KDCS – The Kendal & District Cycle Scene

38 miles (61 km) 2,735'(775m) climb. Grade - strenuous with light off-roading. A hilly but fine ride, with an easy section of bridleway suitable for tourers. Refreshments are not available until half-way through the ride (Orton).
OS 97 (Lancaster & Kendal) and 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
Paddy Lane junction	3 (5)	475(145)
Tollbar Cottage on A684 Sedbergh Road	4 (6)	115 (35)
Kilnhead	6 (10)	295 (90)
Firbank	8 (13)	130 (40)
Beckfoot	9 (14)	- (-)
Howgill	10 (16)	215 (65)
Low Borrowbridge	14 (23)	150 (45)
Greenholme	17 (28)	425 (130)
Orton	20 (32)	65 (20)	WC, shop, teas, pub
Tebay	22 (35)	115 (35)	WC, cafe, shops, pubs
Low Borrowbridge	25 (40)	30 (10)
Huck's Bridge (on A6)	29 (46)	390 (120)	(via bridleway)
Kendal	38 (61)	130 (40)

Description

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 1 + miles (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) to pass under the old railway viaduct and climb up to Howgill, where turn left to join the (relatively) flat partly unfenced road on the Howgills. Follow this for 4 miles (6km) to join the A685 just past the railway/M6 bridges high overhead. Friends of motorways will be pleased to know the M6 was given a Civic Trust award for "an outstanding contribution to the appearance of the Westmorland landscape" - honestly! - the plaque is in a car park just up on the Kendal road if you want to check it outs.

Here turn right for a steady climb, turning left just before the bridge over the M6 (sign Roundthwaite). In 2 miles (4km) and after more hills you arrive in Greenholme, where turn right over the river (sign Orton) and climb over the M6, turning right on the B6261 to Orton. There turn right, and join the B6260 to Tebay.

There, after the service station (caf� inside) cross over the large roundabout, to go up through Tebay itself and down over the M6 back to Low Borrowbridge (opposite the road you came in on from Howgill), where turn right onto the bridleway to Huck's Bridge (sign bridleway to High and Low Borrowdale).

The road is tarmac for 1 + miles (2km), but then becomes a track. It is the farm access road, and is generally suitable for touring cycles to ride on, although short sections are a bit rough. After approx 1 - 2 hours cycling the track climbs up to join the A6, which is followed left for the long downhill into Kendal.

In Kendal turn left into Castle St 100yds/m after entering a one-way street (signed for Sedbergh), bear right off it by the public toilets to a short road, passing through barriers at the end, where the cycleway is picked up back to the Leisure Centre.