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KDCS – The Kendal & District Cycle Scene
The open and free club for all things cycling – rides, routes, events and campaigns.
The open and free club for all things cycling – rides, routes, events and campaigns.
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A figure of eight to KILN HEAD, FIRBANK, BECK FOOT, HOWGILL, LOW BORROWBRIDGE, near GRAYRIGG, Kiln Head and near DOCKER
26 miles (42 km). 2,390' climb (730m). Grade - moderate to hard.
A ride of many ups and downs, beginning with a steep climb up the Sedbergh road. A nice flat-ish section
along the base of the Howgills to give you a break before climbing out of the Tebay valley.
Detour into Tebay for either the Barnaby Rudge or the Cross Keys inn if you need refreshment.
OS 97 (Kendal & Morecambe) and a small part of OS 91 (Appleby-in-Westmorland)
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service.
Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
| Place | Cumulative Distance, miles (Km) | Climb by Section. Feet (m) | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal Leisure Centre | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | grid ref 520 913 |
| Tollbar Cottage on A684 Sedbergh Rd | 4 (6) | 620 (190) | |
| Kilnhead | 6 (10) | 295 (90) | |
| Firbank | 8 (13) | 180 (55) | |
| Beckfoot | 9 (14) | - (-) | |
| Howgill | 10 (16) | 305 (95) | |
| Low Borrowbridge | 14 (23) | 130 (40) | |
| A685 Tebay - Kendal (top of climb) | 16 (26) | 560 (170) | |
| Kiln Head | 20 (32) | 200 (60) | |
| A685 near Docker | 22 (35) | 50 (15) | |
| Kendal | 26 (42) | 50 (15) |
From the back of the Leisure Centre turn left into town on the cycleway.
Turn right at the first road crossed (Parkside Rd), and climb to the T-junction with the main A684 road to Sedbergh where turn left. Drop down towards town, but turn second right by the phone box (Sedbergh Rd) after 1/2 mile (1+ km).
The route shortly becomes very steep and long, but eases after passing a crossroads by a house and converted barn at Paddy Lane. Continue on for a few minutes and immediately before joining the A684 Kendal-Sedbergh road turn left up an unsigned lane (white Tollbar Cottage in front of you).
After a mile turn left at an unsigned T-junctiom onto the Lambrigg/Docker/Grayrigg road and shortly bear right off it (Lambrigg sign), the road immediately swinging right by the Croft Foot gateway to pass Myers on your right.
Kiln Head farm is just over 1 mile (2km) further on, and you turn right at the T-junction just after it, and then in another mile + (2km) left at the T junction after crossing over the M6 (sign Beck Foot).
The road then sweeps downhill to Beck Foot, where turn right (sign Sedbergh B6257) and immediately left (width restriction sign) under the railway viaduct to climb up to Howgill, where turn left to join the partly unfenced road along the foot of the Howgills for a nice long and generally downwards ride.
Turn left onto the A685 (signed for Kendal) just after having crossed under the railway/M6 bridges high overhead, and climb up the hill looking down on the M6. In the nearby car park is a plaque stating the M6 was given a Civic Trust award in 1971 for "an outstanding contribution to the appearance of the Westmorland landscape between Lancaster and Penrith"!
2 miles (3km) after the summit turn sharp left (sign Lambrigg 1), and then right after 1/3 mile (500m) by some farm buildings (gated road sign, narrow and very easy to miss) to drop down and pass under the railway. Go straight over at the nearby scissor crossroads (house name signs Moorfold/Thatchmoor Head only), then soon turn right at Kiln Head T-junction (unsigned).
Follow the road down and up a short incline for 1+ miles (2km) and turn right at the T-junction at Docker (unsigned, road to left is to New Hutton) to cross over the railway and soon to turn left (unsigned) onto the A685 downhill to Kendal.
To return to the Leisure Centre follow the Town Centre signs, then Lancaster A6 and Endmoor A65 signs.