Snowy Lakeland Weekend; Whinlatter - 5 Dec 2010

Fortunately we all felt better on Sunday morning than we had on Saturday morning. Although we had another good night in Keswick, we were so tired that drinking was hard work. We tried to change things up with some different drinks, but the weather meant a lack of deliveries and that meant some very embarrassing choices and (50%) performances.

We were still struggling with tiredness though, and it took us a while to get started. Eventually, we got organised, packed the bikes onto the cars and set-off on a rather treacherous drive up to the Whinlatter forest centre for breakfast.

When Gumpy eventually finished his (ahem) hot chocolate and failed with his breakfast we were off to tackle the North Loop.

The trails under the trees were much easier to ride than the previous days trails and we were soon out in the open and enjoying some awesome views over Bassenthwaite Lake to Skiddaw.

Things weren't so easy without the cover of the trees, with deeper snow making some pushing inevitable.

There were lots of photo stops with snow covered peaks and mist covering the lower level land below.

We even dusted off the 'Usain Bolt' for some team shots!

What followed was a rather more painful long push in deep snow up a gradual fire road incline. It just seemed to go on and on and the snow was just far too deep to cycle for more than a few yards.

Just as this became very unfunny, we were back onto the singletrack in the trees again. Although this was just an undulating trail, staying upright was a challenge and it was much more fun than it would have been without the snow.

After another quick fireroad section, we were on undulating singletrack again before a quick pause at the top to prepare ourselves for the downhill.

This was great fun, with berms and drops. The sections under the trees were the easiest to ride and probably the most fun, but the open sections were also good with stunning views. Hitting tabletops was really difficult though - it was hard to get enough speed to clear them and the landings were often dodgy.

We were at the bottom in no time and wondering wether to call it a day. Although the North Loop had taken much longer than expected, we weren't quite ready to call it a day, so we headed out on the South Loop.

Again, there were some rideable sections under the trees and some tricky stuff out in the open.

Before too long we reached the tiny bit of North Shore that marked the highest point we were prepared to get to in the heavy snow.

This descent is usually great fun, but it was really tough in the deep snow, and we had to pedal really hard to keep going.

We had the cottage for an extra day, so we were able to head back for a very welcome warm shower before heading home.

A very successful winter biking trip!