Winter Bikepacking in the UK: Whats the best approach?

One of the welcome perks of teaching six days a week is that it means that when it comes to the end of term I’m given enough time off to both get away on my bike and recover and prepare for the term ahead. Term is stressful and with the exception of snatching a saturday evening bivvy I hadn't been out “bikepacking” since September and the itch was developing. Whilst planning how best to spend my time two distinct options seemed to appear: option 1 was to pick a challenging route designed for summer riding, make it harder by loading the bikes up with enough food and kit to be self-sufficient for a long weekend and spending 12 hours plus riding each day.,  Option 2 was the less extreme option which would involve smooth gravel tracks, hotel rooms, cafes and four or five hours a day of riding. 

It didn’t take much thought before the decision was made to go for both options on consecutive weekends and before too long routes were chosen one being an off road coast to coast following the Tim Woodcock route and the other being a loop around the Isle of Purbeck.

Whilst I have done LEJOG twice I have never ridden across the UK and when I came across the Tim Woodcock route last year It was placed firmly on my to do list. The route is around 350km and around three quarters of it by distance is off road. Starting at St. Bees, the route would take us across the Lake District, over the Dales and then finally through the North Yorkshire Moors to finish at Robin Hoods Bay. The added benefit of this was that it meant that we stayed in Tier 2 Covid restrictions where outdoor exercise with someone from another household was permitted. This meant that I would be allowed to share the ride with someone, that being Machiek, a strong road rider new to the bikepacking game. 

The week before we left, there was a decent amount of snow over large parts of the route and whilst this didn’t prove to be an issue it meant that, not wanting a repeat of August's antics, we packed on the cautious side of things. My setup wasn’t too dissimilar to my GBDURO rig, based on my Mason InSearchOf but with less food and more much warm kit that GBDURO, we weren't looking to break any records so there were a few luxuries such as an enormous thermos for mid day coffee stops, tents for recovery and cameras to document the trip. As the days were so short an essential part of the setup was the dynamo light system linked to the same Hunt X MASON Search Dynamo wheelset that I used in August the only difference being that they were now shod in enormous 29x2.6 inch Vittoria Mezcals. Food wise, I learned a lot being self-sufficient and went with a very similar strategy of Firepot freeze dried meals, Rawvelo bars and oats but this time with a little less marzipan. 

Day 1 was on paper the toughest day and with a later than intended start we were soon heading East. The route lulls you into a false sense of security with a few rolling hills and smooth gravel access roads. The first couple of hours passed quickly until we came to our first proper hurdle: Black Sail Pass. What started out as a lovely lakeside ride gradually evolved through all stages of off-road riding that we have in the UK until we ended up carrying our bikes on our backs through the mist and the rain up the side of the mountain. The way down to Wasdale wasn't much better which always gets to me mentally as you feel that you should have this big reward for the hike up yet it's just more work carrying your bike down the hill. 

By the time we had crossed the next pass it was 1800 we had been “riding” for 8 hours and only covered 60km or so dreaming of the 15kph club. It was at this point that we decided to take the easy option and take the road up over Hardknott and Wrynose passes instead of the Hike-a-bike round this side heavy rain and temperatures hovering around freezing did not inspire us to head up into the unknown again. I can't imagine that that road has ever been the easy option with 35% gradients but with the low gearing on the ISO it was all just about rideable although I was having to hold 450watts just to keep upright on the steeper sections. We rejoined the route and then rolled down near Ambleside where we spent the night having only covered 75km over 10 hours of moving time.

We woke up next morning, maybe a little later than ideal, set off and before long the rugged Lake District scenery was swapped for the less wild Yorkshire Dales, the first portion of the day was fairly straightforward with a few tough climbs and techy off road sections, the pace was slow but steady and we were stopping often to take photos or to brew up. The real killer came just after it turned dark climbing up out of Kirky Stephen a 500m climb that took us three hours of wrestling our bikes through bogs, over rivers and up steep banks. In summer during the day it probably wouldn't prove to be much of an issue but its a whole different ball game in the winter when no path is visible and you are doing your best to stick to a gpx track that seemingly takes you through a river bed. Nonetheless this was perhaps the highlight of my trip, not quite sure why but it was exactly what I was hoping for. Not to mention that upon cresting the climb we were surprised to find a pub at the top in what seemed to us to be the middle of nowhere. It turns out that the Tan Hill Inn is Britain's highest pub and we thought that it would be rude not to enjoy a substantial meal and a pint of the local bitter. (sat at proximal tables of course).

