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So I've got my new road bike and I was thinking of taking it up to the Lakes this weekend.
I'm a bit wary of pushing too much in high gears cos I'm supposed to be resting what could be a stress fracture in the thigh / hip area...?
Any recommended routes (I'll be staying in Keswick / Buttermere)?
Would like to be out for a good 3-4 hours ...
Ta
Keswick, newlands, buttermere, honister, borrowdale, Keswick.
Though the pull up honister is testing.
You should be fine with your triple and be able to spin up most things
If you specifically want to ride in the Lakes then go for it,
Though deep in the Lakes wouldn't be my first choice for an enjoyable relaxed ride - narrow, winding roads, stone walls, poor visibility and with too many crap and inconsiderate drivers tend to make things a bit stressfull.
I'd look for quiet roads where I can get my head down and roll, thats the beauty of a road bike. Maybe there are areas to explore nearer to home ?
If you are definitely heading to the Lakes then a lap north and round the back o' Skiddaw is probably much quieter, e.g. Ireby, Bolton Low Houses, Caldbeck, Sedbergham, Unthank, Greystoke and C2C cycle route back to Keswick
Alternatively head over Penrith way and explore the Eden Valley (B roads to Appleby, Kirby Stephen, Tebay).
Depending how fast you ride you could well cover a bit of both of these.
enjoy
thanks all
yes andy k, my cyclist mates have warned me that the central Lakes isn't really great cycling territory for those reasons
the bike will largely be a fallback option if the weather is foul enough to rule out heading out on to the tops
I'm a fair weather cyclist,
I don't like my bike getting wet !
[irrelevant]
Anyone any idea how long it would take me to cycle from Penrith round back o'skiddaw via the route andy k mentioned and then head over whinlatter to buttermere?
I'll be carrying a 32-litre rucksack and will not be really beasting it ...
I'm trying to avoid the Penrith-Keswick road as by all accounts it ain't nice to ride?
Thanks,
Ade
If you want to avoid the A66 from Penrith you could go out from Penrith to Greystoke then along through Motherby - once you get to the A66 you will find that you can ride on the old road to beyond Troutbeck Moor, then cross over and you can use it again to Scales before a short stretch down the pavement (cycleway) and back on to the old road to Threlkeld. Through the village, cross over again and up past the Stone Circle at Castlerigg to drop in to Keswick from there. It always surprises me when I see cyclists on the main road here when there is such a good alternative. But the back of Skiddaw route is better, perhaps 2 hours to Keswick? One word of warning though some of the hedges are being cut around here so look out for thorns etc on the road - a lot of the back roads they never seem to bother clearing them up.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
ok cheers
looked at the map properly and seen I don't have to go via keswick / whinlatter at all - can go aspatria-cockermouth-lorton-buttermere
probably looking at 3.5 hours in total from Penrith?
Cougar, this is the way I went in the end - a glance at the OS and you can see that you only have to be on the A66 for about 2 miles in total, thanks for pointing it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by COUGAR
It's the last time I ride any distance with a heavy rucksack though: Whinlatter and Newlands Hause I found pretty much impossible to get up carrying the extra weight - I couldn't really get out of the saddle for it swinging about.
Also it killed my lower back - at least I'm hoping it was the rucksack. If I'm going to get that pain from riding unencumbered then my cycling career will be very short I'm afraid ...