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This was originally published in BIKE, but they trimmed it quite a bit. This page is the original version, but you can also read the published article.
'LAKELAND IS NOT FASHIONED FOR MOTORISTS', wrote the Late
Alfred Wainright, author of those funny little handwritten guidebooks for fell walkers. Don't you believe it. The Lake District is England's biggest National Park, and contains
more good biking roads than you can shake a bar of Kendal Mint Cake at. The most exciting road of all is an unnumbered ribbon of tarmac linking Langdale to Eskdale across the high passes of Wrynose and Hardknott.
The Eastern approach is best, taking you over the gentler Wrynose pass first. Follow the A593 out of Ambleside towards Coniston and pass
through Skelwith Bridge, ignoring the turnoff to Langdale. A mile or so later, take the road on the right where you see a 'width restriction' sign, and bear left for Little Langdale. Keep going past Little
Langdale Tarn, and when you reach the cattle grid, take the left fork to Fell Foot farm.  As it leaves Fell Foot, the road opens up and starts a sweeping climb up to Wrynose pass. This is one of the few places you can get out of second gear, but don't get carried away because there's a
nasty drop developing off to the left. A clutch of steep bends slows you down for the summit, topping out at a modest 1281 feet. Until 1974, this was the point where the old counties of Cumberland, Westmorland
and Lancashire intersected. It's all Cumbria now, but the point is still marked by the Three Shire Stone, erected here in 1816.
There's been a road through here for 2000 years, though it's had tarmac
for less than fifty. The Romans were first, and they called this the Tenth Highway, linking forts at Waterhead and Ravenglass. It was a packhorse trail during the 17th and 18th Centuries, but was decimated
by tank training during World War II. The road was completely rebuilt after the war, gaining a tarmac surface in the process. Over the summit, the splendid panorama of Wrynose Bottom uncoils into
the haze. The road plummets through an assortment of gravelly bends, scrubbing off a quick few hundred feet before it is joined by the youthful River Duddon. The tarmac departs from the Roman route here,
but traces can still be seen off to the right. The huge boulders scattered across the valley floor are jetsam from the glaciers that stormed through here ten thousand years ago.
The main road curves left into the Duddon Valley at Cockley Beck, and GoldWing riders are advised to follow its example. The Romans weren't burdened with such unwieldy tackle, so they pushed their road straight
on towards the Dunnerdale forest before turning right and climbing up towards Hardknott pass. The modern route up the pass approaches the terrain with a more resigned air, leaving the Roman road to tack back
and forth across it. It is signposted here, and lies on the other side of a gate.  If you ride a big trail bike, you've dreamed
about this road. If you ride a Harley and are unwise enough to ignore the cluster of warning signs beyond the gate, you are going to dream about it. The deceptively gentle
sweep up from the river ends suddenly as the road tips back into a frenzy of outrageous hairpins. Gradients reach 1 in 3, and the tarmac is as smooth as glass in places. Cars that falter on the bends can be seen
wheel-spinning onto the verges, and the unfortunate biker who misses a gear has little option but to bail out (trust me on this one).
If you like your roads in three dimensions, it's a fabulous ride, with
lots of exercise for the bottom gears and throttle. Suspension subtleties and aerodynamics mean nothing up here; it's a real test of balance and low speed control. Trail bikes are in their element, and
the sound of a big single hauling itself up and down the cliff-like bends is music to the ears. Falling sharply from the summit, the way is once again crossed by the
Roman road as it loops around behind Hardknott Castle. The 'castle' is actually a Roman fort, and can be reached on foot a little way back from the road. At 1291 feet, Hardknott plays second fiddle to Kirkstone
pass for sheer altitude, but the view from the Roman fort is hard to beat. Sitting atop an almost sheer crag, the fort commands breathtaking views of the upper Eskdale valley, and on a clear day you can see right
across to the Isle of Man.  The descent continues with another set of vicious
hairpins, but things soon settle down for a pleasant dawdle along the valley floor. The coast is only a few miles from here, but the best way to go is South East, following the road up across Birker Fell
to Ulpha. You can keep going and pick up the A593 to Coniston, but my own favourite route is North East from Ulpha. This will take you through Dunnerdale and up the Duddon valley,
back to Wrynose Bottom. It's another outstanding route, and unlike Hardknott is usually free from traffic.
WAINRIGHT WAS RIGHT, OF COURSE. Of the countless passes dividing more
than 200 Lakeland peaks, only seven carry tarmac roads. And if the dual carriageway over Dunmail Raise is the shape of things to come, maybe that's for the best. In the meantime, if you really want to see the
fells, you're going to need knobbly tyres, a pair of wellies and a copy of Ian Thompson's Exploring Green Roads & Lanes of Great Britain. |
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