The Great British Mountain Bike Trail Guide

FACILITIES

Car park and charges: Yes; charges apply

Cafe: Yes

Toilets: Yes

Showers: No

Bike wash: Yes

Nearest bike shop: On site

Bike hire: Yes

Accommodation: B&Bs, hotels, campsites and youth hostels in and around the area of Hawkshead and Ambleside.

Other trails on site: Black DH trail, permissive paths and forest roads.

Ordnance Survey map: Explorer OL7.

ENJOYMENT FOR SKILL LEVEL

Beginner: 2/10

Intermediate: 8/10

Advanced: 9/10

Getting there: From Hawkshead make your way south, you will see a small narrow lane between houses and brown signs pointing you to Grizedale Forest. Climb up over the hill and after a few kilometres you drop down the other side and you will see the car park and visitor centre to your right.

Grid ref: SD 33421 94259

Sat nav: LA22 0QJ

More info: www.forestry.gov.uk/thenorthfacetrail

THE NORTH FACE TRAIL

On-site grade: Red

Clive’s grade: Red

Distance: 16.5km

Technicality: 7/10

Ascent: 342m

ENJOYMENT FOR SKILL LEVEL

Beginner: 4/10

Intermediate: 8/10

Advanced: 7.5/10

The trail starts by the bike shop below the visitor centre. Follow the gravel road around through the farm buildings and be aware of other trail users and oncoming traffic in this area. Just below the farmhouse you head through a five-bar gate and start to climb up on a forest road out in open ground.

The Forest Road takes a switchback right and climbs up for a few metres before you turn left into a single-track trail. The opening climb traverses around the hillside and is rough and technically challenging. Expect to encounter tight switchback and rocky outcrops. There are multiple desire lines that have appeared, evidence that riders have been pushing through this part of the trail, but try and avoid these and stick to the main trail.

When you exit the top of the single-track climb you will join a forest road and continue to climb for a short distance. The next section of trail is a flowing but rough piece of single track. This, however, is short-lived and you’re back onto a forest road and climbing for some considerable distance.

At the top of the climb the forest road continues to run along the ridge lines and you have wonderful views down to Coniston Water, and on a clear day you can also see The Old Man of Coniston towering above the village. The forest road dips down and climbs up and you will turn right into another piece of single track. Originally there was a boardwalk at this section but that has now been replaced with large stone sets to help you navigate your way through some wet and boggy ground.

You rejoin the forest road and continue to traverse along the hilltop. Once again you will leave the forest road and take a section or two of single track. These sections descend slightly but overall we are again at a high elevation. Within the sections of single track you will pass over a few boardwalks. It is advisable to take care on wet days as they can become very slippery!

The final section of single track in this leg joins the forest road with a switchback to your left and after a few metres you switch right into the next piece of trail. This is the only part on the trail where navigation and signage could cause a problem. You’ll discover that the majority of the single tracks in Grizedale are rough and loose – but what else would you expect from the Lake District!

You join back into a forest-road-link section as you climb up and drop down, heading away from those spectacular views and back into the main forest. The following kilometres are a mixture of flowing single track and forest-road-link sections. You will have some relatively flat and rough sections of trail to deal with before passing the upper car park and heading into the final descent.

The final descent isn’t particularly steep but you do get a good distance on single-track trail as you drop back down the hill towards the visitor centre.

There are a few sections in this final descent with very tight corners, so watch out for these. You will also have a final forest-road-link section and a long section of boardwalk to negotiate. The final stages of the descent are out in the open and a pair of gates split up the final section before you make it back to the visitor centre.

GRIZEDALE