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Home , Claife

Hawkshead to

Ride on a traffic free route by lake shore. Climb through the trees to emerge on Claife Heights, with grand views of the Coniston fells and pass the delightfully-named. Wise Een and Moss Eccles Tarns. Tis route is about 25% off road, suitable for a mountain bike, although it could be enjoyed on a hybrid bike, walking short sections on Claife Heights.

Grade: Strenuousness 3, Navigation 3, Technicality 3 Start/Finish: Distance: Approx. 15 miles (24km) Time: 2 - 4 hours Terrain: Quiet country lanes, well graded cycle tracks,forest tracks Maps: OS Landranger 90 & 97, OS Explorer OL 7,

1. From Hawkshead Post Office in the centre of the village head south past the Sun Inn to a T-Junction, go straight ahead, signed ‘Newby Bridge.’ 2. Just before the start of a steep hill turn left, go through a gate onto a bridleway signed ‘Cunsey’. Go through the woods and a shallow ford and alongside Cunsey beck. Where the track divides fork left. 3. Turn left onto a surfaced road and follow it through Cunsey, bear right, signed ‘Windermere via ferry’. After climbing a short steep hill, turn right unsigned by a white house on the left to descend to a T-junction.

4. Turn right and descend to the lake shore. Where the main road bears right go straight ahead, signed the ‘The Lake Shore’, Continue by the lake shore onto a well surfaced track. Bear right at Red Nab car park. Signed ‘’. The track eventually climbs away from the lake to meet a road with Wray Castle on the right. 5. Turn left to High Wray 6. Turn left onto a bridleway, signed ‘Claife Heights’. Follow this uphill steadily, through a gate into the forest. 7. Where the forest road forks, go right to continue uphill to the point where a bridleway crosses at the top of the hill. Continue straight ahead on the forest road, signed ‘Far Sawrey’, up a short climb and round a hairpin bend, after which the track becomes a grassy bridleway. Pass through a gate out of the woods onto Claife Heights. Follow the obvious track ahead, with a small tarn on the left hand the larger Wise Een tarn on the right, through a shallow ford and up a short rocky climb. Then descend to Moss Eccles tarn, with views of the Coniston Fells on the right. Continue on the track, eventually passing through a gate and descending to where the track forks. 8. Go right through a gate signed ‘Near Sawrey’ to descend to Near Sawrey. 9. At the T junction in Near Sawrey, turn right to return to Hawkshead.