Cycling

Ambleside is your perfect destination if you are a keen cyclist or mountain biker. Nestled at the foot of several mountains and close to numerous lakes, really the choice of route and degree of severity is yours.

There are bridleways with routes to suit all abilities, from outings with the family to the more technical trails; country lanes where you can explore the deeper countryside and perhaps take a break for afternoon tea before ambling home for teatime. Then there are forest and woodland tracks which are great for moderate off-roading - the access points of which are easily reached from Ambleside as your base.

If you're not good at map reading you could take a guided bike ride which can be arranged through www.lakesmountainbiker.co.uk . They have a selection of routes, from short and easy to the long and arduous.

Only a few minutes' run from Ambleside you can be out on some of the tracks and taking in the stunning scenery -

For the more energetic, and perhaps fitter biker, Lakeland offers its fell tops with some of the most outstanding mountain passes, fast down-hills and single tracks in Britain.  In a nut shell, the choice is yours, with hundreds of miles of all kinds of tracks - high or low level - in this most beautiful corner of England.  Can you bear to wait a moment longer?!!!

At The Norwood we are very mountain biker friendly - as Keith is a keen mountain biker and with four sons, we are well used to mucky gear and mountain bikes.  We have a secluded back yard area where you are welcome to place bikes for safe storage, a hose down facility if you feel it necessary, and a drying room for your wet gear.  We have lots of books, maps and local knowledge on offer to enable you to make the right choice and get the most out of your stay.