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Whinlatter Forest - The Gruffalo Ride, North Lakes



Whinlatter Forest – Nearly 6 miles


Parking – If your not able to ride into Whinlatter Forest you can parked in Revelin Moss Car Park, the main car park next to the visitor centre or you could ride in from the bottom via Powterhow Wood car park off Braithwaite road. They have one of those clever pay as you go machines that takes card payments or cash once you have entered your registration number. It cost £8.50 for the day.
Things to note – This ride has no gates, surface is forest track so if your horse is barefoot you may like to use some hoof boots. This ride is mostly off road, but you may see other users (walkers and cyclists) when you get closer to the visitor centre. Most of the route is not on advertised forest trails so we did not see many people. Forest tracks can all look the same so you do need to check your going in the right direction and if you have a smart phone I would recommend the OS app. This ride can be made longer or shorter depending on what you would like to do. You can ride on any of the forest tracks/fire roads, but just keep clear of the marked/promoted mountain bike trails, there is also a Bridleway through the forest.








Starting from Reveline Moss take the orange dot route that runs along the main road, this eventually brings you out on the road, here cross the road and go up a grassy forest track. This brings you to the edge of Lorton Fell and you follow the track that hugs the side of the fell back toward the visitor centre and café. Every time you meet another track I would recommend checking your map to make sure your on the right route. Once you turn for home you will start seeing mountain bike trails and seeing a few other folk about. This brings you out at the Gruffalo view point looking down towards Keswick and over Derwent Water and distant fells. Once at the visitor centre I can recommend the café (and toilets!), if you go around the back there is a good grass verge and handy wooden hand rail.
A nice Forest England chap came out to see us and said ‘how lovely it was to see horse riders, they do not get them very often’. So I hope this post will encourage a few more riders to visit as it really is a fab place for a ride, wheel or walk.

A GPX file of this ride can be downloaded from Ride Cumbria Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/367414084781168
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