E-BIKE TOUR

This tour has been designed as an e-bike tour allowing you to experience more on two wheels whilst riding with like-minded Skedaddlers. Confident cyclists will enjoy the boost from a battery for those cheeky climbs and longer distances. With less effort required on the bike, you’ll have more energy at the end of the day for off-the-bike activities. Remember to select your e-bike hire when you book your tour with us.

United Kingdom

Coniston and the Central Lakes

Guided Electric Bike Tour

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

5 days

Prices from

$1,710 P.P.
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Join us on this electric bike holiday in the Lake District and make the most of what England's largest national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site has to offer! With all meals provided and a Skedaddle guide to lead you along the routes, you can relax and enjoy cycling on three spectacular loop rides around the central and southern Lakes, all starting and finishing at HF Monk Coniston, near the shores of Coniston Water.
The first day’s ride takes us along the quiet eastern shore of Coniston Water and on to Windermere, England’s largest lake, followed by a climb up to Hawkshead via Beatrix Potter’s beautiful cottage, Hill Top, before we descend back into Coniston.
The second day is perhaps the most iconic, but also the toughest, as we're constantly pedaling uphill or freewheeling down past the picture-postcard lakes of Elterwater, Grasmere, and Rydal Water. We’ll also see the impressive Wray Castle on the shore of Lake Windermere, all on a mix of quiet roads and off-road lakeside trails.
The final ride takes us to the southwestern corner of the Lake District, around Grizebeck and Broughton, with plenty of ups and downs to maximize the stunning views over Coniston Water and toward the west coast.
Exclusively on electric bikes, this trip is a fantastic option for couples or friends who are regular cyclists but with different fitness levels, allowing you to ride together by adjusting the bike's power to suit personal preferences. The electric bikes help take the edge off the many climbs and hilly terrain, allowing us to soak up the views without being completely out of breath. While most of the routes are on quiet roads, there are some sections on busier roads, and about 10% of the riding is off-road on gravel paths. We’ve factored in plenty of coffee breaks and stops to admire the views and rest after the climbs. Our guides will also monitor the weather forecast throughout the week and may adjust the order of rides to ensure the best and most comfortable experience.
The Lake District is home to many Skedaddle holidays, and we've been riding these trails for over 25 years. If our dates don't fit, or you're looking for a special route for your group, just get in touch with us, and we can tailor something for you.
 
Wray Castle on the shores of Lake Windermere in England's Lake District
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Highlights

  • Staying at HF House, Monk Coniston, set amidst breathtaking scenery in the heart of the Central Lake District
  • Exploring the Lake District on e-bikes, enjoying a relaxed pace and an extra boost over the hills
  • Taking in amazing open views over Coniston Water and Windermere
  • Visiting the typically quaint Cumbrian villages of Elterwater, Grasmere and Hawkshead
  • Sampling Grasmere’s famous gingerbread
  • Enjoying a pint of Coniston Bluebird after a rewarding day of riding
  • Passing by Hill Top, the 17th century home of Beatrix Potter

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival Coniston

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  • Meals: Dinner

Today you will arrive in Coniston, sitting at the head of Coniston Water with great views over the lake and up to the Old Man of Coniston. We’ll meet this evening at our accommodation at HF Monk Coniston, which is situated just over a mile from the village. Here you will be shown where you can store your bike (if bringing your own) or have your bike fitting (if hiring). We’ll be based in the hotel for our week of riding and there will be time to relax and soak in the surroundings.

If you are arriving by train, we offer transfers from either Penrith station at 15.30 to HF Monk Coniston (journey time approx. 1 hour 30 mins) and Windermere station at 16.30 (journey time approx. 30 mins.

In the evening, we will be meeting as a group to enjoy a drink and something to eat, giving us a chance to get to know each other and chat with the Skedaddle guides about the next few days of riding.

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Day 2 Windermere and Hawkshead

29 Miles / 46 Kms Approx.  
Ascent: 740 Metres Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Ascent: 740 Metres Approx.

