Just back from cycling holiday. Went up kirkstone pass a couple of times. Nice. Went down a hill called The Struggle. Not good, quite vertical. Nose touching front wheel etc had altercation with bush en route to ullswater. Despite my somersault over handlebars no harm done to bike. This was at start of first day so took descents very gingerly. Some walkers startled a sheep right into my path on descent of kirkstone the second day which was scary. Farmer on road back to Keswick from new lands preferred to take me out rather than hit a sheep that had been running alongside me for a mile. Did like newlands climb and descent. Same cannot be said for honister. Used a bit of the C2C route from Keswick to Penrith but was error to take that path out of Keswick on road bikes.. Bob Harris 24 hour fell run also at top of honister. So extreme and spectacular. Butter mere and grass mere also pretty and runout to borrow dale. Flat bits were my favourite.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Lake District trip
(12 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Where were those flat bits?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Round ullswater before kirkstone very pleasant, back road to Keswick from Ambleside that the mayor of Manchester put in in 1894, run out to borrow dale from Keswick though actually slightly downhill. But yes, flat bits quite short. Climbs hard and descents hard. The bush I somersaulted through was thankfully soft but quite nettly.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Hopes may rise on the grasmere
But honey pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's panic on the streets of Carlisle
Dublin, Dundee, Humberside
I wonder to myselfPosted 8 years ago # -
The flat bits do tend to be along the lakes, so it sounds like you got the best ones gembo.
You did Newlands first then Honister? I'm told that's the "easier" side of Honister, but I struggle to believe that. At least psychologically - you can see the road rearing all the way up for you when you head from the west. I'm thinking of trying it the other way round to you when I'm down there in August.
[edit] Ah, maybe you did the hard side of Honister if you were heading back to Keswick from Newlands?
Posted 8 years ago # -
I had to off load a stag weekend going to Seathwaite because the van couldn't get up the hill with them on board. They kept getting back on when it was moving.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Bob Harris 24 hour fell run ..."???
Someone attempting a Bob Graham round? (Not an organised event as such.)Posted 8 years ago # -
I love the idea of a Bob Harris 24: fell running accompanied by a soft spoken old hippy with a prog rock soundtrack.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Honister and I have unfinished business we need to attend to. I was down that way in March and was all set to do a few of the Lakes finest passes but fell ill with Labyrinthitis. And that was the end of that.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I don't think either side of Honister could be considered easier if it wasn't for the context of Wrynose and Hardknot.
If in doubt I did a nice loop last year which took in Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter and then back over Honister the other way. Much easier than the Fred Whitten loop but still a decent workout.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@acsimpson Context is everything! I'm really not keen to attempt Hardknott or Wrynose. Hardknott roman fort is one of my favourite places and I don't want that relationship damaged by painful associations...
However, I'm a little tempted by a loop that goes up the Duddon Valley and emerges between the two, meaning I only have to do the shorter side of (most likely) Wrynose.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Our pro team did hard knot and wry nose on the Friday whilst we did kirkstone as a recce for Saturday which was kirkstone honister and newlands, well the pros added another climb west of Ambleside, which we conveniently missed out accidentally.
There was a poor chap on the whispering Bob Graham at honister and he came out of the slate quarry, looked very fit but he was clearly fecked yet tried to go up to the top of the next peak
Posted 8 years ago #
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