Max and Russell dodge the holidaymakers in the Lake District and enjoy a remote ride through the valley of Dunnerdale
Stay far from the madding crowd in this secluded corner of the Lakes and enjoy classic technical trails amid a magni icent landscape
Apparently the top three most popular places to holiday in Britain at the moment are Cornwall, North Wales and the Lake District. And with the majority of people choosing not to go abroad this summer, you may fear, like me, that as everyone rushes to the west coast our little island may suddenly flip over! Rather than steer clear, though, I’ll let you in on a sleepy spot I like to seek out when everywhere else is busy – Dunnerdale, on the south-western edge of the Lake District, tucked away behind the Old Man of Coniston. It may be out of the way, and you won’t be visiting the classic Lakes honeypot villages, but the views are still spectacular, and the roads and trails are much quieter.
Killer hill
As we drive along the main road to Broughtonin-Furness, the vehicles are notably different to those of the holidaymakers, who’ve peeled off to the likes of Kendal and Windermere, leaving the lorries, locals and us as we head west into Furness, the name of this peninsula and region of Cumbria. Just by the lights at Duddon Bridge we hang a right and park in a little layby – not something you’d usually find empty in the central Lakes! If it’s full, though, there is a larger layby along the A595, which has the advantage of giving your legs more of a warm-up for the huge
WE SKIRT AROUND THE BACK SIDE OF GREAT STICK LE, FOLLOWING STONEWALLED TRACKS THAT OFFER A TANTALISING MIX OF GRASS Y AND ROCKY TRAILS
hill we’re immediately faced with. It’s a rather rude awakening for our cold, stiff pins after the long drive, and disheartening when Russell just ups the power on his e-bike and starts to pull away. Very quickly I’m aware that there’s absolutely no noise but for my laboured breathing and the crunch of my tyres on the dirt. Bliss.
Mine, all mine
I love the Lake District for its beauty and big views, offering a welcome feeling of escape and freedom, but when you’re sharing it, and its trails, with hundreds of others, it loses some of the magic for me. Not here, though. After we finally crest this leg-warming climb, the pull of gravity rewards our efforts with a fast descent off-road into a quiet neighbouring valley, and my heavy breathing is drowned out by the rushing of wind past my ears. Joining tarmac at the bottom, we ride all the way to Broughton Mills with no sign of a car, although there is a pub out here in the middle of nowhere.
It’s too soon to stop so we skirt around the backside of Great Stickle, following stone-walled tracks that offer a tantalising mix of grassy and rocky trails with splendid views. Well, that’s before we’re submerged in a cloud of early morning mizzle coming in off the coast, which we watch being drawn across the landscape like a silent blanket. It moves over our heads, giving both us and the trails a damp coating. Fortunately, we can still see enough to follow the faint path over the hillside, and it’s a cracking little trail to boot. Switching between fast-andgrassy and rocky-and-rutted, with twisting turns and drop-offs along the way, it gives us some classic Lakeland-style riding – albeit without the usual mesmerising views.
At the bottom there are some nice bathing spots with stone beaches along the River Duddon, but it’s definitely too early (and chilly) for us right now to get cold and wet. Maybe on the way back. Instead, we’re looking to get warm and sweaty, so after a short stint along the deserted – except for sheep – road, we tackle a character-building (or is that breaking?) climb back up into the hills. You could sneak around the bottom track to Kiln Bank and do the grunt work up the steep slope on tarmac, but we’ve sadistically chosen to test ourselves off-road across Dunnerdale Fells.
A welcome outpost
The start of this ascent is loose and rocky enough to defeat mere mortals, and although it’s easy to lose sight of the trail further up when you find yourself sinking into some soft moorland bog, it is just possible to grind your way up here. You can try to distract yourself from the pain with the awe-inspiring vistas that surround you.
After Kiln Bank Cross we weave our way over and between some rocky outcrops to begin the long and exhilarating descent to Seathwaite.
THE WET AND SHIFTING ROCKS ARE BESTRIDDEN AT SPEED. IT TAKES SOME NERVE AND DISREGARD FOR OUR RIMS, BUT IS AWESOME FUN
Enjoying a medley of dirt and rocky trails, we pop off big boulders and crash and skitter over loose rocks until we eventually emerge, battered but grinning, by the sign that tells us the Newfield Inn is just 50 yards away. This remote pub is always worth a visit, with friendly and welcoming staff – even to mud-splattered MTBers like ourselves. And with nowhere else on the route, I don’t even ask Russell whether he wants to stop – my bike is leant up outside the front door and I’m inside before he even realises it’s lunchtime.
Man vs machine
After indulging in some tasty sustenance, alongside a much-needed rest, we set off again, and I’m grateful for the flat road along the Duddon Valley to warm my legs back up. We then bear onto the more scenic off-road option to the south of the river, rejoining the road at the hamlet of Ulpha, shortly after which the gradient cranks up a notch or three. The gap between us starts to widen as Russell surges ahead on his e-bike, so I call out between gasping breaths that I’ll meet him at the next turning. This is erroneously signposted as a footpath, though, so he continues on up the steep hill. Riding under my own steam, I’m not keen to follow him, and with no phone signal we have ourselves a stand-off for the next 20 minutes, Russell thinking I’ve run out of energy and me knowing I will if I go after him.
Eventually reunited (I won) and on our way, we pass through Ulpha Park and between the woods and the barren lumpy mound of Penn for a fast descent to Logan Beck. Being in a valley again, there’s an imminent climb, but there is the option to bail out and follow the road back to the start if time or the weather is against you.
You’d be missing the highlight of the ride if you did, though. The views and colours across the next barren stretch of moorland are stunning as we climb up the road, and the tarmac is certainly making life easier. With few cars to break our rhythm, we soon knock it out.
At the top, the faint, sunken track that heads out into the abyss of the featureless moors really doesn’t look appealing, or a suitable reward for our efforts. Russell isn’t impressed, especially when we hit some very wet patches, which make us seek out a new line and lose the ‘track’. However, after rediscovering the path and going through a small pass, the trail starts to turn downwards. Even though it’s seen little use and the recent rain has softened the ground and helped the foliage grow up around the edges, we eventually reap our reward.
The trail drops steeply down the hillside, with some challenging twists and turns before plunging into the dark and damp cover of the trees, where an extremely rocky section awaits us. We find the wet and shifting rocks are best ridden at speed, enabling us to bounce and skim over the top, rather than slip and slide down between them. It takes some nerve and disregard for our rims, but is awesome fun and an excellent, and exciting, way to finish off the day.
Eyes on the prize
This part of the Lake District is less trodden, and ridden, than others so has an air of tranquillity and a landscape that feels remote and wild. It still offers great views, as well as a brilliant variety of challenging trails. Just keep that in mind when you find yourself sitting in all that traffic on the motorway travelling there – it’ll be well worth the tedium of the journey.