With over 3,300mm of annual rainfall, there’s little risk of a hosepipe ban in Seathwaite, Cumbria. The wettest place in England seems an unlikely place to promote as a top winter riding destination, but for all its wheel-swallowing peat bogs, the Lake District also boasts a wealth of riding on less permeable terrain. Just 20km to the south-east sit the Furness Fells, home to our favourite winter Lake District ride.
Slate abounds in this part of the Lakes, so — just as it does when attached to your roof — water sheets off its surface to leave a tough, hard base on which to ride. Although surrounded by giant peaks, this route sticks to the more stunted fells out of the harshest weather and, combined with the fact that it packs a decent distance into a compact area, makes this Lakes route four-season friendly.