This rally is organised by Furness District Motor Club and supported by holiday cottage letting company Coppermines Lakes Cottages, and has leading UK competitors take on 43 miles of Rallying on the legendary forest stages of Cumbria, which have been used in both local and World Rally Championship events. Traditionally the last forest rally of the calendar year, it draws in a lot of competitors and spectators, simply because it’s Grizedale…

History

Grizedale Forest is synonymous with World Rally Championship rallying, forming classic stages in the 1980s and ‘90s on the Lombard RAC Rally with the best drivers in the world vying to set the quickest times. The Grizedale Stages Rally itself was started in 1988 by Chris and Myra Huddlestone, utilising the cheaper ‘second usage’ after the RAC Rally had been through the stages. Current chair of the organising team Graham Parker took over ten years later, and the event has run every year except for 2010, when it was cancelled due to snow, 2020 due to the global pandemic, and in 2021, when Storm Arwen rearranged the forest overnight.

Last year’s event was abandoned due to 18 inches of snow that fell in four hours, but with over half the stage mileage completed the team still managed to declare a result. Previous winners include Matthew Wilson, Guy Wilks, David Bogie and Mark Higgins, while legendary cars that have competed on these forest roads include Group B cars like the Audio Quattro, Peugeot 205, and Metro 6R4s, and more modern WRC Hyundais, Fords and Subarus.

The Stages

This one-day event is one of the most compact multivenue stage rallies in the UK, with 43 stage miles and only 29 road miles. The first car starts Stage 1 at 09:48hrs and the last car
should finish the last stage at around 15:08hrs.

For 2024 will revert to the classic one-day format, using both sides of Grizedale on the same day for the first time, with three Stages all running twice. All Stages will have spectator areas, with nearby car parking offering fantastic viewing.

This year’s event is a round of the ANECCC, Motorsport UK English Rally Championship and ANCC Championship, creating a field of cars ranging from 1-litre Micras to top spec R5 and WRC cars. Past events have seen historic Ford Escorts, Mitsubishi Evos, Subaru Legacy and Impreza’s, and even a rally-spec Lada that finished seventh overall.

Spectator Information

There are several car parks around the forest, for which spectators are charged £10 per car, with monies raised going to support the local Mountain Rescue teams. This covers a car with as many people as can legally fit in it and includes parking close to the spectator areas, entry to those areas, plus an event programme.

Notices at all entrances to the forest make it clear that motorsport CAN be dangerous, although the organisers do everything in their power to mitigate this. Spectator areas are selected for not only the viewing but their location with regard to the direction and speed of travel of the cars – you will never find one directly at the end of a long straight level with the stage, for example. Spectator areas are marked by yellow and black tape and spectators are asked to keep to these areas and refrain from wandering into the forest, no matter how tempting it may be. There is a dedicated team of Safety Cars on the event that run before the Rally cars to ensure everyone is safety. Nobody is allowed to walk on the stages after the first Safety Car has gone past and all Spectators and Media are asked to be in position 30 minutes before First Car Due time. The final Safety Car, the ‘0’ (zero) car, will go through 10 minutes before the first Rally car, to let everyone know the action is about to start.

In the Chief Marshal’s opinion, the ‘Best Stage’ accolade goes to Grizedale North as it has everything – tight and twisty, straight and fast, and the views over Coniston Water at the end of the stage are magical.

For the best single corner, check out Moor Top 2, which is an uphill hairpin in front of the spectator area with a fast approach. To watch from there, use Car Park B, High Barn. There are also corners in the forest named McRaes, Kankkunens and Mikkolas, – after the memorable ‘offs’ that have befallen the drivers on them.

Scissors Spectator area offers the best overall viewpoint, where spectators get to see the cars on two stages – Grizedale South and Grizedale North, from the same location. It is a bit of a long, steep climb to get there, but it is well worth it. Use Car Park C, Machells Coppice.

For keen photographers, the bottom of Moor Top 1 Spectator area offers a view of the cars coming towards you with the Duddon Estuary in the background (on a clear day!). To get
here, use Car Park B, High Barn.

The best place to try to see or even meet with the competitors is the Regroup or the Finish, in Bluebird Car Park, Coniston. The Service Park is not open to the public, as it is on private land.

For some good food after the rally, try The Sun Inn in Coniston. It has great food, a huge selection behind the bar, log fires and a wonderful landlady. For families with children, the Herdwick’s Café is also a great option.

In Lake District, there is plenty to do aside from watching the Rallying. For the adventurous, there are Go Ape sites at Brockhole Visitor Centre near Ambleside and in Grizedale itself, although the latter may be restricted on Rally Day. There is also the Lakes Aquarium at Lakeside and this can be tied in with a cruise on Lake Windermere, while Tinsel Trains is at Haverthwaite Steam Railway on Sunday 8th December. There’s also the Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow, and Stagecoach operate Open Top buses between Bowness and Grasmere year-round. A little further away is the South Lakes Wild Animal Park at Dalton-in-Furness. A pair of walking boots will give you access to endless walks among hills, valleys, lakes and waterfalls, with a ‘Miles Without Stiles’ network of footpaths is available for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Where to stay

Kendal and Ulverston are within 40 minutes of the event and Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Coniston and Hawkshead are all within 20 minutes from the stages.

How to get there

From the south, come off the M6 at Junction 36 and follow the A590 to Haverthwaite. Pick up the signs from there for Grizedale Visitor Centre and the car parks are nearby.

From the north, come off the M6 at Junction 40. Head towards Keswick on the A66 then take the A591 to Ambleside. Follow the signs to Hawkshead and the car parks are behind the village, either on the road to Coniston, or the road to Grizedale Visitor Centre.