A three-day bikepacking loop through the Lakes, out across the North Pennines, and back home again. Across the full trip we covered 321.45 km with 4941.4 m of climbing, with a ferry crossing, a late arrival at camp, a huge middle day, and a final descent into Reeth that really stuck with me.

Quick Summary

From 19–21 May, we rode a loop that had a clear shape from the start: an easier opening day, a long and demanding second day, and a final ride home that finished on a high note. It felt slightly scrappy in places, but in the good way that bikepacking often does.

Day 1

The first day rolled us into the trip gently through the Lakes. The standout straight away was taking a bike on a ferry for the first time, which gave the whole ride a sense of occasion early on.

We reached camp later than planned, but it still worked. More than anything, day 1 felt like the transition from normal life into the rhythm of a few days outside: ride, stop, sort food, keep moving, then finally settle in for the night.

Day 2

Day 2 was the biggest day of the trip by a distance. We left the Lakes and pushed on through the North Pennines, covering a lot of ground and stacking up plenty of climbing as the day went on.

What I remember most is the pattern of it. We kept breaking the ride with Co-op stops, quick refuels, and the kind of small roadside moments that would sound unimportant written down but end up becoming part of the day’s character. It was one of those rides where the routine becomes the story: pedal, eat, top up supplies, and head back out again.

By then the trip had settled into something simple and practical. The setup stayed uncomplicated, and that helped. I mostly want the bike to disappear underneath me on rides like this so I can just get on with it, and regular shop stops meant we never had to carry more food than we needed.

Day 3

The third day was the ride home. We slept through sunrise, got moving, and worked our way into the final stretch.

The best moment of the whole trip came near the end with the descent into Reeth. After the scale of the previous day and the accumulated tiredness of three days out, it felt like a perfect way to finish before the last push back home.

Photos

The photos below pull the three days into one sequence: the Lakes at the start, the long middle crossing through the North Pennines, and the final ride home. Together they match the shape of the trip better than splitting them up day by day.

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Highlights and Learnings

A few things stayed with me afterwards:

• Taking the bike on a ferry for the first time.
• Making a late camp arrival work on the first night.
• The long crossing from the Lakes into the North Pennines on day 2.
• The descent into Reeth on the final day.

The main lesson was a familiar one: over three days, pacing matters more than any one strong hour. It also helped to stay flexible with food and resupply rather than trying to plan every stop too tightly. The trip felt a bit rough around the edges in places, but that was part of its charm. We kept moving through good country and got home tired and happy.