Summary
| Route Distance: 74 km | Estimated Time: 7:24 |
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| Total Ascent: 1849 m | Total Descent: 1713 m |
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Elevation Profile
Route Map
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Route Description
Morning Preparations
The day started with a photoshoot of me huddled up on my lower bunk, looking less than ravishing no doubt! After the last two days' worth of riding the other lads had surely been busily preparing a whole list of excuses why they should drive the van today!
My Plan
We were joined by Jon 'The Rear' Pearson who was last seen kicking footballs at small children in Kent. The plan was for me and Jon to ride with the main pack up The Struggle, down to Hartsop and then split up and we'd climb Hartsop onto the High Street, bomb down there then back up Boredale to Boredale Hause then down some crackingly demanding ST down into Patterdale. Meanwhile Clegg, Toddy, The Wizard and Wiggo would crack on eastwards to Kirkby Stephen by which point The Rear and I would climbed Kirkstone Pass upto the Inn, hang a right and landed back in Ambleside. A fairly big day for all concerned.
The Actual Plan
After cooking a full English of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and milk (I think a few succumbed to the lure of a cooked breakfast in the canteen) we re-fuelled and watered for the day and then discussed our options. It became clear that my original plan was looking less than appealing to the rest of the team! I was happy to complete as much of the ride as was left as I could (although the Boredale ST was calling!) so myself, KT and Wiggo were to ride all the way from Ambleside to Kirkby Stephen. Cleggy and Jon would drive to Hartsop and do the Hartsop Loop but instead of hitting Boredale, they'd do the Ullswater ST in the better of the two directions (westward), we'd unfortunately be heading east so may meet them on route. The Wizard would drive JPs car to Patterdale and circumnavigate Ullswater, sharing the offroad bits with me, Toddy and Wiggo.
Repairs
Wiggo changed his rear tyre as it was a bit worn and didn't afford him enough grip yesterday. KT moved his mudguard higher on his seat post so he could drop his seat down further at descent time. Cleggy strapped a microwave to his seat stay. That's about it repair wise.
Frank Boff
After much faffage and noting that the YHA jetty was completely submerged by the lake - it had rained that much recently, we lined up for the obligatory team photograph outside the hostel then went our different ways.
As you leave Ambleside YH heading into town on the bike you hit a one way system that is a bit of a pain of a diversion for cyclists. We slowed down and quietly went along the footpath. Wiggo had his first comedy moment of the day where he hopped up the kerb with his front wheel but the back refused to follow, the bike kicked him off and and he ended up commando rolling into a nearby B&B! Hehe, most accidents happen at home as they say!
The Struggle
As a nice warm up for the rest of the ride we took on The Struggle which goes on for about 45 minutes at a steady-Eddy pace. You climb about up to about 1500ft on a narrow country lane. The climb is all manageable on a mountain bike and is quite a nice warm up, stretching tired muscles and heating them to a temperature where they are no longer tight and stiff. We encountered quite a bit of traffic in both directions, caravans and camper vans fairly struggle getting up there and there aren't many passing points. The Struggle flattens out about three-quarters of the way up and then dips a little but the respite is short-lived as the final hoik up to the Kirkstone Pass Inn is a sharp little fella consisting of a few switchbacks which are both tight and steep. We made it up there without much fuss and had a photoshoot at the top just to cool ourselves down a bit.
Kirkstone Pass
Upon reaching the pub which sits on a T-junction there is only one way to go - down! We were heading to Patterdale via Brothers Water. This always seems a bit of a waste to me, losing so much height on tarmac but as far as I'm aware there's not an offroad route available. Instead you hoon down the tarmac. At this point you can go quicker than cars as they can't go around corners as fast as bikes. So you can build up a bit of speed and frighten the life out of Mr Family of Four as he spots the incongruous sight of a wide-eyed cyclist buzzing around in his wing mirror like an angry wasp. Belting it down to the bottom at top whack can deprive you of some beautiful views of Patterdale and Brothers Water so if you're a scenery lover stop off on the left and take in the views. If you're keen-eyed you'll also spot the Kirk Stone - a stone that looks like a church (Kirk meaning church in ancient Yurdy Gurdy).
