In 2018, our group cycle tour will be Ravenglass to Ravenscar. This will be a route we put together ourselves. There are sections of the route that we have cycled previously, and one such includes part of the C2C which Sarah and I completed a few years back. We had also used this section of the route on our Wainwright Coast-to-Coast, and clearly, Andy S hadn’t enjoyed the section that took us alongside the A66 too much. Instead, he proposed the alternative C2C route that follows the Old Coach Road to Matterdale End.

Having looked at the route on the map, I decided it needed recceing. So, we found ourselves at Threlkeld at the beginning of a recce ride.

We left the village and set off in the direction of Keswick.

We followed NCN Route 71 and crossed over the A66.

After a few miles we turned off and followed the alternative Route 71 which took us towards the Old Coach Road.

This took us over St John’s Beck.

And on to the Old Coach Road.

It very quickly became clear that this was not going to be the alternative route for our tour next year as we walked most of the first section.

The views, however, were fabulous.

It was worth recceing this route just for these views alone.

Nonetheless, we still had a hill to climb … or perhaps to swim …

And then there were  the locals …

Sections of the route had been washed away.

At one point we needed to cross a ford. Andy S took a look at this and decided it would be madness to chance it.

For the sensible route was to use the bridge nearby.

Then again, everyone has a mad moment …

The Old Coach Road was about five miles in length and it finished at Matterdale End. Here, we read the sign advising us not to proceed. We had seen why!

Back on tarmac, we now headed for Greystoke.

We were held up at one point in a rather unusual traffic jam …

It might not have been great weather, but the hay bales were smiling at us.

We had hoped to have lunch at Sarah’s favourite Greystoke Cycling Cafe – but it was closed for the season. Thankfully, the nearby The Boot & Shoe proved a fine alternative.

The weather had been steadily deteriorating, and while we had been at the pub it had started to rain.

The pub owner had indicated our proposed route featured a climb out of Greystoke.

Our afternoon route saw us through Berrier and up Eycott Hill.

The journey down the hill was a struggle, with the cold rain freezing the face.

Thankfully, when we reached the outskirts of Mungrisdale the rain dissipated and we entered a micro-climate of relative warmth. We had cycled through Mungrisdale on our SCCC Club Weekend ride last year.

At Mungrisdale, we once again picked up NCN Route 71.

Finally, we returned to Threlkeld.

I am not sure how many mile we had actually. My Garmin Edge recorded 26 miles, my Garmin watch 28 miles, and Sarah and Andy S recorded distances closer to 30 miles. Whatever the distance, this had been a challenging route, with mixed weather, but nonetheless some fantastic scenery. We had all enjoyed the cycle ride.

You can view our Old Coach Road to Matterdale End route below: