Our Lake District MTB Rock and Roll Tour involves 2.5 days of riding and has a little bit of everything, from tricky forest tech to mouthwatering big mountain singletrack and towering mountain peaks 950m up. We’ll show you our favourite Lake District mountain bike trails where you will find your flow on full-fun, forest singletrack in the quiet corners of Grizedale followed by some proper shake, rattle and roll on the relentless rocky trails of Langdale.
The Lake District is home to the highest mountains in England and we aim to tackle Helvellyn which delivers truly bucket-list mountain biking. Take in the views from high mountain passes and spectacular summits before dropping into old packhorse trails, ridgelines and boulder fields. Mountain biking in the Lake District features in many magazines and for a good reason. It really is some of the best in the UK.
Your Lake District MTB trip will start at lunchtime on Friday if you can make it where we will head out onto the local trails of Grizedale and find our feet riding some great flowy and slightly more technical trails for the full afternoon. This should get you into the swing of things for two big days ahead.
What's included
- Accommodation - 2 nights accommodation in a woodland lodge (Based on twin rooms)
- Meals – Hearty cooked breakfasts and Packed lunches
- Beer, wine and soft drinks
- Professional guiding – 2.5 day’s guided riding with Level 3 Guides
- Transport during your trip with a bike trailer
- Safety Equipment – First aid kits and emergency shelters carried by our guides alongside your personal equipment packs
- Financial failure insurance – Ensuring your money is 100% protected from the second we receive it until we have delivered your trip of a lifetime.
*Evening meals are taken in local pubs with tried and tested menus and great atmospheres.
*Single Supplement available at £100
Mountain biking in the lake District provides some truly breathtaking scenery with spectacular views of rocky mountain peaks and vast lakes. You will ride a variety of trails and cover anything from 800-1200 metres of ascent and 25-50k in one day. You should be happy tackling natural wet, rocky and technical terrain. The trails will vary from Red to Black grade and we recommend a 140-170mm full-suspension bike.
Facilities
IS THIS LAKE DISTRICT MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR FOR ME
Our Lake District Mountain Bike Tour riding will always be tailored to suit the group where possible however your base skill level should mean you are comfortable tackling trail centre Reds as a minimum having ridden Blacks and happy to have a go, or at least walk even more technical sections.
Fitness
We’ll be looking at biggish days – at least 5-6 hours – with plenty of ups and downs. But we’re not racing and we won’t leave anybody behind – up or down.
Technically
If you are at all concerned about whether the trip is right for you, please call us on 01173751360. We will be more than happy to advise.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR LAKE DISTRICT MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR
Our Lake District Mountain Bike Tour is an awesome riding experience through one of the UK’s finest National Parks. The plan is to ride from the door of the accommodation on Saturday and use some transport on Sunday.
While we need to be flexible, the plan is to ride from our accommodation on Friday and Saturday – lowish level, so great in all weathers, but some awesome riding with some great techie sections and some wonderful Lakeland scenery. We can usually finish with a swift half in one of the many local pubs.
Friday afternoon half day - 15-20k and 400-500m
Sat and Sun - typically 35km/900m
With a minibus at our disposal, we try to get a day in the mountains on Sunday (obviously weather permitting). Helvellyn is a favourite, but Nan Bield makes a good alternative. Or, if the weather’s not being kind, we can stay a little lower for an exhilarating tour above Coniston.
Typically around 30km/1000m
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN OUR LAKE DISTRICT MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR
- Accommodation - 2 nights accommodation in a woodland lodge (Based on twin rooms)
- Meals – Hearty cooked breakfasts and Packed lunches
- Beer, wine and soft drinks
- Professional guiding – 2.5 day’s guided riding with Level 3 Guides
- Transport during your trip with a bike trailer
- Safety Equipment – First aid kits and emergency shelters carried by our guides alongside your personal equipment packs
- Financial failure insurance – Ensuring your money is 100% protected from the second we receive it until we have delivered your trip of a lifetime.
*Evening meals are taken in local pubs with tried and tested menus and great atmospheres.
*Single Supplement available at £100
RIDING SKILLS AND FITNESS
Many people ask us about the riding and their skills and fitness. It’s a hard one to answer as the difficulty is so subjective and we can have up to 7 different riders, all with different fitness levels and technical abilities.
Riding skills
Firstly, the riding isn’t as tough as it sounds. We’ve chosen routes that give a real Lake District flavour but still make for an enjoyable weekend without killing you.
There will, however, be some long days (possibly 6-8 hours or more) and some technical downs (some of which probably everybody will walk a few metres). As long as you can keep smiling when you’re tired and pushing your bike then you’ll be fine.
In terms of riding ability, this trip won’t suit anyone who isn’t happily riding red and black trails in typical UK trail centres (please ask us if you would like more detail).
Fitness
It’s much more about stamina than speed or strength. There are some long days and we won’t be racing anywhere. On the bigger days, we’ll ride at a relaxed pace that can be kept up all day. We’ll also take more care than we would at a trail centre as a bad fall in a remote place is not good news.
The best training for this kind of trip is actually just getting out riding – preferably longer distances at a steady pace. 30km at a steady pace will be more useful than 15km at racing speed, so if your local trails are short, slow it down and do 2 laps!
