We took our route from the book "The
Lakeland Loop" by Tim Woodcock which is published in the UK by Future Publishing Ltd. Their address is:
Beaufort Court
30 Monmouth Street
Bath
BA1 2BW
United Kingdom
The book's ISBN number is 1-85981-065-9.
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Click on the cover illustration to order the guidebook we followed (pictured left). A re-packaged version of is available from the Mountain Bike Routes UK Web site as well. |
Once you start on the ride, you get used to taking the author's occasionally coy words on the degree of difficulty of each section and interpreting them in the light of your own experiences. We had to invent our own new categories. "Technical walking section" was one that cropped up more than once! In particular, beware any point where the author mentions "humming a ditty to deter the bike-carry blues".
It's one of a series of excellent guides, and includes detailed maps and instructions
on the route, as well as useful names and addresses, places to stay, etc.
The Ordnance Survey provides a wide range of maps covering the whole of the UK. The book itself contains the relevant sections of the 1:50000 Landranger series. This includes extracts from maps 89, 90, 91 and 97.
There are larger-scale maps too. We took the set of four maps from the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 1:25000 series which cover the whole of the Lake District. These are numbers 4,5,6 and 7.
Simply click on the map title to order a discounted copy of any or all of the maps from Amazon.
I'd recommend taking the 1:25000 series maps and not just relying on the ones in the book. If, as we did, you end up having to modify your route, you could find yourself off the maps which the guide provides. You'll also be passing through some remote countryside, and the more detailed maps you have with you the less likely you are to get lost, especially if visibility is poor and you have to rely on following fence lines or identifying small features in the landscape.
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And before leaving the subject of books, try to find space to fit in those essential giudes to travelling in Britain, The Good Beer Guide and The Good Pub Guide! |  |
These are the addresses of the places we stayed. There is generally plenty of accommodation in the Lakes though, from camping sites to bed and breakfast places and pubs to fairly up-market hotels. Take your pick.
We only pre-booked at Buttermere and Boot, because we knew they were small settlements and we would be there at the weekend. In mid-summer it would probably be wise to pre-book more.
Place |
Accommodation |
Comments |
Patterdale |
The White Lion Inn |
A wonderfully welcome sight at the end of a very long day. Good beer, good food, good people. Recommended. |
Bassenthwaite |
North Mount |
Comfortable bedroom in landlady Val Bradley's house. Friendly welcome, and handy for the village's Jennings pub. |
Buttermere |
Dalegarth |
Situated above the shores of the lake a mile or so south of Buttermere. Pleasant hotel which also boasts a camp site. |
Boot |
The Woolpack Inn |
Beautiful location in the valley, and very friendly and helpful people. It's a proper Inn too, with a good bar that also serves huge portions of food. Even a day's biking won't get you hungry enough to eat a whole mixed grill! |
Here are the phone numbers of the various local Tourist Information Centres.
Windemere |
+44 (0) 15394 46499 |
Ambleside |
+44 (0) 15394 32582 |
Patterdale |
+44 (0) 17684 82414 |
Keswick |
+44(0) 17687 72645 |
Whitehaven |
+44 (0) 19466 95678 |
Ravenglass |
+44 (0) 12297 17278 |
Keswick Mountain Bikes is on +44 (0) 17687 75202.
The numbers are in international format. If you're outside the UK you dial the 44 (the UK's country code) and do not dial the 0 in the brackets. If you are in the UK, you can probably work it out without my help.
We had the luxury of being dropped off at the start, then collected at the end of the ride - thanks Claire!
Since the trip is a loop, things are a lot easier in that you can leave your car at the start and return to it. Beware of leaving it in a remote spot though since car break-ins can be a problem- we saw a couple with smashed windows and missing radios.
There is a railway station in Windermere, the closest one to the official starting point. You could of course start anywhere around the circuit. Check with the rail operator first since there are sometimes restrictions in the UK on the carrying of bikes on trains and you may need to book passage for it. Check the "Bikes on trains" link or ask in the newsgroup uk.rec.cycles.
I had my Trek 930 SHX, Peter had the Trek 820 I'd sold him second-hand the previous year (which stood up to the journey with no problems - what a bargain it had proved for him) and Tony took his trusty and much-upgraded Cannondale whose frame dates from the dawn of mountain biking.
Useful Links
Cyclists' Touring Club - The UK's main cycling
organisation. They have a lot of useful information available for all kinds of cycling in
the UK and worldwide.
Sustrans - Short for SUStainable TRANSport.
A UK charity which campaigns for and is building a nationwide cycling network.
Welcome to England's
Lake District; Writers, Artists, Towns, Villages, Wordsworth, Mountains - A visitor's
guide to the Lakes
UK Resources - Links to all kinds of
UK-related things
UK Guide - Another guide to the UK
Ordnance Survey - The UK mapping agency
Yahoo's Cycling Links - All
sorts of cycling-related resources
Alasdair Arthur's home
page - The author's home page
Alasdair
Arthur's cycling links
Other guide books in the series:
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"The High Peak Trail" 180 Mile Circular Tour Around the Peak District. Detailed route and maps describing a loop around the Peak District in England. Can be done as a whole or as a series of day trips. |
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"The Coast-to-Coast Ride" is a ride across northern England, from Cumbria in the West to north Yorkshire in the East. Detailed route description and high-quality Ordnance Survey maps. |
Last updated: 28 August 2000
