35 miles around Ambleside
Route facts
Waterways:
Elterwater »
Rydal Water »
Distance: 35 miles / 56km
Duration: 5 hours
Difficulty: Energetic
Suitable for: Only for the very fit
Circular route from: Ambleside
The route is provided by the Cumbria Tourist Board and is described as 'hard'.
Getting there
Parking: There are a number of car parks in Ambleside.
Waypoints
1. Ambleside to Chapel Stile
Turn right, through High Close YHA. Go down the tarmac road. On approaching a bench turn left and drop down the track that follows parallel to the road, joining the road 0.5 mile down. Continue straight on avoiding turning off to Chapel Stile.
2. Chapel Stile to High Oxen Fell Farm
Watch out for the cattle. The track will then turn to tarmac. Continue until you hit a junction. Turn right up a loose slatey climb, a long hard grind on concrete slabs. Pass through the gate up the track continuing past Dale End Farm. Continue down to junction, then turn left onto the main road. Take the first right before the Three Shires Pub. Go down the track to a ford. Turn left onto a track out of ford, then bear right up a track. Up through quarries bearing left over loose slate track up to a tarmac road with bungalow in front. Turn left onto a tarmac road, follow behind the houses and then turn right up to a gate. Go through the gate and follow the track up to High Oxen Fell Farm. Go through the gate and turn left onto tarmac road. Follow the road up to the junction with the main road.
3. Oxen Fell Farm to High Park Farm
Begin this section cycling straight across and up a steep tarmac climb turning right onto a bridleway. Continue along a rocky track, up steep loose climb until you arrive at a bridlepath on your left. Follow the bridleway signposted Iron Keld through woods to the top of the climb and pass through gate. Drop down track, follow bridleway down Iron Keld. Past Low Arnside Farm, through gate, follow track - beware to turn off track onto marked grassy bridleway. Cycling through the ford is possible, keep speed up and be wary of any rocks in the stream. This bridleway is a challenging descent worth all the pain and suffering of climbing through the forest. You will then ride down to the main road. Turn left and follow the road for just under a mile. Up the hill along the side of Tongue Intake Plantation. Turn right down lane to High Park Farm.
4. High Park Farm to Ambleside
At Loughrigg the track opens up. Through a stream, up a banking which you may find tricky, up to the gate and at last you've climbed the last hill, its downhill all the way back to the start. The last half mile on the tarmac road is steep and can be slippy, so be careful.
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