Holiday Highlights
- The most diverse collection of mountain bike trails in the Lakes
- Swooping slate-y singletrack and rocky bridleways
- Amazing open views over Coniston Water
- Miles of amazing descents to hone your mountain biking skills
- A pint of ‘Coniston Bluebird’ after a great day’s riding
- Traversing woodland trails through Grizedale Forest
Itinerary
We’ll meet this afternoon at our accommodation where you will be shown where you can store your bike (if bringing your own) and to your room. We’ll be based in the hotel for our week of riding and as well as fitting the rental bikes there will be some time to enjoy the surroundings. The village of Coniston sits at the head of Coniston Water with great views over the lake and up to the Old Man of Coniston.
In the evening we will be meeting as a group, where over a drink and something to eat you’ll have the chance to get to know the rest of the group and chat with the Skedaddle guides about the next few days of riding.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1150 Metres Approx.
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel we’ll make good use of our electric mountain bikes right from the start of today with an uphill stretch that takes us from Coniston village up the Walna Scar Road. The old packhorse route gives us good height and an opportunity to get used to the bikes on a bit of rough surfaced tarmac before we get up into the hills and the riding really starts.
As the walkers turn right to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston, we continue on to the left and on a mixture of open moorland and rough rocky tracks through the old slate workings we enjoy a great descent to Torver. From here we continue down over Torver Common to round the bottom of Coniston Water before making our way up the eastern side via the rocky track of Parkamoor where we are rewarded with stunning views of Coniston Water, the surrounding fells and our morning’s route.
From here we ride down the famous three witches to Satterthwaite and a technical climb through woodland trails at Breasty Haw before a descent to Esthwaite Water where we’ll stop for lunch.
Taking advantage of our e-bikes we tackle a technical climb up to The Fox and enjoy yet more of Grizedale’s trails, finishing with a tremendous descent down Lawson Park which takes us back to the northern shores of Coniston, only a few pedal strokes from our hotel where we complete our circuit of the lake.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1400 Metres Approx.
Today we tackle one of the longest of our week’s rides, a fantastic loop up to Ambleside before rounding Coniston Water again, this time taking in some new trails as our route takes us clockwise around the lake.
Starting north from our hotel we pass by the old slate Quarry of Hodge Close before taking the fun rocky tracks that connect the old quarries of the region towards Elterwater. Here we’ll meet up with our support vehicle and after some well-deserved refreshments we’ll enjoy the boost our eMTBs offer us as we rise out of the Great Langdale Valley and on towards the twin lakes of Grasmere and Rydal Water. Here we have a spectacular ride along Loughrigg Terrace, one of the highlights of the day with stunning views over Grasmere and across to Helm Crag.
Rounding Loughrigg Fell we skirt the pretty slate village of Ambleside before heading south west across to Hawkshead Hill and back into Grizedale Forest. Here we take on a new set of trails with stunning views over Coniston before we reach the top of the Parkamoor trail, but today we’ll descend the rocky tracks on our route to the southernmost point of Coniston Water.
Our final climb of the day takes us on some wild singletrack over Blawith fells and we’ll make use of our ebike batteries to take us from Torver back up to meet the Walna Scar Road where we can enjoy the final descent into Coniston Village.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 850 Metres Approx.
Today we join up some fantastic natural singletrack in Grizedale Forest. Passing by Goosey Foot Tarn we’ll continue east to Esthwaite Water where we’ll stop at the Boathouse cafe for our morning break. Awarded with the ‘best cafe award’ by local cyclists we‘re assured of great hospitality and some tasty treats.
Suitably refuelled we continue on double track and forestry trails over to Claife Heights where we are rewarded with some fantastic views of Windermere. At 10.5 miles long this is the longest natural lake in England and our vantage point above the middle of the lake gives us great views in both directions.
Circling around the top of Esthwaite Water we pass through the pretty village of Hawkshead before heading north around Holme Fell. Back into the now familiar territory of the slate quarries we’ll be riding on a mixture of rocky tracks, bridleways and woodland trails.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1100 Metres Approx.