Crack on past Brothers Water and if you've not ripped it up on the flat bits then Mr Family of Four or Retired Couple from Northumberland will soon be catching you up and shaking their heads like you've just voted for the BNP, twice.
Patterdale
It's got a shop selling Cumberland sausage butties so it's all good. We stopped here for a second breakfast after meeting up with The Wizard. It was turning out to be quite a sunny day so we de-jacketed and crossed a little bridge and headed up to Rooking, and climbed a sharp bridleway that skirts around to Silver Point at the foot of the imposing Place Fell. From this track we were afforded wonderful views of Helvellyn et al. which provided a stunning back drop for Patterdale and Glenriding which were nestled peacefully on the far side of the lake. You've got two options of bridleway between Rooking and Silver Point. The lowest of the two is naturally the easiest but the upper balcony route gives you the best views.
Ullswater
Many regard Ullswater as the most beautiful of the English lakes. In fact Wordsworth wrote: "it is the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur, which any of the lakes affords". The lake itself is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor and when the glacier retreated, the deepened section filled with meltwater which became a lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of an elongated 'Z' with three distinct segments (or 'reaches') that wend their way through the surrounding hills.
Ullswater Single Track
Dubbed 'Best Single Track in England' by more than one glossy mountain bike magazine, Ullswater Single Track (UST from herein) is a fun roller coaster of a route that seems to go on and on and on. It's more ridable in the westward direction ie. after dropping in off the High Street but it's still alright going eastward, there are just more sections that are unridable on the way up. It's all ridable downwards, one or two fairly hefty drops though and some good off-camber moments which can easily send you down the steep banks and into the lake 100 meters or so below. I enjoyed the ST but had forgotten how much you have to get on and off the bike which was a bit frustrating. To make matters worse we hit this section at primo walker time - nae good!
Walkers
Ok, here's my two-penneth worth when it comes to interactions between mountain bikers and walkers. Bearing in mind that as a group we always try and be polite to walkers, we will always give way to walkers if necessary when on shared bridleways and we always say 'hello' when approaching this rather unique breed - they tend not to appreciate the element of surprise.
In my experience 90% of walkers are are fine and jovial (if perhaps a bit 'special', come on, you know what I mean!). Then there is the 10% that are just downright miserable. Why the Fred Funk are they out there in the first place if they're just going to moan? Stay indoors and moan at your spouse. What's that, they've gone to the pub - I wonder why?!
This select band of depressives I'm on about seem to take great delight in trying to spoil everyones fun. For instance whilst we were delicately making our way along the UST,(it's only wide enough for one person in many parts) hopping off if needs be in order to show that we care about footpath folk too, we had this one woman who told us that she 'preferred to walk rather than cycle' and couldn't understand why anyone would want to cycle when walking was far easier. Bearing in mind we're at Ullswater at the time, a good 150 miles from our destination, I politely informed her that she was welcome to walk to Robin Hoods Bay with us and and I'd ask her opinion again in two days time.
Another bint informed us that the bridleway we were on was impractical for riding on (even though we'd all stopped and moved to the side and bid her party of four a good day, she was the last, dragging her feet like a begrudging teenager perhaps?). She then declared that there was a sign further on (from whence they'd came - we were travelling in opposite directions) that forbade cyclist from using the path. Not so my dear, otherwise several leading national mountain bike magazines would have had slapped wrists for suggesting the best cycle track in the country was infact a footpath. I didn't even bother to put her straight, her long suffering husband seemed to be dragging her away from causing a scene, he'd given us a cheery 'hello' just moments before. Rant over!
