Cycling in the Lake District. Richard Barrett

      A heavily berried holly tree on the climb around Lingmoor Fell with the Langdale Pikes in the distance (Stage 5A and Route 2)

      This compact and easily accessible corner of the North West is packed with the best of everything that England has to offer including cycling. It has all of the land over 914m (3000 feet) with England’s highest summits, the largest and deepest lakes and rare wildlife such as red squirrels, nesting osprey and a solitary golden eagle that desperately needs a mate. The scenery was wild and dramatic before man arrived, first settling in the fertile valleys to grow crops and rear cattle, and then venturing into the fells to mine copper, lead and other ores. By medieval times the region was criss-crossed by packhorse tracks that linked the main commercial centres of Ambleside and Keswick with the outside world. Over time these tracks became the roads we know today. Some have very steep gradients and cross the highest passes in England providing cyclists with challenging rides amid stunning scenery.

      Over the last 150 years, the growth of tourism and outdoor activities has transformed the region, particularly the eastern and central parts that are more easily accessible to those visiting for a weekend or just a day. Today, Ambleside, which a century ago was still a small market town, has accommodation and eateries to suit all pockets, outdoor shops in every direction and an increasing number of specialist retailers selling excellent locally produced foods. Then to mitigate the risk of tourists staying away during the colder, greyer months, there is an increasingly busy calendar of festivals in the region covering everything from beer and food to film and jazz. This means that the main towns of the district are now tourist destinations in their own right almost regardless of the fells and lakes that surround them, adding another layer of interest and variety to this beautiful part of the country.

      There are numerous opportunities for easy, family-orientated cycling on traffic-free trails and quiet lanes around the shores of many lakes. But that’s not what this guide is about. This book caters for those who want to tour through the mountains and valleys of England’s largest national park, perhaps crossing one or more of the six famous passes which are all over 305m above sea level with gradients that occasionally touch 1 in 3 (33 per cent). While none of these climbs is high by European standards, the narrowness of the valleys in the Lake District means that roads have to take a direct route to the top rather than meandering their way up, resulting in sections with gradients that would be classified as hors catégorie in the Tour de France. Thankfully, they are just a fraction of the length of the classic climbs found in the Alps and the Pyrenees, but they are challenging to ride so need a good level of fitness.

Lake District National Park

      Until the region was popularised in William Wordsworth’s (1770–1850) 1820 edition of A guide through the District of the Lakes, it would have been a relatively wild and inaccessible area seen as uncivilised and dangerous for travellers. Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth and educated at Hawkshead. In 1799 he settled in Grasmere living at Dove Cottage until his growing family forced him to move to Allan Bank in 1808, then the Old Rectory in 1810 and finally Rydal Mount in 1813. He lived there for the remainder of his life surrounded by a group of similarly Romantic writers and poets now known as the Lake Poets. Wordsworth described the district as ‘a sort of national property, in which every man has a right and an interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy’. But his enthusiasm for others to enjoy the landscape did not stop him protesting against the railway being extended to Windermere in 1847, perhaps with good reason as what had been a peaceful lakeside hamlet originally called Birthwaite became instantly accessible to the wealthy professionals and businessmen of the Northern cities and mill towns who quickly transformed the landscape by building lavish villas as weekend retreats. Hotels and boarding houses rapidly followed to accommodate the 120,000 tourists who visited the now fashionable resort every year during the second half of the 19th century. As tourism grew, the wealthy ventured further afield, building or acquiring grand country retreats, leaving the towns to holiday makers and day trippers.