Our first day of riding starts with a scenic ride along the east shore of Coniston on a quiet, relatively gentle, rolling road. We pass Brantwood, the former home of John Ruskin, a prominent Victorian art critic and social thinker, before the road opens up with incredible views over Coniston Water, which inspired Arthur Ransome’s adventure novel, Swallows and Amazons. We then head east, parallel to the River Leven and the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway (if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see the iconic steam train pass us by).

We then head north along Windermere’s western shore on quiet roads before a gradual climb to Hill Top, the 17th-century house in Near Sawrey, near Hawkshead and the former home of children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter.

Our final stop will be the village of Hawkshead before we squeeze in one last cheeky climb before descending back to the HF House, where we can relax and enjoy a local pint of ‘Coniston Bluebird’ ale.

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Day 3 Grasmere, Elterwater and Wray Castle

28 Miles / 45 Kms Approx.
Ascent: 820 Metres Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Ascent: 820 Metres Approx.

After breakfast this morning, we’ll start with few miles on a gently undulating path through the woods before our first climb up to Tilberthwaite. We’ll then descend to the peaceful valley of the River Brathay on a gravel farm track, before a short stretch on the road takes us to the picturesque village of Elterwater, on the lake of the same name, where we will stop for coffee.

Next we start a winding climb up a quiet road to High Close, with spectacular views back down to Elterwater and Windermere, before we head down to the bustling village of Grasmere, where we can stop at the very popular Grasmere Gingerbread shop for a sweet treat, to refuel after a hilly morning. We continue our loop east, taking a scenic route around Grasmere and onto a shared-use gravel path past the adjoining lake of Rydal Water for our lunch stop.

After lunch, we have a gentle on-road section passing Ambleside, a tourist honeypot in the central Lakes, before taking some off-road paths along the banks of Windermere to Wray Castle. We’ll stop at this impressive castle, where Beatrix Potter met National Trust co-founder Hardwicke Rawnsley, who played a key role in inspiring her conservation efforts in the Lake District. From there, we’ll take on our longest and final climb up to Hawkshead Hill, with a last stop at Tarn Hows before descending back into Coniston through beautiful woodland.

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Day 4 Grizebeck and Broughton

30 Miles / 48 Kms Approx.  
Ascent: 750 Metres Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Ascent: 750 Metres Approx.

For our final day’s riding, we’ll head straight out onto some gently undulating off-road trails along the west shore of Coniston Water, offering breath-taking views down the lake and up toward Torver. From there, we’ll begin our longest climb of the day ascending to Broughton Moor where we’ll be rewarded with sweeping vistas over Coniston and west over the North Sea, followed by a fantastic long descent down the Lickle Valley into the village of Broughton-in-Furness.

From here, we cross over the railway to reach the coast at Foxfield, and follow some very quiet roads past Duddon Moss and up to Grizebeck. We have a climb to our lunch stop near High Cross, before descending to Lowick, and on to the east shore of Coniston, where we retrace our route from the first day along the beautiful Coniston shoreline back to the HF House for our final meal together.

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Day 5 Departure Coniston

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  • Meals: Breakfast

This morning you can join the transfer to Windermere or Penrith train station at 09:30 or, if driving, treat yourself to a lie-in and have a more relaxed morning before enjoying breakfast and heading on your way

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Understanding Profiles

Use these profiles to see:

  • Distance in Km (horizontal axis)
  • Ascent / Descent in metres (vertical axis)

Click 'see gradient' to see:

  • Distance in Km (horizontal axis)
  • % Gradient (vertical axis)

White vertical lines indicate unpaved sections or slightly rougher terrain.

Please check the scales on both graphs, and both axes as they both may differ from day to day.

GPS units and navigation softwares produce different statistical information based on a number of different factors, so please keep in mind the information we’re providing here is meant to be an indicative guide only.

Gradients in particular can be difficult to measure consistently, and sometimes steepness shown can vary as much as 5-10% from what’s signposted on the ground.

Using both graphs, alongside the grading and terrain information provided, should however give you a good idea of how flat, bumpy or steep the climbing on your particular tour is going to be.

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Still Thinking It Over?

Register your interest and we'll keep you up-to-date on departures, availability, accommodation and all the amazing experiences we have in store on this trip.

The Cycling

Terrain

The Lake District is notoriously hilly (it’s one of the most picturesque parts of the country for a reason!), and there are some long climbs. Most days consist of one or two longer climbs and descents, interspersed by shorter (but still steep) ups and downs.

