• 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 a transfer from Windermere station at 16.30 to HF Monk Coniston (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.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 750 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.

• 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.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 780 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.

• Meals: Breakfast

This morning you can take a transfer to Windermere train station at 09:30 or treat yourself to a lie-in and have a more relaxed morning before enjoying breakfast and heading on your way.