Rolling down from the top into the Swale valley was a pleasant experience and the Swale Trail proved to be exactly what we needed, a decent gravel road that gradually made its way down the valley. We pitched up at around 2300 having covered around 80km not too far from Reeth knowing that we had a long day ahead of us if we wanted to make it to the finish at a sensible time. 

The wheels were turning before first light and we had the easiest section of the whole route ahead of us and we had ticked off 100km by lunch more than we had done on either of the previous days. Despite this there were still some tough sections ahead and at our current speed we wouldn't be finished until midnight so we made the call to reroute once more and cut out some of the gnarlier sections through the North Yorkshire Moors and stick to the roads. A shame but I can't imagine that we would have seen much of the landscape in the dark and torrential rain. Besides, I now have another excuse to visit the area again and explore the trails properly so no bad thing. After one last bonk that only Jelly babies could sort we arrived at our destination in time to wet our tyres in the sea and check into a room in the Victorian seaside town of Scarborough before getting a good night sleep and making our way back home the next day. 

All in all a cracking trip but not easy and it took me a good couple of days to recover. Whilst doing so I spend the time planning the route and sorting out the logistics for my second weekend away. This time it would be local, Megan and I planned to drive about 30 mins south from our home in Dorset to the Jurrassic coast and explore the tracks and trails that we had there over two days. 

We packed up our bikes this time with substantially less gear as we had booked a hotel and planned to stop at cafes and pubs along the way.  I once again took the ISO and Megan was on a hardtail MTB. The route was simple and we only planned to cover 40km or so each day meaning that we would have plenty of time to stop, chill and also not worry about making it to the hotel before too late. After parking the car just outside of Wareham and following the national cycle route 2 round Poole Harbour I was relieved that there are at least some gravel tracks local to me that stay gravel even through the winter. However this feeling didn’t last long as when we turned west and started to climb I was once again on foot pushing my bike up the difference being that now it was only for ten minutes not three hours. 

Up from the ridge at Brenscombe Hill we had 360 degree views over Poole harbour to Bournemouth, South to the Isle of Wight,  North to the 11th Century ruins of Corfe Castle as well as all the way out along the Jurassic coast. A smooth descent led us down into the village of Corfe Castle where we enjoyed a Sausage Roll and a hot drink from the local bakery for lunch. Our Hotel was only 3km away as the crow flies but our route took us on a 20km detour west along the Purbeck Way then cutting down to the coast where we enjoyed a magical sunset before checking into our room just as it got dark. A warm shower and a change of clothes later and we were in the hotel restaurant enjoying local food and wine. 

Day 2 followed the Coastal path and the Priests way east towards Swannage and then a steep hike-a-bike up to see Old Harry's Rocks a must do if you are in the area. The sun was out and we had the wind at our backs a perfect December day. We carried along the coastal path towards Studland and then back along the tracks by Poole Harbour to the car in time for a late lunch and the drive back home.  

Now whilst there were certainly a few tough sections we were never having to push the pace or put our heads down and just get through it. I came away from the trip more rested than going in certainly has its appeal and can’t be said for the previous one. 

Upon reflection It is clear that both trips had their positives; one was able to push me physically whilst the other provided an opportunity for me to slow down and take stock of the landscape a little more. There was one key learning point that I will take forward with me and encourage anyone else to consider when planning future trips in winter: Bikepacking in winter is SLOW often traveling at half of the speed as in the summer so plan accordingly If you are hoping to cover large amounts of distance expect big days in the saddle with about half of your riding time at night and don't bite off more than you can chew. For more relaxed trips, to keep the route fairly flexible, we included a couple of extra loops that we could have cut out if time was running short or the pace was even slower than expected. Also It goes for summer events too but don't worry about distance, time on the bike is a much more important quantity in my experience.

So there you have it two contrasting weekends and approaches to bikepacking in winter, both styles that I will go for again. Given the choice what would you go for? 

Thanks to Machiek @tommy.check for letting me use his photos from the C2C :)