Ambleside to Low Wood Hotel

Starting your journey in Ambleside, travel south along the A591 until you reach Waterhead. Here there is a narrow cycle lane and a 20mph speed limit. Continue south from Waterhead until you reach the Low Wood Hotel. It's worth pausing here to look across the lake towards the Langdale Pikes, Bowfell, and Coniston Old Man.

Low Wood Hotel to Windermere mini-roundabout

Carry on past the water sports centre, then just past the Langdale Chase hotel cross the road onto the cycle path. This takes you safely as far as Troutbeck Bridge, passing along the way the White Cross Bay caravan park and Brockhole, the Lake District information centre. At the right time of year (June to August) the verges swarm with flowering plants including buttercups, clovers, yarrow, ground elder, plantains and many grasses.

Climb out of Troutbeck Bridge until you reach the mini-roundabout. Straight on heads south to Windermere village, while left takes you up to the Kirkstone Pass and Ullswater.

View

Take the exit in the direction of Bowness. After 200m pull in at the view-point on the right. The view from here is extremely variable and is highly dependent on the weather, but that's part of its charm. More often than not, cloud and mist obscure the distant mountains, but sometimes there are dramatic shadows, and at others the clear air enables pin-sharp detail to be picked out. You just have to accept what's there on the day.

Windermere mini-roundabout to Bowness

From the view-point, free-wheel down the hill and see how far you get before having to pedal again. This road leads eventually to a mini-roundabout in Bowness where you should turn right and continue downhill to the promenade and lakeshore. Alternatively, after the right at the roundabout, take the first left which is sign-posted for Blackwell.

Bowness

For how many people is Bowness the first experience of the Lake District? It was for me, back in the late fifties when you could buy rail tickets for the whole family for a week and could travel anywhere on the rail network. A steam train to Windermere and a walk down to Bowness. It certainly hooked me.

Bowness to Nab Ferry

When you've finished mingling with the tourists, carry on south along the A592 until you reach the right turn down to the ferry, which you would take if you were headed for Sawrey or Hawkshead. If you go straight on, you continue down the length of Windermere, soon reaching the left turn called Longtail Hill. Turn here for the climb to Blackwell. Straight on for a few hundred metres brings you to the marina where you can mooch among the yachts for a while.

If boats have no appeal, turn left into Longtail Hill and climb laboriously for 800m. Turn right at the top and follow the Lyth Valley road for another 1000m then take the right turn sign-posted for Blackwell - The Arts and Crafts House.

Only recently renovated, Blackwell was designed for Sir Edward Holt by Hugh Baillie-Scott. Edward Holt was the son of a Manchester brewer who became a successful entrepreneur in his own right, and was later Lord Mayor of Manchester. Amongst other things, he was greatly involved in the project to convert Thirlmere to a reservoir providing water for thirsty Mancunians. One of the other, less creditable, things he did was to have the oakwoods on the shores of Thirlmere cut down and replaced by conifers, which don't drop toxic leaves into the water. There are many fine oak panels at Blackwell, some carved by 'The Handicrafts', a local firm run by Arthur Simpson. It's a fine house and has an agreeable cafeteria.

From Blackwell turn right and free-wheel most of the way back down to the A592 at Storrs. Start to admire and covet the houses, for the road south from here undulates past some of the most desirable properties in the Lake District. You can glimpse occasionally the view that the residents see every day, down to the lake and to the fells beyond.

The road rises and falls in quite big waves, so you alternately pant and whee. Eventually, you begin a long descent through wooded slopes until the road rather suddenly opens out to an area of flat ground at the southern end of the lake. However, it's worth pausing at Fell Foot to look across the lake, quite narrow by this point, to Lakeside.

Newby Bridge

From Fell Foot, it's a short and easy ride to the roundabout where you turn right onto the A590. At most a few hundred metres along this road, spot the turning to the right sign-posted for Lakeside and Hawkshead. Turn here, immediately cross the bridge and pull into the car park at the Swan Hotel.

Lakeside

At Lakeside, you can take a steamer the length of Windermere, take a steam train ride, and visit the Aquarium of the Lakes. You can also enjoy, as I did, a beaker of Blackcurrant, Ginseng, and Vanilla tea at the cafeteria and gift shop.

Lakeside to Esthwaite

Travel up the west side of Windermere. You don't see much of the lake, rather you climb and wind through woodland, deciduous at first but gradually giving way to conifers. Forestry looks important in this area, though maybe less than it used to be. You reach Stott Park Bobbin Mill, which I'm incapable of reading without singing it to the tune of 'Wind the bobbin up', and see the signs declaring ownership by Graythwaite Estates. Then you enter Graythwaite itself and come across Graythwaite Hall.

Equally gradually, the conifers give way to mixed woodland and before long you've reached the south-west shores of Esthwaite Water.

Esthwaite Water

Esthwaite Water and the trout fishery.

Hawkshead

Local colour in the village square at Hawkshead.

Hawkshead to Clappersgate

Hawkshead-Outgate-Clappersgate.

Clappersgate to Ambleside

It's a short hop from Clappersgate to Ambleside along the A593. You arrive at the bridge over the Rothay and have to go left along a one-way road. At the junction you go left into Ambleside or right to Waterhead and in the direction of Windermerse.