South Lakeland Cycle Rides

Guidebook to South Lakeland's excellent cycling routes, with many quiet roads and historic tracks. 21 circular cycle routes for all the family, graded from easy to challenging.

I started cycling as a teenager, going on Youth Hostel tours with friends and family in the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and Scotland. When our third child was born, and it was no longer logistically possible to go hiking, we turned back to cycling as a means of being out in the country and getting some exercise.

The children enjoyed the experience, at first being pulled along and then progressing onto pedalling. It was essential to stop along the way to keep the day as an enjoyable experience rather than an exercise regime, so we always incorporated places of interest to rest, or the inevitable ice-cream stops!

In December 1998 my husband Howard and I embarked on a cycle ride across Cuba to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind, hence the idea of compiling this book based on our own experiences as a family cycling in and around Cumbria.

This cycle guide is aimed at everyone – young, old, fat, thin, fit or otherwise. Cycling is a great activity that you can do at your own pace. To help you find a ride to suit your level of cycling, the rides in this book are graded ‘easy’ (Rides 1–7), ‘moderate’ (Rides 8–17) or ‘challenging’ (Rides 18–21). In addition, at the start of each ride the route distance and a description of the terrain are given.

The rides cover south and north-east Cumbria, but also range into Yorkshire. As far as possible they follow quiet country lanes, so that even in the most popular tourist areas you can still feel that you are getting away from it all. Each ride is accompanied by a detailed map of the route, which is numbered to correspond with points in the text. Most of the rides include places of interest where you can stop off en route and pass numerous pubs and cafés for those important refuelling breaks, should you need them.

Don’t feel that you must have a mountain or racing bike or, for that matter, any of the latest fashionable clothes or equipment before you start. The bike that’s been gathering dust in the shed will do fine. However, here are a few tips to make a successful day out.

Mechanics                           
It goes without saying that your bikes should be in good working order – brakes in particular should be working well, especially if you are taking a child on your bike (the extra weight of a child makes quite a big difference to your stopping distance). If your gears are not working properly you will have difficulty getting up a hill or, worse still, become stuck in the wrong gear. It always makes sense to give your bike a quick once over before leaving. Just about every bike shop will provide a service for you if you don’t wish to, or can’t, do it yourself. If you hire a bike it should already be in good order.

Haynes publish an excellent manual on bike maintenance called The Bike Book. This is well worth purchasing if you wish to do your own servicing and are not familiar with bike mechanics. Carry a selection of tools and spares, including such items as a pump, Allen keys, chain extractor, spare inner tube and tyre levers (in the event of a puncture it is a lot easier to replace the inner tube and then repair the puncture in the comfort of your home), small adjustable spanner and a reversible screwdriver (slot and cross-head).         

Cycling with Children                   
Trailers (designed for carrying one or two children) which attach to the back of your bike are extremely useful bits of equipment and well worth the investment. Most have canopies which can be pulled down over the child in wet or windy conditions leaving them totally protected from the elements. Once the children have outgrown them they can be utilised as luggage transporters.

If you are taking a child with you who is not going to be pedalling remember that they will get colder than you. You may be doing all the sweating but they will be getting all the wind chill. Their feet, legs and hands are likely to cool down the fastest so take gloves and over-trousers with you for the little ones. Young children generally love going out on bike rides typically from six months onwards. They may even fall asleep after a while, which makes for a peaceful day out. As children get older (about three years) you can progress them onto peddling with you – for example, by using a trailer bike (see photograph). These are excellent devices which enable the child to pedal at their own rate or even stop pedalling altogether if they wish. You can cover quite large distances with a child on a trailer bike and it is not as difficult to balance as you may think. Once a child is on their own bike, you should always have them riding in front of you, rather than to the rear, for reasons of road safety. 

Distance and Speed
The rides in this book are designed for anyone to be able to complete. No time estimates are given since everyone will cycle at varying speeds. As a guide a fit club cyclist will average 16mph, a touring cyclist 10mph and a child 5mph. However, we have often taken all day to do a ride 20 miles long with picnic stops and detours for places of interest. The time taken is also greatly influenced by terrain. Some of the shorter rides can be more physically demanding than the longer ones. Do remember not to push yourself too hard and put you and your family off cycling for life. Each ride should be a fun day out!

Clothes and Comfort
Try to ensure that the bike fits you. After all you wouldn’t go for a run in the wrong size shoes. The fit of your bike can make a vast difference to your enjoyment. The saddle height should be positioned so that when the pedal is fully extended your knee is still slightly bent. The distance between the front of the saddle and the handlebars should be equal to the length of your forearm. This is often too long for a female, resulting in her having to lean too far forward to reach the handlebars. In this case either change the handlebars, move the seat forward, or consider a different bike. Try to make sure that children’s bikes also fit correctly. It is good practice to make sure children are sitting fairly upright, thus ensuring that they are looking at the road ahead rather than the tarmac.

A layer of waterproofs and several layers of thin clothes are the key to maintaining a comfortable temperature rather than having one thicker garment. Try to cycle in loose clothes and avoid tight, non-stretch materials. Make sure that the base of your back is covered when you lean forward or you will get either cold or sunburnt.

A plastic bag over your socks works wonders for keeping your feet dry and warm. Bright tops and reflective bibs are great for keeping the cars at bay. It gives them no excuse for saying ‘I didn’t see you’.