Irton Fell and the Old Coffin Road

Leaving the pretty little villlage of Boot in Eskdale, a tough, technical climb on the old Coffin Road (a route on which the dead were carried from Wasdale over to Eskdale to be buried) leads you up onto open fell and some good singletrack riding past Burnmoor Tarn. A technical and tricky descent follows, with a path that can be initially vague at times (look for the cairns) before becoming steeper and looser as it drops towards Wasdale head. A delightful spin on the road along the edge of Wastwater allows plenty of time to take in the views across the lake of the Screes below Illgill Head. Make time to stop and look back down the lake at the towering peaks of Great Gable and Scafell Pike dominating the head of the valley, a view that has been voted in many polls as the best in Britain. From the hamlet of Nether Wasdale it's back onto bridleway, initially through lovely woodland singletrack, then a short but steep carry to cross Irton Fell. Fantastic, technical singletrack then descends through Miterdale forest, criss-crossing the forest roads, before joining a rocky track that leads back to the road and to Boot. This route is best ridden in dry weather.