The Tough List

Terrible weather, bad planning, or hard as nails trails — these are the routes that have gone badly wrong for us over the past five years and made us cry — a little. Give them a go but take it from us, check the forecast beforehand eh?

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WALNA SCAR 18.36km (11.41miles)

Walna Scar — it’s a mountain biking classic. Thousands of riders can’t be wrong. Can they? Timing is everything with this ride. On a good day, it’s a ride that treats you to some of Cumbria’s lesser-known gems, with views into the heart of the Lakes and out towards Morecambe Bay. The day we did it was not a good day.

Visibility for much of the ride was down to meters due to the low cloud. The wind had us off the bikes and lying in ditches for respite. Then there was the rain. It rained so hard I couldn’t keep my lenses clear. In fact, it was so bad we had to come back at a later date to re-shoot the feature. I’ve subsequently ridden the route on a crisp and clear autumn day and it was beautiful, but I think that first awful experience left me with some kind of PTSD. To me, Walna Scar will always be remembered as the time a ride broke me. GPS download po.st/walnascar

BLACK MOUNTAINS 39.4km (24.48miles)