One more little anecdote whilst I'm on one. We met a couple of walkers, and old chap and a lady in her mid-40's. They were walking tentatively towards us on a rocky section of the UST. I was at the front of our 4-man cycle train and shouted 'Hello' hopefully to put our two new friends at ease. No response. Slightly irked but giving them the benefit of the doubt and getting within eye-contact distance I looked the old man in the eye and said 'Hello, lovely day isn't it?!' Still no response, the ignorant coffin dodger. I'm getting fed up of these types. Then, as we got really close I noticed there was something a bit different about this chap, he had two hearing aids in and wore a 'Kendal Deaf Society' jumper. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh foot out of mouth, I take it all back!
Hallin Fell
The UST terminates at Sandwick. Turn right onto the country lane and follow the lanes around the back of Hallin Fell. We took a bridleway at this point but it was unridable and overgrown so "stick t'road, stay clear o' moor". Hallin Fell seems to act as a fulcrum around which Ullswater pivots. You can't cycle around the front of the Fell and therefore don't get the benefit of the great views along the lake unfortunately. No matter, once at the top of the road that leads to Howtown we turned right at St Peter's church (the sermons there must be fantastic as the car park was choc-a-bloc!), over a blind grassy summit and then swiftly down towards Howtown on smooth grassy bridleway. We crossed Fusedale Beck and then climbed back up onto a mixture of single and double track that is all ridable and well graded. There are a few fords to cross as various becks meander across the track discharging themselves into Ullswater below and to our left. At this point we met Cleggy and The Rear who had just descended from the High Street. After having a snack and another photo we had to crack on. The path took us upward underneath Barton Fell giving us great views looking back towards Hallin Fell. We stopped for lunch and simply took in the magnificence of it all.
Slow Progress
At this point we'd ridden about 25km out of 75km and were conscious that we'd have to make good time in order to arrive in Kirkby Stephen before dark. The terrain from here on in is much more conducive to making rapid progress. If the first 25km takes you three or four hours then the next 50k's should take about the same amount of time, so don't panic. From the top of Moor Divock we could just about make out our final destination way off in the distance as the Yorkshire Dales gathered like a pod of whales surfacing for air on the eastern horizon.
Moor Divock
Finally the bridleway brought us level with the eastern tip of Ullswater. At this point The Wizard headed down to Pooley Bridge and back along the northern bank of the lake to complete his circumnavigation before driving on to Kirkby Stephen. Navigation at this point is a bit sketchy despite the odd sign post. Basically head toward the top of Askham Fell then turn right toward the Cop Stone. This area has shake holes as well as being jam packed with interesting historical artifacts. There are the Bronze Age stone circles for starters, the biggest being the Cock Pit and also the Cop Stone which stands out like a sore thumb. It was distinctive enough to immediately draw us off our bikes and infront of the camera. It must've seemed quite out of place even to non-geologists like ourselves. As it turns out the rock is known as a 'glacial erratic', meaning it was dumped there during an ice age.
One more (excuse the pun) thing I'd like to say about Moor Divock is the way the terrain changes so quickly. Within a couple of kilometers the ground beneath our wheels had imperceptibly changed from being hard, grey granite into soft, spongy, grass covered limestone reminiscent of Pennine moorland. The transition was both smooth and abrupt. At our rear are mountains made of granite that climb pointedly into the sky and plunge relentlessly into the earth, ahead of us are rolling velvutinous hills. It is a lovely place to visit and with close links to the M6 an ideal back-door into the Lakes I reckon.
Water Works
After decending from Moor Divock we picked up the road that passes throught the three B's: Butterwick, Bampton and Burn Banks. Just after crossing Haweswater Beck turn left up the Water Works service road. This is a single-file (for cars) concreted road that runs pretty much all the way to the A6. We made good time on this section and the weather was set fair as we cruised across the head of Swindale and across a three of bridges over becks and gills. Finally we passed Kemp Howe on the left and climbed up to the A6, heading straight across it onto the B6261, taking the right hand fork and bobbing under the M6 where the carriage ways split in two. It's a rather surreal feeling cycling in the middle of the M6 motorway!
Orton
We followed the B6261 which Wiggo observed is a rather hefty road considering it only services tiny villages. It passes under Crosby Ravensworth Fell and drops down into the sleepy village of Orton. KT had run out of water several miles back so we decided to grab a couple of pints of water at The George pub. We had made good time on the tarmac and as luck would have it they had Sky Sports on telly so we were able to ease into a quick pint of ale and watch a bit of Ashes cricket - perfect! We couldn't stop long however and so hopped back our steeds and passed through Kelleth and turned left at New-Biggin-On-Lune, taking in views of The Howgill Fells on our right.
Smardale Fell
We picked up a bridleway that took us to the now derelict and slightly sorry looking Friars Bottom Farm. Great name though. The countryside around here was picturesque pennine farmland. The track took us down to Scandal Beck which we crossed then up Smardale Fell - a cheeky final climb. From here we could see Scandal Viaduct (I think), and once over the brow of the fell we could just about see Kirkby Stephen. We rode down the fast grassy eastern side of Smardale Fell avoiding the grazing cattle but not necessarily their number twos! We then picked up a country lane that took us over a railway and through Waitby. We entered Kirkby Stephen at dusk, tired and hungry but happy to have made it before dark.
Kirkby Stephen YHA
It was like the Mary Celeste when we arrived at the hostel. A note had been left on the door but we pretty much had to scurry around in the dark to park our bikes up, find our rooms and get showered. Kieran, Wiggo and I had a quick eat-in Chinese at the very accomodating Chinese restaurant on the high street before joining The Wizard, Cleggy and The Rear at The Black Bull Hotel where we were treated to a pint and lots of attention from the owners chocolate coloured dog. We were at various states of alertness between us but it's fair to say KT was certainly feeling the miles by the end of day 3. But the thing is we're more than half way there now, it would be madness to stop now.
The day started with a photoshoot of me huddled up on my lower bunk, looking less than ravishing no doubt! After the last two days' worth of riding the other lads had surely been busily preparing a whole list of excuses why they should drive the van today!
My Plan
We were joined by Jon 'The Rear' Pearson who was last seen kicking footballs at small children in Kent. The plan was for me and Jon to ride with the main pack up The Struggle, down to Hartsop and then split up and we'd climb Hartsop onto the High Street, bomb down there then back up Boredale to Boredale Hause then down some crackingly demanding ST down into Patterdale. Meanwhile Clegg, Toddy, The Wizard and Wiggo would crack on eastwards to Kirkby Stephen by which point The Rear and I would climbed Kirkstone Pass upto the Inn, hang a right and landed back in Ambleside. A fairly big day for all concerned.
The Actual Plan
After cooking a full English of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and milk (I think a few succumbed to the lure of a cooked breakfast in the canteen) we re-fuelled and watered for the day and then discussed our options. It became clear that my original plan was looking less than appealing to the rest of the team! I was happy to complete as much of the ride as was left as I could (although the Boredale ST was calling!) so myself, KT and Wiggo were to ride all the way from Ambleside to Kirkby Stephen. Cleggy and Jon would drive to Hartsop and do the Hartsop Loop but instead of hitting Boredale, they'd do the Ullswater ST in the better of the two directions (westward), we'd unfortunately be heading east so may meet them on route. The Wizard would drive JPs car to Patterdale and circumnavigate Ullswater, sharing the offroad bits with me, Toddy and Wiggo.
Repairs
Wiggo changed his rear tyre as it was a bit worn and didn't afford him enough grip yesterday. KT moved his mudguard higher on his seat post so he could drop his seat down further at descent time. Cleggy strapped a microwave to his seat stay. That's about it repair wise.
