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 6f - Kendal to Sedbergh and back via the western Howgills.

Summary

Out past the STATION INN, to BORRANS, up to EWEBANK and over the M6, then down to KILLINGTON and onwards to SEDBERGH, returning via HOWGILL, CROOK O LUNE,  BECK FOOT, DOCKER and down THE GREYHOUND.


26 miles (42 km)        2,195' climb  (670 m)
Grade – ok to Sedbergh, strenuous 6 miles after.
OS Landranger 97 (Kendal).

The route climbs more or less steadily for the first few miles, past the Station Inn, Borrans and Millholme/ Ewebank before crossing the M6 close to Bendrigg, with then a straightforward run down through Killington to Sedbergh.
The return from Sedbergh via the Howgills and Beckfoot is very hilly and almost constant up to the M6 crossing, thereafter with a slightly lumpy descent back to the start.

                      Start -  Kendal Leisure Centre, Burton Rd, Kendal, LA9 7HX

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=697304


Description


From Kendal Leisure Centre go left on the main road and bear left at the traffic lights (sign Oxenholme, railway station) to climb up past the station and Station Inn at the hill top.

The road drops down, and ½ mile (1 km) after the pub take the 1st left – Beehive Lane. In a couple of minutes go right into a little lane (unsigned), which undulates for nearly a mile (1 ½ km), then take the right turn off it, up and down an unsigned short sharp 14% hill to Borrans.

Go left, and quickly right (Millholme/ Ewebank) to soon start the climb, and in a few minutes take the right signed turn to Ewebank and continue on. The climb gets steeper but soon flattens as you reach the M6 bridge.

Immediately after the bridge go right, then left at the nearby next junction and right in 200 yds/m – all unsigned – onto an open road, passing a couple of farms.

At the end of the mile + (2 km) open lane turn right and in c 200 yards/ m turn left  (Killington sign) for a short uphill and then a long and finally very steep descent into Killington (and sharp uphill out of it) to soon arrive at a small T,  going left (Kendal/ Sedbergh).

Another mile on, at the road end, turn right at the big T to immediately cross the River Lune, and c 300 yds/m after turn left into an unsigned narrow lane (easy to miss) which runs alongside a beck, bearing right halfway along. This short lane soon arrives at the main A683 Sedbergh – Kirkby Lonsdale road.

From here the route simply runs 1 ¾ miles (3 km) to Sedbergh, with its many facilities (inc wc). This is 12 miles (20 km) from the  start, more or less half way.

Leaving Sedbergh, the route goes uphill on Howgill Lane by The Dalesman pub (68 sign only), passed on the way in.  It now briefly joins NCN 68 Pennine Cycleway.

It rises, sharp at first then steadily for 1 + mile (2 km), before dropping, undulating and then with another stiff climb to a small crossroads,with lovely open views.

Here 68 goes straight on to Orton/ Appleby, but our route now goes left (road sign Beckfoot/ Kendal), joining NCN 70 Wear – Walney, which is now followed until nearly back in Kendal.

The road descends the mile down to Crook O' Lune bridge, beyond which is a short sharp rise, then continuing under the former railway viaduct, and going right (70) at the main road.

The immediate left turn (70, Beckfoot/ Lambrigg) into Beckfoot quickly takes the route onto another 400 yd/m sharp climb before flattening alongside the railway and then another longer but not quite as steep climb up to the motorway turn at the hill top. This is c 6 hilly miles (10 km) from Sedbergh.

Here the route goes right (70/ Lambrigg Head, Grayrigg) and follows the small lane for c 1 ½  miles (2+ km), past farms and a few houses, then turning left into a small easy-to-miss lane (70 sign only) at Kiln Head. This is the first left turn since passing over the M6.

The lane is followed downhill for c another 1 ½ miles (2+ km), before rising steeply again, going straight on uphill at a nearby junction (70, New Hutton), then soon going right (70/ W2W) to climb a bit more, past a farm, before flattening and falling slightly to a junction by a white bungalow by the main road.

70 signs again direct the route right. In a few minutes comes the long steep drop down into Kendal. Part way down continue on at the nearby crossroads, where NCN 70 now goes left.

Continue the steep fast descent into Kendal. At the main road, go left and take the 1st right in 350 yds/m (Castle Green Rd, by a bus shelter) and follow this winding road to the next T.

Here go right, under the railway bridge, over the lights and in ½ mile + (1 km) NCN 6 goes left on a shared path to take you back to the Leisure Centre start in a couple of minutes.