Assistance with route please!

[Retiredtester]

Apologies if this is better suited to the Routes section (it obviously is), but I thought it might see more traffic here. Stu, please feel free to shift it as required.

I'm meeting a friend for a few days in the lakes at the start of May and have the opportunity to tag on a couple of extra days on the way up. My plan is to get the train to Sheffield (I'm on the south coast) and then wend my way up to Oxenholme. I've plotted a 200 mile route here (https://www.komoot.com/tour/714740817?s ... Tn&ref=wtd) and would welcome any comments from those in the know. I'd like to stick to (quiet) roads rather than off-road as I think the spell in the lakes will involve a fair bit of hike-a-bike etc. And I'd like to stick to around 200 miles. Any obvious highlights I've missed or any really horrible areas I've chosen to ride through? I'll be on a monstercross type gravel bike thing and equipped for bivvy/camping by the way

Thanks!

[whitestone]

I get a "403 Forbidden" error code when I try to follow your link.

[Retiredtester]

Sorry! Hopefully fixed now.

[Lazarus]

Link is fixed but not much route detail on the phone ( a blue line on a green background but not signed in ) so cannot comment on the route

[Retiredtester]

Bugger...

To precis

SW out of Sheffield to Bakewell (for the tarts)
W towards Buxton, but head N after Taddington
N past Chapel and up to Glossop
E along southern edge of reservoirs, then N towards Holmbridge, Meltham, Slaithwaite, Sowerby Bridge, Oxenhope, Sutton-in-Craven, Skipton
Then Gargrave, Winterburn, and East to Hetton, Burnsall, Pateley Bridge
N along west side of Gouthwaite reservoir to Lofthouse & Scar House Reservoir
Then through Starbotton, Buckden & alongside River Wharfe
Then W to Dent & NW to Sedbergh, Grayrigg
Then skirting southern edges of Lakes round to Kendal & down to Oxenholme

Looking to overnight at around the halfway mark, so somewhere near Skipton

[whitestone]

OK, can see it now

Komoot's done something weird in Skipton. Instead of turning left down Engine Shed Lane, keep on Carleton New Road, and before you get to Broughton Road and with the station on the opposite side turn left, i.e. directly away from the station and in about 30m you get to the canal. Turn left and follow the tow path

The section from Pateley Bridge up Nidderdale and over to Coverdale might not fit your brief. The bit from Middlemoor past Scar House reservoir and over Dead Man's Hill to Horsehouse in Coverdale is pretty rough. Dead Man's Hill is bloody steep as well - the nearest I've got to cleaning it is one dab about 10m from the top. If you do decide to stick with that route I'd go over the dam of Scar House Res and pick up the track on the north side rather than go round the south side. I'd be tempted to skip that loop heading out east and just head up the Dale from Grassington to Kettlewell on the minor road on the east of the valley. Alternatively if it's dry you can ride over the tops from Hetton to Kilnsey and then pick up the above road.

You climb from Buckden up on to Fleet Moss then cut across to Newby Head. The descent to Newby Head is part of the Pennine Bridleway, the top part is grass but the lower two thirds is trail centre type armoured track. Rather than just head down the road to Dent I'd stick on the PBW as it heads north, a bit of up and down then it picks up a great track that traverses around Great Knoutberry Hill to the Coal Road, blast down this past Dent Station and pick up your existing route.

At the Kendal end I wouldn't head north after Grayrigg - you end up on the old A6 road over Shap, I'd take back lanes between Grayrigg and Mealbank then there's a lane heading due south from there to Oxenholme. Much more pleasant than dealing with traffic in Kendal.

[Bearlegged]

Heading south out of Sheffield doesn't strike me as the obvious route, but if you fancy looping round via Bakewell, I'd recommend:
From Ringinglow, take Houndkirk Road across the moor to Fox House, then cut through Longshaw Estate to pick up the A621 just N of The Grouse pub.
Just S of the Grouse, take the track along the top of Froggatt and Curbar edges - it shows a footpath on OS, but is currently a permissive BW. At the Wellington Monument, drop down into Baslow, then take the yellow roads through Pilsley to Bakewell.
From here (or Hassop Station if you don't need to go into Bakewell itself), take the Monsal Trail to Millers Dale.

[Retiredtester]

This is brilliant! Thanks folks - I'll have a play around on komoot. Much appreciated.

[Karl]

Thought I'd better let you know that you go to Bakewell for Bakewell pudding, not Bakewell tarts. Hope that's help.

PS I prefer a tart to a pudding.

[Retiredtester]

I'm dessert-fluid, so pudding is very much an acceptable alternative to tart. Thanks for helping me avoid a potentially embarrassing faux pas.

[boxelder]

Tarts aside, there's a lot of riding there for a "couple of days" tagged onto the start of a trip.

[Retiredtester]

True, but there are lots of places I can take short cuts if I've over egged it. I've got a long day one and then til 8pm on the 2nd day, so hopefully I can grind round. I've been training pretty hard for a few months in anticipation of a go at the south downs way double in June and don't get many opportunities to get away, so want to make the most of it. The friend I'm meeting has got a commission to write a book on lakeland bikepacking routes, so once I hook up with him, it'll be pretty leisurely.

[boxelder]

Never over egg a tart

[Retiredtester]

Never over egg a tart

Indeed! Might have been guilty of that once or twice?

[boxelder]

One egg is always un oeuf.

[Retiredtester]

Thanks again for all the help with this, especially the scar house reservoir section. Is dead man's hill the stony track back up from the reservoir? If so, I was nowhere near doing it in a oner! The 3 days round the lakes was equally good - lots of iconic road passes (hardknott, wrynose, honister, newlands etc) and some hefty hike a bike bits (Buttermere up to black sail, wasdale head up and over to seathwaite, some awful track down from the top of honister slate mine towards Buttermere that we ended up aborting etc...). Traffic was surprisingly light throughout, weather was ok and newly reproofed tent held up to the rain. Was a grand adventure and great for the soul. Thanks again for all the advice. Photos and a write up to follow in the riders section of anyone is remotely interested.

[boxelder]

some awful track down from the top of honister slate mine towards Buttermere that we ended up aborting etc...)

That'll be the 'opinion dividing' Warnscale trail It was the first ride I did on my first ever full sus bike. Needless to say, resulted in an over the bars and knackered 'V' brake. Always good to get the first battles scars in early

[whitestone]

Is dead man's hill the stony track back up from the reservoir? If so, I was nowhere near doing it in a oner!

Yes. It's a lot, lot easier than it used to be! The top section has been filled in with concrete, it used to be a rutted muddy mess but still at 25%

[Retiredtester]

That'll be the 'opinion dividing' Warnscale trail It was the first ride I did on my first ever full sus bike. Needless to say, resulted in an over the bars and knackered 'V' brake. Always good to get the first battles scars in early

Jesus, people actually ride down that?! It felt like an inverted crib goch!

[Retiredtester]

Yes. It's a lot, lot easier than it used to be! The top section has been filled in with concrete, it used to be a rutted muddy mess but still at 25%

Happy to say I pushed my bike for the lot!

[boxelder]

That'll be the 'opinion dividing' Warnscale trail It was the first ride I did on my first ever full sus bike. Needless to say, resulted in an over the bars and knackered 'V' brake. Always good to get the first battles scars in early

Jesus, people actually ride down that?! It felt like an inverted crib goch!

This one? https://youtu.be/eHcXwXzlVyc
It's not 'never again' bad.