Purple Trail - Moor Top Trail
Distance: 7 miles Time: Approximately 1.5hrs Difficulty: Easy (The initial hill can take up to 45 minutes of climbing, and there is one steep descent.)
Find the route on our Komoot page with a downloadable GPX file HERE
This trail ventures onto both halves of the forest, but does have a short section on the main road back to the centre. It is 7 miles long and takes approximately 1.5-2hrs.
Begin by heading up the “big hill” up to Moor Top, cross the main road and then enjoy the open trail undulating back into the forest. As the trail levels out – watch out for the Go-Ape Land Rovers and people zooming through the trees enjoying their Zip-Trekking experience.
Once at the top of the hill you can easily extend your ride using the black routes signs (not black in difficulty) turn left on the after crossing from Moor top to the East side. These will take you past a big stone Fox sculpture and up near Grizedale tarn bringing you back down to Bogle carpark for the return ride, just turn left when you see purple signs again.
The last section involves a steep descent with some sharp hairpins to watch out for, until it meets the main road. Turn right onto the road and cycle just under a mile back to the centre.
Possible extension:
If you want to ride a little longer there is a simple extension to add on taking you up by Grizedale tarn. Once you've crossed the road from Moor Top car park and re-entered the forest when you first see black signs (not graded black). You can turn left instead of following the purple to the right, this will take you past a bunch of sculptures and around Grizedale tarn. Following the black signs until you get to a junction where you can rejoin the purple and turn left down to Bogle crag car park returning you north up the road to the hire centre.
Sculptures to watch out for…
If you enjoy finding the sculptures around the forest, keep your eyes pealed for the Nigel Ross Bench by Nigel Ross, Midnight Feast by Mike Winstone, Cliff Tructure by Richard Harris, Underground Tree by Shigea Toya, Concrete Country by Lucy Tomlins, Cloak of Seasons by Walter Bailey, The Seers Well by Belle Shafir and Ting by Colin Rose. Please be aware that we do not guarantee you will see all or any of these sculptures, some even need a short walk into the woods off the trail. But keeps yours eyes peeled and you might see a few!