As this tour is designed to be ridden on electric hybrid bikes, some of the distances of up to 51km (32 miles) and total daily ascents of around 800m (2600ft) are longer than those normally found on a grade 3 holiday. We will be using a mixture of single-track country lanes, quiet roads and traffic-free cycle paths and bridleways; around 10% of the riding will be off-road. Although there is nothing too technical, there are some unpaved sections on gravel paths.

There aren’t many flat sections on this holiday, but with electric bikes, the climbs should be much more accessible, and allow us to reach some amazing viewpoints high above the lakes. You should be comfortable handling an e-bike on some short gravel sections, doing hill starts, and manoeuvring the bike through the occasional gate, bearing in mind the extra weight of e-bikes.

For more information about riding an electric bike on our holidays please click here

Quiet country road in the Lake District

Leisure Cycling Grade

1
2
3
4
5
Grade 3 : Moderate

Distances generally between 20-45 miles / 32-72 kms per day

For the leisure cyclist with a good level of physical fitness

May include some steeper, cheeky climbs

Possibly sections of varying terrain (eg. forest tracks, gravel paths etc).

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?

Although you may not cycle every day, you do keep yourself relatively fit and enjoy getting out on your bike at the weekend. Your preference is perhaps for flatter to rolling terrain, but you don’t mind tackling some hills, and some steep climbs if you can take it at your own pace. For those happy to tackle those ups and downs, and possibly some sections of varying terrain (eg. forest tracks, gravel paths etc) we’d recommend our grade 3 trips. We’d generally expect those on a Grade 3 holiday to have a decent level of physical fitness and be comfortable riding on consecutive days with some longer days in the saddle.

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.

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Dates & Prices

Secure Your Holiday With A Deposit

Book now with a $375 deposit and nothing more to pay until 30 days before departure. Choose a date to start your booking and see all prices, including bike hire and single room supplements.

Select a date to view prices and book
To see the prices for any optional extras, including bike hire, select your date below.

The Essentials

Travel Options

Your destination is HF Monk Coniston in the village of Coniston in the Lake District. If you intend to drive, we will provide directions. Parking is available at the accommodation where vehicles can be left at the owners’ risk.

If you prefer to travel by train your destination is either Penrith or Windermere station and there will be a Skedaddle transfer to HF Monk Coniston, included in the holiday price. Please arrive into Penrith station for 15.30 (transfer time approx 1 hour 30 minutes) or at Windermere station for 16.30 (transfer time approx 30-40 minutes).

If you are planning to fly, the nearest airport is Manchester (MAN) which has good rail connections and is within a few hours of Windermere station.

On the departure day, there will be a Skedaddle transfer from Coniston to Windermere and then Penrith station, leaving at 09.30. Please do not book any return trains from Windermere prior to 10.30, or trains from Penrith prior to 11.30

Please check with us before making any travel arrangements, to make sure we have reached the minimum number required to guarantee your holiday and to ensure your arrangements fit with our scheduled transfers and logistics.

Please note – If you make alternative travel arrangements, which fall outside of the group schedule, there may be an additional charge for individual transfers.

If you are travelling to the UK from overseas and are not a British or Irish national, you will need to apply for either an ETA or a visa depending on your nationality. Please check the relevant state department or foreign office guidance for your country or you can find more information here

Contact us for full details on the travel options on this trip

Accommodation

On this holiday, you will be based at an HF Country House. HF Holidays run a number of Country Houses around the UK, which are all within National Parks or National Landscapes, and which offer the perfect comfortable environment to return to after a day out on two wheels.

HF’s Country House in Coniston, HF Monk Coniston, occupies a wonderful position on the outskirts of the village, a stone’s throw from Coniston Water. It offers excellent facilities in a beautiful setting and all meals are provided.

All our UK trips are operated on a double/twin-share basis. Single occupancy rooms can be provided for a supplement and are subject to availability at the time of booking.

Contact us for full details on the accommodation for this trip

Bike Hire

If you don’t own a suitable bike or would prefer to avoid bringing your own we have e-bikes available to rent.

