Bikepack to Black Crag

An early finish from work, so with the car loaded with the bike and all the gear, I parked at Staveley and rode through
the lanes to Bowness and fuelled up on some chips, enjoyed people watching overlooking Bowness Bay

The On One loaded up and aboard the Windermere ferry. Only me the bike and one other passenger! The bridleway
on the West side of the lake has been improved recently and made for rapid and easy progress

Getting close to Black Crag as I head up onto Iron Keld. I'd arrived here via the bridleway beside Blelham Tarn
and Outgate. The weather was excellent, the tracks very dry.

Arriving at the summit of Black Crag, just as the sun was disappearing, the light was superb. I'd pushed from the Iron Keld bridleway. It was a struggle to find water, which was a pain.

One side of my tarp support! This was the veiw this morning from my bivibag.

And as I sat up to see the rising sun beyond my feet. The front wheel holds the other side of the tarp up.
Poles are so last year!!

Wetherlam and Coniston Old Man seen beyond my wild camp. The observant will see I've used an old fence post
to tension the tarp.....it was a lucky find balanced on the large rock behind.

South from Black Crag, a glimpse of both Tarn Hows and Coniston Water.

All packed and good to go, weight is secondry to bulk when bikepacking. I reckon I had about 23-25litres of space.

The battered Larches form the foreground with Helvellyn and Fairfield beyond.

No prizes for identifing the prominent peaks in this picture.

The splendid track which descends from Iron keld past Holly Howe to meet Tarmac at the top of Skelwith Brow

The permissive bridleway beside the Brathey presented superb reflections

Lingmoor Fell and the Langdale Pikes seen across Elterwater

After the climb from Elterwater I had the joy of a quiet descent of Loughrigg Terrace. Grasmere photogenic as always.

I had a second breakfast in Ambleside and a fruitless searh for a new Montane Litespeed (the zip had knacked on mine this morning after probably 8years) I hit the trail again. The savage climb over to Troutbeck via Skelghyll and Jenkin Crag is better done the oppisite way in my opinion.

The last trail of the day was the short bridleway across the Troutbeck, a very narrow bridge as you can see. This was used at the Lakes School for set runs when I sttended in the early 70s.
All that remained was to ride over the Moor How Road and back to the car at Staveley.
A really great trip.