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The Lakes and Dales Loop is destined to become a classic “must-do” cycle ride. This remarkable route offers an unparalleled experience of both the Lake District and the Dales, seeing the very best of both regions from the quietest, cycle-friendly roads.
Highlights
• 100% road bike friendly
• Bag transfers so you can cycle light
• Logistics planned for you, so you can focus on the cycling
• Cycle through the beautiful Lake District and Yorkshire dales national parks
• Emergency mechanical breakdown support
The Lakes and Dales Loop distance and route elevation
Total distances.
Total height gain:
196 miles or 315 km
15452ft or 4710m
Place names have been highlighted throughout the description, to help you match up where you’ll be staying, depending on how many days and nights you wish to take for the journey.
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Ride Description
The journey begins in the market town of Penrith, located on the edge of the Eden Valley. Often talked about as the “Gateway to the Lake District”, this bustling, friendly place has become the UK’s cycle touring Mecca, sitting at the meeting point of the two great rides – the Classic Coast to Coast, and Land’s End to John O’Groats. It’s the perfect launch point for any cycling adventure holiday, with ample long stay carparking, a mainline train station and cycle friendly accommodation.
The first day on the bikes sees you pedal from the door, out westwards, climbing gently through rolling farmland and small, stone-built villages. By staying on the northern fringes of The Lake District today you get a real flavour of untouristed, untouched village life.
This is a land that feels like it faces north into Scotland, and on a clear day, there will be stretches where you can see the Solway Firth and the Scottish Borders beyond. This section of the ride takes you around the northern slopes of two iconic Lake District Mountains of Blencathra and Skiddaw.
The journey from Cockermouth towards the west coast takes you through some of the most iconic scenery within the Lake District National Park. It really will take your breath away at every turn – in fact, the biggest challenge (aside from the plentiful, rolling hills, of course) is keeping up your momentum when there are so many photos to take.
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The route towards the sea is not an easy one, as you roll across the lower slopes of some serious Lakeland mountains and pass through the Loweswater and Ennerdale valleys. A highlight for many is the crossing of Cold Fell – a bleak sounding place, but in fact a true “out there” experience, with panoramic views. This unfenced road seems to exist in the middle of nowhere, descending, eventually, to the sleepy little hamlet of Calder Bridge, on the river of the same name. A short while later you end up in Gosforth, which has all the facilities needed to re fuel a weary cyclist.
The cycling now takes a more serene turn for a little while, as you bowl through green lowland fields, on the way to the village of Eskdale Green. The route up on to Birker Fell is quite a challenge but gives the best views yet of the Scafell Range, and the rolling peaks and ridges that connect it to the sea. This next section of the ride explores an area that anyone with young children may start to recognise by both the scenery and the place names – this is Postman Pat country!
You pedal through the picturesque villages of Lowick and Booth before entering the Dunnerdale Fells, which are now quite different in character to anything we’ll have seen before on the journey. This is where the rolling farmlands of the south lakes begin to take over, as the views become a succession of green waves of hedgerows and fields, descending towards Grange-over-Sands.
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Prepare for another dramatic change of scene as you leave the bay – this time heading for the flats of the southern most point of the Lake District national park. Enjoy 10 miles of almost flat, open terrain, skirting the river Kent Estuary with stunning views across the open water towards Morecambe. Flying through the outskirts of Kendal you leave The Lake District behind, on our way to Kirby Lonsdale in the Dales.
The climb out of Kirkby takes you from Devil’s Bridge over the River Lune right up to the heights of Barbondale, overlooking the plunging valleys of The Howgills. A fast, sweeping descent takes you through the town of Sedbergh, a hidden gem at the junction of valleys, and teeming with book shops and pubs in more or less equal number.
Beyond the village of Orton, you make a dramatic swerve right as we leave the busy market town of Appleby, heading northeast now, to get right up to the fellside villages of the Eden Valley. These are the places that, in years gone by, would be cut off for months at a time in the winter, as thick snow blanketed the entire Pennine chain.
Crossing the river Eden you’re almost at the end of the route, with one more stiff climb to test the legs as you pedal past Strawberry Farm and over Penrith's Beacon edge. The ride ends with a final race down the side of the Beacon and into the heart of Penrith for 15:00 - 18:00, where you can collect your bags to start your homeward journey, or check in for any pre-arranged extra nights.