Featured Howgills Loop

This is one of the more common loops for the South Lakes based biker, and it’s easily tailored to personal preference. I missed out on a New Year’s Day ride, so this was a little payback.
The morning, though officially started, didn’t give much hint that the sun had just risen. I may have expected too much from an early winter set-off... but sometimes the dice fall your way, just not this time.
A damp run along the A590 to Kendal served to align my riding to the weather and other road users... I feel that “grey” sums them both up in my mind. So to lighten the truculent mood I was finding myself in, I popped by Kendal castle. The once mooted birthplace/home of Hviii survivor, Catherine Parr, has actually been shown to have been in great disrepair by the 16th century... they haven’t finished doing it up yet either!



Taking the A685 over Grayrigg to Tebay, the low cloud is like a pale grey blanket... hiding the tops of the Howgills from view. These normally stand immutable, like the rolling knuckles of some subterranean Titan pushing through the landscape. The river Lune is in spate at the moment, a brown, peaty slash that shares space with a motorway and a railway as it carves it’s way towards Lancaster.







The A685 continues through Tebay along some long straights towards Kirkby Stephen, favourite of top speed seekers, there is usually space enough to stretch your bikes legs, but I actually prefer to get off the main drag and go on the parallel back road through Kelleth, When you get to the turn for Ravenstonedale, you head for the biker friendly “Fat Lamb” and turn south towards Sedbergh on the A683. This is a classic bikers road, though the surface is cutting up now and the recent heavy rains drag muddy rivulets across the tarmac in places. Even the normally obliging Cautley Spout is hiding away with its head in the clouds.



Going through Sedbergh’s rugby pitches and golf course, you come to a tiny bridge at Abbot Holme and take some moorland lanes (equipped with grassy central stripe - yes we still have roads like this in places) and I head for the internationally renowned bike mecca of “Devils Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale”, but it’s still early on a Sunday that isn’t exactly encouraging weatherwise... so there’s maybe 25 bikes there in total. I don’t stay long, I have to get home to take my son to work, so I take the easy A roads back... and I can’t help thinking about how much the auld yella peril is gonna need washing down! All in all, 100 miles of grimish grimy roads that I feel so much better for getting out and riding! We only get one chance in life... get out and ride whilst you can.

 

Have a good one Joe, Stay safe!

 

Cheers Glenn, will be good to see sooner of your routes (I often worry I’ve missed a gem)