In reply to Wainers44:
We cycled from top of Dun mail Raise to Keswick few weeks back. Bikes OK on temporary road. The odd bus and the odd contractors vehicle on west-of-lake road. A591 into Keswick very quiet and much of it pristine new tarmac. We rode down St Johns-in-the-Vale to the A66 and into Keswick that way. Much work going on on that road - a damaged bridge can be by-passed through United Utilities car park, fortunately. Sadly, the bike route along the old railway from Threlkeld in to Keswick is closed owing to bridge damage.