These e-bikes are typically Giant E+ pedal assist bikes (or equivalent) with batteries suitable for the daily distances, hydraulic disc brakes and step through frames.

A rack, two panniers and a water bottle are provided with all our rental bikes, along with an emergency repair kit in a seat-post bag containing a puncture repair kit, a multi-tool, a spare innertube and a bike pump.

This holiday has vehicle support and the riding group will meet the support vehicle at regular intervals, however a set of pannier bags are fitted for you to carry any ride essentials.

If you choose to bring your own e-bike, please contact us so we can discuss the bike specification and ensure it is suitable for the tour.

Contact us for full details on the bikes available for hire on this trip

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What's Included Tick

A) Shared twin (or double) room (single room may be available on request, for a supplement)

B) Full tour service including guides and a back-up vehicle carrying spares, snacks and extra equipment not needed on your bike

C) At least one leader qualified in First Aid

D) Full-board including picnic lunch and en route refreshments

E) GPX files

F) Secure bike storage and bike wash facilities

G) Group train station collections / drop-offs on scheduled arrival and departure days

H) Financial Protection through ABTOT

What's not Included Cross

A) Bike and helmet rental (available if required)

B) Travel or flight costs or charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)

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, hotel facilities etc)

H) Entrance fees to cultural or historical sites and visitor centres

I) Other optional activities

J) Tips for guides, drivers, support staff

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Private Departures

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.

Coniston and the Central Lakes FAQs

Can I hire a bike?

Yes, we have a range of high-quality hire bikes available on all of our tours that you can select at the time of booking (you can see more details about our hire bikes in the dedicated section above.) Or, if you prefer the flexibility to bring your own bike, this is also an option.

Do I need to wear a cycle helmet?

Yes. We take very seriously the duty of care we have towards our customers, and we will always ask that you wear a helmet. If you don’t own a helmet, then let us know and we’ll ensure there is one available for you. More about our helmet policy.

What bike spares should I bring?

If you’re bringing your own bike, it’s a good idea to pack basic tools (tyre levers, pump, chain tool) and a puncture repair kit with a spare inner tube in a saddle bag or day bag. If you’re hiring a bike with us, then we’ll provide you with tools and spares. If you run into problems with your bike or have a mechanical, we’ll always be available to assist.

How many guides will there be and what kind of support do they offer?

Each tour has a minimum of two guides, depending on the group size, with one guide riding and one guide in the support vehicle. Our guides are qualified, experienced and always ready to offer support when needed. Whether fixing a bike mechanical, administering first aid, preparing delicious picnics or simply offering advice and motivation for your ride, they want to make sure every pedal stroke of your trip runs like clockwork.

Is there a support vehicle?

Yes. Each tour has a support vehicle which will typically be there for coffee stops and picnic lunches. The vehicle may not always be with the group for the duration of the riding day, but it’s never too far away and within easy reach, if needed. You’re welcome to leave a day bag in the vehicle with spare clothing and snacks.

Can I use the support vehicle if I need a lift?

Our team are always happy to discuss grades and training so hopefully you’ll be able to complete your tour comfortably. Of course, there may be times when something happens and you’re not able to ride. Our support vehicle is there to help should you feel unwell or unable to ride and we always have further back-up transfers and taxis available should an issue arise.

What are the group sizes?

We deliberately keep our group sizes smaller than you might find with other companies. We typically guarantee group trips to run on a minimum number of five to six riders, and some popular tours can reach 14 or 15 riders.

Can you organise private group tours?

Yes, we can organise private group tours. We usually recommend a minimum group size of 8 to 10 riders for our tailor-made itineraries. Chat to our team to find out more.

Can I join as a solo traveller?

Absolutely! We welcome many solo travellers on our group holidays. It’s a great way to meet like-minded cyclists. Our rooms are allocated on a twin share basis, but you can select a single supplement when you book if you would prefer to have your own room. These are subject to availability.

Do you cater for different dietary needs?

Vegetarians and people with specific dietary requirements will be catered for – please let us know at the time of booking if you have any dietary requirements. Snacks will always be available, but you are also more than welcome to bring any specific foods or energy gels that you prefer. Download the Trip Notes for more information about the local cuisine you can expect on this holiday.

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