The Old Coach Road

Route Grade Difficult
Time 6 hours
Nearest Town Keswick
Map Ref NY 269239
OS Landranger 90
Distance 25 miles
Total ascent 450m/1476 feet
Start/finish point Keswick
Parking Keswick
OS Outdoor Leisure 4 & 5
Families Over 10 & accompanied
Long distance tour used C2C

A.GIF (1049 bytes)lthough this is a difficult ride it can be achieved by all cyclists in good physical health. You will have to walk at times to reach the top (particularly during the first two miles of the Old Coach Road itself) as the track is steep and rocky but the views are worth the effort. The area becomes remote and you are recommended to have at least the following equipment.

E.GIF (677 bytes)quipment: Good tool kit for spares & repairs, including inner tubes to deal with snakebite punctures (caused by hitting a sharp rock splitting the inner tube against the rim). Mountain bike with front suspension for comfort! Shoes with a good tread. Water bottle and snacks.

Route Description.

The Old Coach Road - Route Map S.GIF (708 bytes)tart: Behind Keswick Leisure Pool. Join the disused railway track and after one mile, climb the steps on your left immediately after a concrete road bridge over the track to join A5271. Head uphill and away from Keswick for 200 yards, bear left at the next junction and take the first right to follow the C2C (Coast to Coast) signs, also marked "Castlerigg Stone Circle". You now face a steady climb of just under one mile before arriving at the ancient site, dating from around 2000 BC and well worth a visit.

F.GIF (706 bytes)rom the Stone Circle, continue on the same road, keeping right at the next three junctions, until after one mile descending you meet the B5288. You will see the start of the Old Coach Road (formerly the main access route between Keswick and Penrith) across the road to your right, signposted Threlkeld Common and C2C.
Y.GIF (716 bytes)ou would be as well to walk the first section of the track, especially the first two climbs within the first two miles as the ground is loose and if wet, can be very slippery. You will need to take care until you reach the top. From here, to your left is Blencathra or Saddleback with the village of Threlkeld nestling at its foot. A little to its right is Souther Fell and to its right is Mungrisdale.
The Old Coach Road A.GIF (1049 bytes)fter three miles, you will have a choice – straight across the junction to Dockray where there is a pub or left to Matterdale End. Either way, when you reach the main road (the A5091), turn left and head for Troutbeck.

C.GIF (1081 bytes)arefully – very carefully – cross the A66 and, turning left, use the cycleway at the side of the main road, turning right after a mile towards Mungrisdale, where there is an excellent pub and an ideal lunch stop. In the village, a church has stood on the site of St. Kentigern’s since AD 552 and the present church, built in 1756 has a triple decker pulpit.

H.GIF (713 bytes)ead back on the same side of the River Glenderamackin as the Inn, along the gated road for 2 miles, turning right onto the cycle track at the main road. Follow this track into Threlkeld and all the way through the village when you will pick up the roadside cycle path again. After a short distance, you will drop down onto the old railway track, which follows the River

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