Frank Boff
After much faffage and noting that the YHA jetty was completely submerged by the lake - it had rained that much recently, we lined up for the obligatory team photograph outside the hostel then went our different ways.
As you leave Ambleside YH heading into town on the bike you hit a one way system that is a bit of a pain of a diversion for cyclists. We slowed down and quietly went along the footpath. Wiggo had his first comedy moment of the day where he hopped up the kerb with his front wheel but the back refused to follow, the bike kicked him off and and he ended up commando rolling into a nearby B&B! Hehe, most accidents happen at home as they say!
The Struggle
As a nice warm up for the rest of the ride we took on The Struggle which goes on for about 45 minutes at a steady-Eddy pace. You climb about up to about 1500ft on a narrow country lane. The climb is all manageable on a mountain bike and is quite a nice warm up, stretching tired muscles and heating them to a temperature where they are no longer tight and stiff. We encountered quite a bit of traffic in both directions, caravans and camper vans fairly struggle getting up there and there aren't many passing points. The Struggle flattens out about three-quarters of the way up and then dips a little but the respite is short-lived as the final hoik up to the Kirkstone Pass Inn is a sharp little fella consisting of a few switchbacks which are both tight and steep. We made it up there without much fuss and had a photoshoot at the top just to cool ourselves down a bit.
Kirkstone Pass
Upon reaching the pub which sits on a T-junction there is only one way to go - down! We were heading to Patterdale via Brothers Water. This always seems a bit of a waste to me, losing so much height on tarmac but as far as I'm aware there's not an offroad route available. Instead you hoon down the tarmac. At this point you can go quicker than cars as they can't go around corners as fast as bikes. So you can build up a bit of speed and frighten the life out of Mr Family of Four as he spots the incongruous sight of a wide-eyed cyclist buzzing around in his wing mirror like an angry wasp. Belting it down to the bottom at top whack can deprive you of some beautiful views of Patterdale and Brothers Water so if you're a scenery lover stop off on the left and take in the views. If you're keen-eyed you'll also spot the Kirk Stone - a stone that looks like a church (Kirk meaning church in ancient Yurdy Gurdy).
Crack on past Brothers Water and if you've not ripped it up on the flat bits then Mr Family of Four or Retired Couple from Northumberland will soon be catching you up and shaking their heads like you've just voted for the BNP, twice.
Patterdale
It's got a shop selling Cumberland sausage butties so it's all good. We stopped here for a second breakfast after meeting up with The Wizard. It was turning out to be quite a sunny day so we de-jacketed and crossed a little bridge and headed up to Rooking, and climbed a sharp bridleway that skirts around to Silver Point at the foot of the imposing Place Fell. From this track we were afforded wonderful views of Helvellyn et al. which provided a stunning back drop for Patterdale and Glenriding which were nestled peacefully on the far side of the lake. You've got two options of bridleway between Rooking and Silver Point. The lowest of the two is naturally the easiest but the upper balcony route gives you the best views.
Ullswater
Many regard Ullswater as the most beautiful of the English lakes. In fact Wordsworth wrote: "it is the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur, which any of the lakes affords". The lake itself is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor and when the glacier retreated, the deepened section filled with meltwater which became a lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of an elongated 'Z' with three distinct segments (or 'reaches') that wend their way through the surrounding hills.
Ullswater Single Track
Dubbed 'Best Single Track in England' by more than one glossy mountain bike magazine, Ullswater Single Track (UST from herein) is a fun roller coaster of a route that seems to go on and on and on. It's more ridable in the westward direction ie. after dropping in off the High Street but it's still alright going eastward, there are just more sections that are unridable on the way up. It's all ridable downwards, one or two fairly hefty drops though and some good off-camber moments which can easily send you down the steep banks and into the lake 100 meters or so below. I enjoyed the ST but had forgotten how much you have to get on and off the bike which was a bit frustrating. To make matters worse we hit this section at primo walker time - nae good!
Walkers
Ok, here's my two-penneth worth when it comes to interactions between mountain bikers and walkers. Bearing in mind that as a group we always try and be polite to walkers, we will always give way to walkers if necessary when on shared bridleways and we always say 'hello' when approaching this rather unique breed - they tend not to appreciate the element of surprise.
In my experience 90% of walkers are are fine and jovial (if perhaps a bit 'special', come on, you know what I mean!). Then there is the 10% that are just downright miserable. Why the Fred Funk are they out there in the first place if they're just going to moan? Stay indoors and moan at your spouse. What's that, they've gone to the pub - I wonder why?!
This select band of depressives I'm on about seem to take great delight in trying to spoil everyones fun. For instance whilst we were delicately making our way along the UST,(it's only wide enough for one person in many parts) hopping off if needs be in order to show that we care about footpath folk too, we had this one woman who told us that she 'preferred to walk rather than cycle' and couldn't understand why anyone would want to cycle when walking was far easier. Bearing in mind we're at Ullswater at the time, a good 150 miles from our destination, I politely informed her that she was welcome to walk to Robin Hoods Bay with us and and I'd ask her opinion again in two days time.
Another bint informed us that the bridleway we were on was impractical for riding on (even though we'd all stopped and moved to the side and bid her party of four a good day, she was the last, dragging her feet like a begrudging teenager perhaps?). She then declared that there was a sign further on (from whence they'd came - we were travelling in opposite directions) that forbade cyclist from using the path. Not so my dear, otherwise several leading national mountain bike magazines would have had slapped wrists for suggesting the best cycle track in the country was infact a footpath. I didn't even bother to put her straight, her long suffering husband seemed to be dragging her away from causing a scene, he'd given us a cheery 'hello' just moments before. Rant over!
One more little anecdote whilst I'm on one. We met a couple of walkers, and old chap and a lady in her mid-40's. They were walking tentatively towards us on a rocky section of the UST. I was at the front of our 4-man cycle train and shouted 'Hello' hopefully to put our two new friends at ease. No response. Slightly irked but giving them the benefit of the doubt and getting within eye-contact distance I looked the old man in the eye and said 'Hello, lovely day isn't it?!' Still no response, the ignorant coffin dodger. I'm getting fed up of these types. Then, as we got really close I noticed there was something a bit different about this chap, he had two hearing aids in and wore a 'Kendal Deaf Society' jumper. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh foot out of mouth, I take it all back!
Hallin Fell
The UST terminates at Sandwick. Turn right onto the country lane and follow the lanes around the back of Hallin Fell. We took a bridleway at this point but it was unridable and overgrown so "stick t'road, stay clear o' moor". Hallin Fell seems to act as a fulcrum around which Ullswater pivots. You can't cycle around the front of the Fell and therefore don't get the benefit of the great views along the lake unfortunately. No matter, once at the top of the road that leads to Howtown we turned right at St Peter's church (the sermons there must be fantastic as the car park was choc-a-bloc!), over a blind grassy summit and then swiftly down towards Howtown on smooth grassy bridleway. We crossed Fusedale Beck and then climbed back up onto a mixture of single and double track that is all ridable and well graded. There are a few fords to cross as various becks meander across the track discharging themselves into Ullswater below and to our left. At this point we met Cleggy and The Rear who had just descended from the High Street. After having a snack and another photo we had to crack on. The path took us upward underneath Barton Fell giving us great views looking back towards Hallin Fell. We stopped for lunch and simply took in the magnificence of it all.
Slow Progress
At this point we'd ridden about 25km out of 75km and were conscious that we'd have to make good time in order to arrive in Kirkby Stephen before dark. The terrain from here on in is much more conducive to making rapid progress. If the first 25km takes you three or four hours then the next 50k's should take about the same amount of time, so don't panic. From the top of Moor Divock we could just about make out our final destination way off in the distance as the Yorkshire Dales gathered like a pod of whales surfacing for air on the eastern horizon.
