.
Just outside the village a sign “Ambleside avoiding the A593” leads to a gently undulating shared path roughly parallel to the road, then crossing straight over the Tilberthwaite road in a mile (2- km) and continuing to the nearby Hodge Close public road, there going left on tarmac over the bridge and on upwards..
(This shared gravel path can be avoided if required by simply staying on the flat but sometimes busy main road, going left at the “Hodge Close only” turn).
This is quite a lengthy and sometimes steep tarmac road climb to Hodge Close quarry, ending at a gate (“37” sign only) which is passed through, on to a gently descending, pretty easy and straightforward gated bridleway down to Stang End.
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 (bridleway and 637 signs) and then through a gate onto a new gravel path after the farmyard (Cumbria Way footpath sign only at time of writing).
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, but then starts to descend and 1/3 mile (½ km) from the top the route bears right off the main road onto an unsigned lane to Hawkshead. Great care should be taken here, both crossing in front of traffic behind and with poor visibility for oncoming traffic ahead.
This small lane climbs steeply, then drops to a Bull Close junction, the route here going right (Hawkshead/ Coniston) and right again at a nearby Y junction.
In a mile or less the Drunken Duck pub crossroads is reached. Here the route goes left on the road (Ambleside) for a fast descent to the main road crossroads.
On the far side of the crossroads the route goes onto a new shared path (sign Bowness by Ferry NCN 6/ Wray Castle) which runs into the wood, crosses a private road, back into the woods and before long emerges into the open and drops down to double gates – then crossing the public road to continue on another new path on the other side (same Bowness by Ferry sign).
The NCN 6 track soon passes the Hawkshead path taken on the outward journey, but now the route retraces its steps all the way back to the ferry, by continuing on to the nearby public road, crossing over to the NT Low Wray campsite road, going up the bridleway to the Wray Castle drive, cycling to the drive end and the church and taking the easy bridleway (sign Bowness by Ferry NCN 6) alongside the lake (Windermere) for c 4 miles (7 km), turning left at the main road back to the nearby ferry.
