Having a bike of a time in Windermere
Route information
Length 8 miles return
Duration 2.5 hours
Start Wray Castle
Finish Far Sawrey
Classification Easy
Terrain Off-road, some hills
Who is it good for? This traffic-free route is good for families with young children; experienced cyclists can continue on to more challenging routes via Hawkshead and Coniston
Map OS Explorer OL6; downloadable PDF from golakes.co.uk/travel
From Wray Castle to Far Sawrey
Bank holiday weekend in the Lake District. Cars and caravans crawl along the eastern shore of Windermere, their occupants no doubt snarling "never again" while being overtaken by walkers and sailboats. The alluring twinkle of England's largest lake beneath a clear blue sky can only deepen their frustration, and it's merciful that those "trapped" cannot see through the trees across the water, where cyclists are skirting the western side of Windermere with happy abandon.
The shore thing
My husband, two sons and I are among those lucky ones, zipping along the traffic-free West Shore Cycle Trail just feet from the water's edge. The trees lining the shore are sparse enough to allow eyefuls of lake against a backdrop of fells, the racing yachts and pleasure steamers are seen but not heard due to the breeze and the scrape of tyres on gravel. After a flat start at High Wray Bay, where mini beaches are backed by clumps of bluebells, stitchworts and the occasional violet, the path becomes challenging as it climbs into Claife Woods. "Keep your hands over the brakes," I holler at seven-year-old Henry, who is as accident-prone as he is fearless. He rounds the top of the hill and disappears from view, and my anxiety turns to joy as I hear the "weee!" of a child experiencing the thrill of downhill cycling for the first time.
Ten-year-old Arthur, meanwhile, is several hundred metres in front, competing with his father for the role of leader and becoming the only one of us who manages the steepest climb through the mossy woodlands without getting off and pushing. As we descend towards Ferry House, the path gets busier with walkers and cyclists discharged from the Windermere car ferry. But if old ladies with Leki poles and lolloping labradors were the only obstacles threatening kids on most cycle routes, this carefree – and car-free – adventure wouldn't feel out of the ordinary.
Peaks practise
The return leg features mountains looming over Windermere's northern end. Loughrigg Fell and the craggy peaks of the Langdale Pikes look even grander from the terrace of Wray Castle, a 19th-century mock-gothic country house, where Beatrix Potter once holidayed. It's so child-friendly it encourages youngsters to dress up as warriors and have sword fights.
The castle is the landing point for the new Bike Boat that crosses Windermere from the eastern shore and connects via a bike-friendly bus (route 800) to Windermere rail station. If only someone had told those motorists. Like overflowing car parks and crowded verges, bank holiday jams are a spectacle the Lakes could do without.
For more information on holidays in England, go to VisitEngland.com