BIKE CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Bike cleaning and maintenance
We’ll have secure storage for bikes overnight at the accommodation and a hose, brushes and a full cleaning kit, supplied by Peaty's, so you can clean your bike after riding. We’ll also have a bike stand and some tools for fettling and repairs. Please bring any tools that are specific for your bike.
Maps
Yup, we’re guiding so you don’t need them. But if you like following routes on your own maps, it’s best to discuss that with us in the lakes in case plans change and you bring the wrong ones! If you just want printouts or GPX tracks of where we’ve been when we get home, let us know and we can sort it for a vast fee!
OUR IMPACT
There’s no getting around it, 10 mountain bikers will be pretty conspicuous and we’ll have some impact on the landscape and other trail users. As a company, we’re 100% committed to minimising our impact in every way we can.
We operate a strict ‘pack it out’ policy for all litter (including banana skins and orange peel), and we try to leave as little trace of our passing as possible.While we’ll enjoy some epic descents and trails, please ride in control and at a speed that reflects your line of sight and abilities.
We’ll certainly meet walkers and we want any interactions to be as positive as possible. It’s important to give mountain bikers a good name.
Weather and insurance
Weather
On this Lakes District mountain bike tour, we could experience everything from hot sunny days, wet and windy days to full-on blizzards. We’ve made many trips to the Lakes throughout the year and had a real mix. When packing, please bring winter and summer clothing so we can make more informed decisions about what to wear and carry on the day or the night before.
Insurance
We don’t need medical insurance in England, but I strongly recommend travel insurance just to cover you should you get injured or fall ill before the trip or during it. Try YellowJersey and use the discount code – MTB75
KIT LIST
Kit list
The weather can be very varied in the Lakes so we need to be prepared. We’ll have a briefing every evening to give you an up-to-date weather forecast and plan the next day. We can share some of the kit to keep packs as light as possible.
Riding kit
Please let us know if there’s anything you haven’t got that you may need.
Essential, please make sure you have the following
- Hydration pack big enough to carry everything in the list below – suggested size 15L to 20L
- Mini pump for your valve type
- Inner tube (even if you use tubeless)
- Tubeless repair kit (if you use tubeless)
- Puncture patches (if you don’t use tubeless)
- Tyre levers
- Multi-tool
- 1 set of spare brake pads
- Rear gear hanger for your bike
- Power link for your chain type and speed
- Any medication you need
Recommended
- Dry bag to keep everything dry inside your pack
- Cable ties
- Duct tape (we suggest wrapping 1m around your pump)
- Mobile phone – in a waterproof case or plastic bag
- Small personal first aid kit
You’ll also need the following
- Water and snacks – gels, energy bars, jelly babies etc
- Lunch (this will be provided but you’ll need to carry it)
Recommended clothing
Essential, please make sure you have the following..
- Helmet
- Waterproof jacket (a full-on waterproof is recommended)
- Insulated jacket or very warm emergency layer
- MTB shoes (you must be able to walk in them!)
Recommended
- Knee and elbow pads
- Cycling shorts and/or waterproof shorts (or trousers)
- Wicking base layer or cycling jersey
- Mid-layer (fleece or soft shell)
- Woolly hat or buff
- Riding glasses
- Gloves (worth having a spare pair if it’s wet)
- Waterproof socks
Bikes
Your bike needs to be ready for the rigours of the mountains – steep and rocky climbs and very rough descents. A 140-170mm full suspension bike is what we recommend.
Tyres are important too. Lightweight racing tyres are easily torn. We recommend good trail or all-mountain tyres such as Maxxis High Rollers/Minion DHR/DHF in a Double Down casing and possibly with inserts.
Please make sure your bike is ready for 2 days of hard riding. Anything that looks slightly suspect will almost certainly break.
There are good bike shops in the Lakes
Property gallery
Booking and Availability
Please book live if a date is showing or please use the enquiry form to start the booking process. Our Lake District MTB Rock and Roll tour does require a minimum number to run. However, we have many groups and individuals that wish to ride this incredible destination. So please send your enquiry form to us with your preferred dates regardless of the numbers in your party and we will do the rest to make the trip happen. We have a long waiting list and a little flexibility can make all the difference.
PRIVATE GROUPS - Please contact us for a custom tour on a specific date and one of our team will get back to you ASAP with a price.
Ben Plenge
Mon, 08/30/2021 - 13:54
I have just got back from a week at Chalet Chappelle in Morzine and I was blown away by the MTB Beds experience and their team. It is insane value for money when you consider the quality of accommodation, food and facilities. Everybody there was super friendly and full of useful local knowledge and positive energy. The whole holiday was very slick and well run and it helped us all to have an awesome time. I will certainly be coming back to MTB Beds for my next trip. Ben
Adam Staton
Fri, 09/17/2021 - 12:18
Just home from the Tweed Valley Enduro Long Weekend with MTB Beds. Wow what a weekend. Epic riding, superb guides, great accommodation and some more epic riding. A superb intro to the Tweed Valley and the riding on offer at Glentress, The Golfie and Innerleithen. Rich and The MTB Beds team are superb - helpful, knowledgeable and responsive and Murray and the Team at Glentress Hotel were brilliant. Thoroughly recommended.