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 7b - a shortish ride south-east from Kendal

Summary

Out through NATLAND to CROSSCRAKE, HALFPENNY, GATEBECK, PRESTON PATRICK HALL, KITRIDDING, OLD TOWN, then north to NEAR BENDRIGG LODGE, MILLHOLME, STATION INN and home.

23 miles (37 km)   1580' climb  (480m)     Grade – moderate overall, one big long hill early on

OS 97 Kendal   There are lots of unmarked junctions on this route.    
Start   Kendal Leisure Centre, Burton Rd, Kendal LA9 7HX     GR SD 521 913

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=631534

Description

From the back of Kendal Leisure Centre go right on the shared path/ cycleway (National Cycle Network 6). It quickly passes up to the main road, over via the central refuge and then down the unsurfaced path through the wood to soon join the public road by Clarks warehouse. If wet, simply leave the Centre from the front, cross over the main road into Rinkfield nearly opposite (slightly on the left), and then at the end turn left onto the road which soon passes Clarks warehouse.

Continue through Natland, and in a couple of minutes follow NCN 6, which bears left up a little hill and then right at the top. In a few minutes the road drops down by a cemetery to a crossroads, where go left (A 65 sign) through Crosscrake to soon reach the A65.

Go right here (Endmoor) and in 250 yds/m go left onto the gently undulating Halfpenny road.  Go left at the end, down over the river to the big crossroads beyond at Gatebeck, there turning right onto a flat road to Goose Green and beyond.

C 2 miles (3 km) after the crossroads, with the M6 suddenly becoming visible in front of you, the route goes left at a small grassy unsigned triangle to pass by Preston Patrick Hall and under the motorway.

Then follows a steep climb, with a short flat section before turning right at the unsigned T onto a second major climb, past a farm on the right. The climb is c 1 mile altogether (2 km).

Further on the route passes a tarn and then very soon drops down a steep hill, going left at the bottom, by High Row (Unsuitable HGV sign). Soon Kitridding is reached, a farm shop/ cafe. This is the only refreshment available on the route until nearly back home, and is halfway around.

After Kitridding continue on the lane, the route going right (unsigned) at the nearby main road, and continuing to nearby Old Town. Here it goes hard left (sign Killington/ Sedbergh), heading north on a pleasant flat road, before turning left at the T by the big turbines (Old Hutton/ Kendal) and in a couple of minutes right (Sedbergh/ Killington).

A mile (2 km) further on a road comes in on the left, then 3 Mile House is passed and immediately after stay on the main road (sign Kendal/ Sedbergh) – but in 150 yards/ m turn left onto another unsigned pleasant lane.

At the end, go left (unsigned|) and almost immediately right (unsigned, Bendrigg Lodge sign straight ahead), for a short climb up to and over the M6 bridge.

A short steep poorly surfaced drop to Ewebank soon follows, but bear right at the bottom, then going left at the nearby T, down to Millholme, unsigned (take care with sharp bends in the village).

At the next unsigned junction the route goes left past Borrans and immediately right for a short up and down, then joining (left) a gently undulating road, left again at the (unsigned, Beehive Lane) T to eventually meet the B6254 Kendal – Old Hutton road.

This final part of the route goes right, climbs a little to the Station Inn, then drops down past the railway station to the lights on the main A65 road, the Leisure Centre now being a minute away on the right.