Woodend
Self Catering Holiday Cottages

Road Cycling in the Lakes from Woodend

Road Cycling in the Lakes is both rewarding and challenging.

The rewards are the breath-taking scenery and lower traffic levels in this south west segment of the Lakes than busier areas such as Windermere or Ambleside.

The challenge is of course the hills and having the appropriate bike for those, the weather and the roads.

 

 

 

I would like to thank my good friend Peter Wright for taking the time to put this guide together.
It is very comprehensive and uses his own experience of staying at Woodend and it forming a base for his Cycling holidays.

Some Technical Considerations

The Lakes roads are reasonable in nature but call for good brakes, low gearing and a compliant, not stiff bike for comfort.

The down hills give limited opportunity before a bend or the road surface input will necessitate braking.

It’s also very likely that the roads will be wet at some point so brakes that work well in the wet are important. For this reason carbon wheels with rim brakes are not recommended especially due to continuous high braking.

For the same reason all season tyres are preferred unless you can see the weather is going to be clear and dry for some time although there is still going to be run off even when it’s not raining. In the picture you will note the rider is wearing waterproof boot covers on a sunny day just for the run off on the roads.

It’s also worth carrying a fold up waterproof with you unless you can guarantee it’s going to be dry; the Lakes are a high rainfall area.

Gearing down to 1:1 in the lowest gear is also recommended, for example 34 tooth chain-wheel with 34 tooth lowest sprocket on the cassette on a 700c wheel.

The road surfaces are in the main not broken but bumpy and for this reason some may find more compliant aluminium wheels and lower tyre pressures an advantage especially on downhill sections.

Planning your Route and Existing Rides

In planning your route it is important to note that Woodend is on Birker Fell and is at 850 feet altitude.

Any route you take will either have to return from the north with a 750 foot climb in under 3 miles from Eskdale Green or a 540 foot climb from Ulpha in the south in 2.25 miles including a 1:4 at the first part of that climb.

On the plus front you can stop at Ulpha Post Office for an ice cream before and the 1:4 climb isn’t as scary as it sounds.

You need to leave enough energy for the return leg on any ride is the message!

The other important planning point is you will be doing approximately 1000 feet of climbing for every 10 miles ridden in the Lakes. This needs to be taken into account as ride average speeds will be low and you will cover less miles in the time than you may be used to.

The Fred Whitton Challenge

Woodend is less than three miles from southern leg of the Fred Whitton Challenge, one of the toughest 100+ miles and over 10,000 feet of climbing you can do in English cycling. https://www.fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk/. Intercepting that route at Eskdale Green at the northern end of Birker fell is entirely feasible if you wish to take on the ride starting with one of the hardest climbs of Hardnott Pass (Classified ‘Extreme’ in Great British Rides – Dave Barter).

If you want to do this route and start in the traditional place then park at Grassmere – Paul put in the Grassmere all day parking here please.

The Lakes and Dales Route

Also running over Birker Fell is the Lakes and Dales cycle loop.

You will notice that there is blue sign (bike surrounded by a circle) just outside Ulpha. http://www.lakesdalesloop.co.uk/map-elevation/. This is a 196 mile loop probably out of scope if you are staying at Woodend but added here so you know what the sign is for or if you want to pick up any part of the route.

Outside of the Fred Whitton there a many rides you can do from Woodend of a shorter and less severe nature to acquaint yourself with the area. To the north there are partly circular 32 mile routes to be had going to Wasdale Head (photo) via Gosforth, the route splitting at Santon Bridge. The camp shop at Wasdale Head provides ice creams and snack bars. There are full circular routes such as a ride off Birker Fell to the north and then climbing to 1300 ft. over Corney Fell to the south with views of the Isle of Man returning via Ulpha up the southern side of Birker Fell – approx. 25 miles. More rides are expected to be added after validating in the 2020 cycling season.

Want Something Less Challenging?

Starting at Ravenglass Glannaventa Roman Bath House, is the Coast to Coast Hadrians Wall Cycle route. This is a 174 mile route from Sustrans that goes from Ravenglass in Cumbria in the west to South Shields in Tyne and Wear in the east. As a Sustrans route, National Cycle Route 72, its relatively flat but as with most Sustrans route can trade traffic free for some degradation in path surface. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/hadrians-cycleway/.

You can access the start of this route by driving approximately ten miles from Woodend  with your bikes and parking at Ravenglass in Paul you need to say where you can park all day in Ravenglass here please.. Cycling part of this route can give a flatter alternative to Lakes cycling. The NC72 cycle route going north gives relatively flat ride and views out west to the sea, passing through Seascale, Sellafield, Egramont and Whitehaven at 22 miles from Ravenglass, a point a leisure ride would probably return. The national cycle routes are in the main well signposted; watch out for the blue sign with the route number and next destination on. As a Sustrans route the maintenance of these paths can be variable so if you have any feedback on this route to add to this guide on this route, including good places to stop and any other tips, please let Paul know so this guide can be updated.

Safety

The other hazard you may not have encountered previously is cattle on the road. There are multiple cattle grids on any ride and within those livestock is free to roam. The cows on Birker Fell don’t tend to react to bikes and you need to cycle around them and of course any deposit they leave. Sheep however can be startled by a bike and are unpredictable so it’s best to get a loud early warning in so they can be startled early and leave the road.

As a final riding point, if cycling from Woodend is to take care on the gated lane down to the main road. It’s a farm road and Paul works to maintain it is drained and clear but the seclusion of Woodend means that it’s not predictable what is on the road from one day to the next. It would also be great if it remained Strava Segment free as racing down it should be discouraged for those reasons.
You will find plenty of other Strava segments in safer places in the Lakes.  

As a final bike maintenance point its worth considering taking some basic spares.

There are few bike shops and those that are tend to be mountain bike orientated so it’s worth having tubes, tyres and brake blocks/pads and spare cables with you to avoid a day spent looking for something that may take half an hour to find at home.