The Lake District with George Clarke

This was a beautiful ride through spectacular scenery that began by Derwent Water Marina, wound through Portinscale village and through the small market town of Keswick, then opened up into the flowing and scenic B5289 that runs southwards along Derwent Water.

After a quick stop at the pretty village of Grange, we rode through the exceptional unspoiled Borrowdale valley, through Seatoller and then up the Honister Pass, where sharp bends and steep gradients of up to 25% are going to test any bike’s low gear performance. 

The reward for conquering the twisting uphill road was the frankly breath-taking view into the Buttermere valley, and after stopping to fully appreciate our glorious surroundings we made our way steadily down past the Honister Slate mine towards the tiny hamlet of Buttermere.  

As enjoyable as that was, George had saved the best until last and our 7-mile home stretch firstly negotiated one of the Lake District’s true gems – the hillside road of Newlands Pass – then up past the picture-perfect Moss Force waterfall, before blissfully meandering down the valley road, at one with one of the UK’s most epic riding locations.

By the time we made it back to the start point at Derwent Water Marina, we wanted to do this unforgettable ride all over again.