Skip to main content

Riding Langdale, Central Lakes

























To anyone that like looking at OS maps Great Langdale it pretty special. I say this as there is so much choice, weather you’re a walkers, mountain biker, horse rider or disabled tramper user. This ride is good at any time but a great time to visit this valley has to autumn, firstly there are less visitors and secondary the autumn colours on a sunny crisp day really do sing!

One of my favourite routes is the bridleway that starts in Elterwater and carries on up the valley through Great Langdale. This trail is for all and the last time I did this was with my horse and my two children were 8 and 10 on their mountain bikes. It sounds a crazy mix, but riding your horse while others cycle really can work, especially if you can find the right off road route. This route does have one hill, but overall it quite flat (for the Lake District) so for the youngest member of the team this route was challenging but still doable. At no point did I have to lead my horse and push a small child’s bike! These are the types of things I quite often consider when planning a day out!

 




For us the best place to start was the National Park Authorities Car Park on the Common in Elterwater. From here travel on through though the pretty hamlet of Elterwater and the when you get to the Elterwater Hotel take a right up the hill. Soon the tarmac will turn into a track (if you keep on the track it takes you to Little Langdale), at the this point you bear right past a couple of cottages and take a narrow tarmac road through woodland that leads to Baysbrown Farm. Signage on this part of the route is not very good and you may want to look at a map before you head through the farmyard. When you reach the farm you will go through a gate and the you need to do a bit of a left and straight on wiggle to get through the yard. Once through the farm the route travel onto a nice hard core trail with fantastic views of the Langdale Fells with scattered trees and woodland and suddenly the trail takes on a very wild feel even though your down in the valley bottom. Even my horse Ryan at this point had to stop to take in the view and as he often does did a big horse winnie to see if there were any fellow horses in the valley ahead.

 



You then reach a nice wooden bridge over Great Langdale Beck and once over the bridge the valley flattens out and soon you are on the straight byway to the hamlet at the bottom of Stickle Ghyll (marked on OS map as New Hotel). There are a couple of pubs here but one of my favourite pubs in the area has to Lanty Slee's at Stickle Barn. We had sandwiches and chips and of course hot chocolate as we sat outside keeping an eye on Ryan, who enjoyed a lot of fuss from fellow walkers.  From here you can go on up the valley to Blea Tarn and round to make a bigger ride, but today we retraced our hoof and wheel marks on the same route. A lovely day out in Langdale for Team Orange Pony.

Things to note 

7 Mile Ride

Starting point  Elterwater Common car park – What3Word: ///lasts.headlight.deleting and OS Map Ref: NY 32920 05109 

OS maps OL7 and OL6

Route - suitable for walking, horse riding, 4x4 wheel chairs mountain biking

Trail type - short bits of quite roads, bridleways and byways (about 95% off road)

Other routes from Elterwater - Why not try riding over to Little Langdale to Tilberthwaite or over to Grasmere and Loughrigg Fell. 

The route is public route of the OS maps app/website (click on 'all routes' not just 'recommended' and zoom into the start of the ride to find the route) and a GPX file of this ride can be downloaded from Ride Cumbria Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/367414084781168

 





 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Case to included Equestrians in all Active Travel Policy and Projects

  In my spare time I do quite a lot of voluntary outdoor access work. Here is my response for a call for evidence from the government's All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking on Active Travel and Social justice (  https://appgcw.org/2024/11/12/active-travel-and-social-justice-inquiry/  ) New riding routes coming soon, but thought I would post by my paper here for future reference.   The All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW) Active Travel and Social Justice Inquiry The Case to included Equestrians in all Active Travel policy and Projects Active travel is a growing focus in urban planning, as governments aim to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce congestion, and decrease environmental impact. Policies often emphasize the use of bicycles as a primary mode of active transport, with campaigns targeting cyclists for infrastructure development, safety, and accessibility. While much of this fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Equestrians need to Think Like Cyclists and Just Ride it! - Keswick to Threkeld Railway Trail

I am normally a person who does everything by the book, but I do develop strong views if I believe something is not quite right. If your an equestrian the Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail (K2T) is one of these places as horses are not allowed on the trail. On 22 March 2024 we decided to ride the Keswick to Threkeld Railway Trail after discussing the matter with other rights of way experts and decided that this is the only way forward to get equestrians access. A few of us from Cumbria Bridleway Society have been campaigning for over 5 years to get equestrians access to K2T. After many letters, emails, meetings, reports (on both sides) we still do not have a genuine reason from the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) as to why equestrians cannot be included on K2T. The LDNPA is the principal landowner of K2T and therefore in my mind this is public land. The upgraded trail cost nearly £8 million pounds of public money and the aim of the grant money was to get Vulnerable Road ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Loughrigg Fell, Ambleside, Central Lakes

  The Lake District is good at any time of year and often your can get four seasons in a day! Spring though has the added benefit of it being a bit quieter and a good time to go on a bluebell ride. After spending several years working in Grasmere I have become very fond of Loughrigg Fell and in a past work life this was my morning dog walk before work. I remember the bluebells being good, but the day of this ride they really were spectacular! There are a couple of car parks in Elterwater, but this time we tried Silverthwaite Car Park between Elterwater and Skelwith Bridge. Once you have worked out how the machine works this is a great car park to start a ride. From Silverthwaite car park cross the road and take the path directly opposite the car park entrance. This leads you through a small wood and links onto the bridleway. Some people may like to dismount and lead their horse along this path. Once you have done this, the bridleways around here are well signed, but you still need...
Post a Comment
Read more