Cumbria is a great county for cycling and cyclists, and on the Cumbria Cycling website I hope to give you as much local information and web links as possible.
Lake District and Cumbria Cycling
Cumbria has waymarked long-distance cycle routes crossing the county, including:
- The C2C coast to coast cycle route, starting in Whitehaven or Workington, going via Keswick and Penrith to cross the Pennines to finish on the North Sea coast
- Hadrian’s Cycleway, coming from Tynemouth near Newcastle Upon Tyne to Carlisle, then around the coast to Maryport and down to Whitehaven.
- The Reivers Route, again from Tynemouth to Whitehaven, but this time via a more northern route including Kielder Water, into Carlisle, then down to the northern fringe of the Lake District and Cockermouth.
- The Walney to Wear cycle route, from near Barrow across the southern edge of the Lake District and into the Pennines, finishing at Sunderland on the North Sea.
Then there are the challenges of the Lake District passes:
- Hardknott Pass
- Wrynose Pass
- Honister Pass
- and many more!
And the slightly less challenging cycle routes along the Lakeland valleys:
- Langdale
- Borrowdale
- Eskdale
- and again many more
Or the bike routes close to the Cumbrian coasts and the Eden valley, offering flatter rides if you prefer them.
There are some very good maps to show you the routes that will suit you, available at the Bike Ride Maps website, based in Cockermouth.
Cycle maps for Cumbria and Lake District at the Bike Ride Maps website
Click here for reviews of the main Lake District cycle maps and guide books.
Or go to the Bike Ride Maps website to place your order through the links below:
- South Cumbria and The Lake District Sustrans Cycle Map
- North Cumbria and Dumfries Sustrans Cycle Map
- Lake District & Cumbria Ordnance Survey Tour Map
- Sustrans C2C coast to coast cycle map
- Reivers Route cycle map
- And more, with a summary here: Cumbria and Lake District Cycle Maps and Guide Books
Local Cumbria and Lake District links for cyclists
Perhaps you are coming on holiday to Cumbria and the Lake District? Or you are new to cycling and looking for some ideas? Or maybe you already cycle here, and are making plans.
You can use this website for information on:
- Cycle-friendly accomodation in Cumbria and the Lake District
- Cycle-friendly café in Lakeland and Cumbria
- Bike shops and bike hire around Cumbria and the Lake District
- Strava cycle routes in ‘A Lake District Grand Tour’
The author of the Cumbria Cycling website
I am Mike Carden, author of ‘A Lake District Grand Tour’ amongst other cycling books. I cycle regularly in Cumbria and the Lake District, so I hope this site proves useful. If you have any suggestions, clean ones, let me know!
If you would like to read my book, A Lake District Grand Tour, it can still be found in book shops but the first print run is almost sold through now. It is, however, available on Kindle and at the Bike Ride Maps website.
You can find me on:
- www.mikecarden.co.uk: web content writing and author page
- Twitter: @Mike__Carden where I mostly share images of the Lake District
- Instagram: @Mike__Carden – more photography of Cumbria and the Lake District!
- C2C Cycle website with information on detours and route suggestions for the C2C coast to coast cycle route
- Bike Ride Books website – book reviews and information on my cycling books, including ‘A Lake District Grand Tour’.
Author page, web content and design: Mike Carden.co.uk
Mike Carden’s Blog: LakeDistrictIdeas.co.uk
including ‘Top 10 for Cycling in the Lake District‘!
Cumbria Cycling… enjoy!