Grizedale Forest June 2006

Ride Summary

I last rode in Grizedale Forest during the summer of 2003 and while it was good fun there were a couple of things that got to me: 1) the fire-road climbs were too long and 2) the routes had two distinct parts, the high ground is rocky and low ground was a muddy swamp. I am happy to report that now there are alternatives to the fire-road climbs and both money and effort has been spent building ramps and bridges across the muddy sections. By pure coincidence ‘What MTB’ did a ride summary of Grizedale in the June 2006 issue. I would agree with this article, the riding was fantastic and the newly built trails are extremely well thought out and constructed to a very high standard. The trails are approximately 1 foot wide and don’t offer any places for overtaking, in addition there are strategically placed boulders and rock slabs to prevent trail erosion and trail creep. The visitor centre has 2 well stocked bike shops and a brilliant café. There were 30-40 MTB’s and people mulling around but once on the trail I did not see anyone all day. I bought two maps at the visitor centre for £1-00 each, the general forest and the North Face Trail.

The North Face Trail

This was absolutely fantastic! It is very well signposted (if in doubt don’t turn off the fire-roads until you see a sign). A lot of the climbing is on single-track but it has been so well planned that you don’t really feel that you are climbing until you pop out on top of the hill and look back at what you have ridden up. The trail itself has many sections and the terrain is varied and not just ‘more of the same’ Lake District rocky tracks. There are slabs of rock, steep rock gardens, pine woodland, a whole section of built up ramps for a couple of hundred yards, many ramps across water (most bermed), small jumps, berms, stream crossings and switchbacks all in all 12 miles of fun. I was having such a good time I didn’t stop to take many photo’s but check the ‘What MTB article’, what you see goes on for 100’s of yards. It is stated that this trail will take 2-4 hours to complete, I did it in just under two hours (at my usual riding pace), so I reckon two laps would be very doable and still leave time for exploring if your legs are up to it. After the first lap I set off for some parts further afield.

The man made NF Trail is a designed to be a technical challenge and in many places it is. There are many sections where it can go pear shaped and it is much more technical than anywhere I have been in Wales. I saw quite a few ‘wet patches’ and moss etc where people had fallen off the ramps into the boggy water and climbed back on with moss and water plants attached to their shoes! In one place the NF trail drops very steeply through rocks then turns sharp right on the edge of a very steep hill.

Longer loop

I basically followed the first roller-coaster up-hill of the NF trail (called the Elephant’s Paradise on the map) but at the top instead of following the fire-road there is a bridleway sign pointing down a narrow gap in the hedge. This is a belter of a decent, the map gives information of woodland tree carvings but I just blasted down and didn’t see a thing! The further down you go the steeper and rockier it gets. At the bottom you bear right to cross the road that runs directly north back to the visitor centre. From here climb Breasty Haw into Satterthwaite woods. Follow the fire-road and at one of the corners where it bears left look for a trail that heads through a gap in a dry stone wall. Go through here and follow the trail down as it twists, turns and goes over the usual rocky and boulder strewn terrain. At the bottom turn left and pick up the fire-road that heads west back towards the northern section of the NF Trail. There is a steep decent (off a fire-road) towards a footbridge across a stream go down this, it is steep, rocky & rooty but good fun, getting onto the bridge can be tricky, I must have had ‘beginners luck’ as my brother-in-law went over the bars the 3 times he attempted it (some people never learn!). From here cross the road at Moot Top car park and follow the NF Trail back to the visitor centre.

The forest trails on my ‘Longer Loop’ have some downward sections over rocks and boulders where you really don’t want to fall off. (If in doubt get off and walk the section). The natural trails have a mixture of terrain but anything off the fire-roads tends to be strewn with rocks and boulders many of which roll around as you ride over them.

Riding in the Lakedistrict is not like riding on the South Downs, these are real hills! I ride at a relaxed pace and was glad of this approach. Any attempts at blasting around would have quickly tired my legs.