On our final day of riding we explore some seldom-ridden routes to the west of Coniston which are nevertheless spectacular and well worth the effort. Starting with a route down the western shore of Coniston we take the old railway route into Torver on our way down to Blawith. Here we pick up the trail over the moor to Rosthwaite and enjoy some thrilling singletrack across the moor to Stephenson Ground.
Exploring the further stretches of the old Walna Scar gravel roads and passing abandoned mining villages, we enjoy views west towards Seathwaite and Morecambe Bay. Our riding ends today skirting around the bottom of the Old Man of Coniston with a smooth descent into the village and on to our hotel where we can enjoy a final few local ales and a delicious dinner in one of the village pubs.
- Meals: Breakfast
This morning you can take a morning transfer to Windermere train station or treat yourself to a lie-in and have a more relaxed morning before enjoying breakfast and heading on your way.
Gallery
The Cycling
Terrain
The Lake District offers us fantastic off-road riding, with miles of amazing trails, single track and double track. With electric mountain bikes we have been able to pack this holiday with even more great riding and we’ll be able to reach some amazing viewpoints high above the lakes while still fresh to enjoy the descents.
Some of the trails on these routes are rocky, with small steps, loose stoney surfaces, mud, grass and the occasional roots. This type of riding needs good bike handling skills and off road experience to make the most of the riding as there will be technical sections of climbing as well as descents.
As this tour is designed to be ridden on electric bikes the distances and ascents are longer than those normally found on a grade 3-4 holiday, with the grading reflecting the technical nature of the riding. Whilst the majority of the routes fit our grade 3, there are some short technical sections of riding which are at a grade 4 level. For more information about riding an electric bike on our holidays please click here
There are some stiff, and quite long climbs, so fitness is required but this is also where the electric mountain bikes will come into their own. Of course with climbs come awesome descents, and these are some of the best you’ll get – anywhere!
The routes are subject to changes depending on weather conditions and the requirements of the group and will be confirmed by the guides during the trip.
Mountain Biking Grade
25-50 miles / 40-80 kms per day
Aspects of both our grade 3 and 4 holidays
For mountain bikers with some experience of singletrack and steeper terrain
May include rocky features and switchbacks
Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!
For more information about our grading system click here.
Is this suitable for you?
Holidays that are graded as a 3-4, will have aspects of both our grade 3 and 4 holidays. If you have experience of off road riding on a variety of terrain, and would like a taste of more challenging terrain, a grade 3-4 trip could be for you. Terrain will include singletrack and steep sections (both up and down) which require more bike handling ability. Shorter technical and demanding features such as rocks, roots and tricky climbs will be encountered on occasion on most days. A day’s ride can see you on the trails for around 8 hours (with breaks) and covering between 25-50 miles depending on the terrain. If you’re generally fit and manage to ride frequently this could be the level for you.
For more information about the grading of this holiday in particular, please check out the terrain section which will give you some specifics of what to expect on this tour.
Dates & Prices
Secure Your Holiday With A Deposit
Book now with a £300 deposit and nothing more to pay until 60 days before departure. Choose a date to start your booking and see all prices, including bike hire and single room supplements.
Whats Included
A) Accommodation (shared twin / double en suite rooms)
B) Meals as itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
C) Full support service including a guide qualified in First Aid and a back up vehicle carrying spares, snacks and extra equipment not needed on your bike
D) GPX files available upon request
E) Scheduled train station transfers on arrival and departure days
F) Financial Protection through ABTOT
What's not Included
A) e-Bike rental (available on request)
B) Train tickets and charges for travelling with your bike
C) Meals not stated in the itinerary
D) Single room (available if required)
E) Travel insurance
F) Personal clothing and equipment
G) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, etc.)
H) Transfers on days other than the scheduled arrival / departure days
Private Departures
Are you keen to only travel with your family or friends? Struggling to find the right date? Well, we can organise a private departure for this tour and tailor aspects to suit your group's specific needs. Contact our friendly team and we'll help you turn your dream into reality.
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