Moor Divock
Finally the bridleway brought us level with the eastern tip of Ullswater. At this point The Wizard headed down to Pooley Bridge and back along the northern bank of the lake to complete his circumnavigation before driving on to Kirkby Stephen. Navigation at this point is a bit sketchy despite the odd sign post. Basically head toward the top of Askham Fell then turn right toward the Cop Stone. This area has shake holes as well as being jam packed with interesting historical artifacts. There are the Bronze Age stone circles for starters, the biggest being the Cock Pit and also the Cop Stone which stands out like a sore thumb. It was distinctive enough to immediately draw us off our bikes and infront of the camera. It must've seemed quite out of place even to non-geologists like ourselves. As it turns out the rock is known as a 'glacial erratic', meaning it was dumped there during an ice age.
One more (excuse the pun) thing I'd like to say about Moor Divock is the way the terrain changes so quickly. Within a couple of kilometers the ground beneath our wheels had imperceptibly changed from being hard, grey granite into soft, spongy, grass covered limestone reminiscent of Pennine moorland. The transition was both smooth and abrupt. At our rear are mountains made of granite that climb pointedly into the sky and plunge relentlessly into the earth, ahead of us are rolling velvutinous hills. It is a lovely place to visit and with close links to the M6 an ideal back-door into the Lakes I reckon.
Water Works
After decending from Moor Divock we picked up the road that passes throught the three B's: Butterwick, Bampton and Burn Banks. Just after crossing Haweswater Beck turn left up the Water Works service road. This is a single-file (for cars) concreted road that runs pretty much all the way to the A6. We made good time on this section and the weather was set fair as we cruised across the head of Swindale and across a three of bridges over becks and gills. Finally we passed Kemp Howe on the left and climbed up to the A6, heading straight across it onto the B6261, taking the right hand fork and bobbing under the M6 where the carriage ways split in two. It's a rather surreal feeling cycling in the middle of the M6 motorway!
Orton
We followed the B6261 which Wiggo observed is a rather hefty road considering it only services tiny villages. It passes under Crosby Ravensworth Fell and drops down into the sleepy village of Orton. KT had run out of water several miles back so we decided to grab a couple of pints of water at The George pub. We had made good time on the tarmac and as luck would have it they had Sky Sports on telly so we were able to ease into a quick pint of ale and watch a bit of Ashes cricket - perfect! We couldn't stop long however and so hopped back our steeds and passed through Kelleth and turned left at New-Biggin-On-Lune, taking in views of The Howgill Fells on our right.
Smardale Fell
We picked up a bridleway that took us to the now derelict and slightly sorry looking Friars Bottom Farm. Great name though. The countryside around here was picturesque pennine farmland. The track took us down to Scandal Beck which we crossed then up Smardale Fell - a cheeky final climb. From here we could see Scandal Viaduct (I think), and once over the brow of the fell we could just about see Kirkby Stephen. We rode down the fast grassy eastern side of Smardale Fell avoiding the grazing cattle but not necessarily their number twos! We then picked up a country lane that took us over a railway and through Waitby. We entered Kirkby Stephen at dusk, tired and hungry but happy to have made it before dark.
Kirkby Stephen YHA
It was like the Mary Celeste when we arrived at the hostel. A note had been left on the door but we pretty much had to scurry around in the dark to park our bikes up, find our rooms and get showered. Kieran, Wiggo and I had a quick eat-in Chinese at the very accomodating Chinese restaurant on the high street before joining The Wizard, Cleggy and The Rear at The Black Bull Hotel where we were treated to a pint and lots of attention from the owners chocolate coloured dog. We were at various states of alertness between us but it's fair to say KT was certainly feeling the miles by the end of day 3. But the thing is we're more than half way there now, it would be madness to stop now.
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