Hey Guy,

We had a day out at coed y brenin last week and took the little ones around the minotaur route one on a tag along the other in a bike trailer. Wife and kids are now hooked 🙂 How suitable is the blue route at Gisburn for doing the same? I’ve only done the red a couple of years back.

Cheers Stuart

There are some parts that would be ‘interesting’ for the trailer passenger – particularily the first section after the skills loop, and the last section i.e. all the good bits 🙂

The section from the new centre onto the trails is disappointingly hard for utter novices.

My 5 year old loved the blue last year. He did not like the new start one bit and ended up walking most of it.

And the cafe and toilets were shut for ‘refurbishment’ despite being open less than a year.

Not a great result for my 3 quid.

The grading at Gisburn is all over the place. The first section of the trail is shared blue/red and even though there’s nothing actually hard on it would probably be red elsewhere. Hully Gully is graded black but is probably easier than Swoopy which is red.

I’d have to say not a good idea. Degla blue is all fine with a trailer. CyB afon and Minortaur also go, as does the easy one at Grisedale.

But Gisburn wouldn’t be great

The new first section from the new car park is in need of some repair already with some craters hiding in the puddles. There is also an interesting rooty bit just before the reservoir. And I think the last section of blue is still shut.

You can avoid the first bit by parking at Cocklet Hill and just taking the old route down a couple of fire roads to rejoin.

Overall, it will be a lot rougher experience than Minotaur. Depends how hardy your passenger is!

Nor particularly Gnarr, but Hicks Lodge in Moira near Ashby De La Zouch is pretty good for the little ones – trailer, tag along whatever – although when my 7 year old and I were riding round the Blue, there were a few blokes in armour, which was a little excessive, he did look funny stuck behind a little girl in a dress though.

They aren’t far, we did the family loop as a family, and me and my 7 year old did the blue loop twice, so not worth travelling, but if you are local, then it’s pretty good.

Forgot to say gisburn is local to me. Well 30 minutes drive. Ashby De La Zouch might be a bit far at three hours away. Cheers for the suggestion though.

Any other suggestions within an hour or so of Skipton for any good “off road” rides that would be suitable with a kids trailer? Might be better to start a new thread.

I reckon large parts of the Bingley Bash (perhaps all of it) now qualify as they’ve recently sanitised the only gnarr on the entire loop. There are a couple of step ups and an occasional loose climb, from memory, but that’s about it.

Also, there’s a nice easy part-singletrack bridleway loop out from Austwick to Feizor (cafe), up and over Feizor Nick and down to the road near Wharfe, road back to Austwick. Wouldn’t take long, but it’s a nice ride.

You can see the loop from here – not the whole thing, the northern section is more challenging (but still not desperate, a bit of pushing up and a bumpy descent down long lane).

Bradford Council spent a bit of money building a family cycle circuit in Bingley St Ives park, it’s quite short but you could make a reasonable ride if you use the walking tracks as well. The walking tracks are mostly very wide and it’s intersecting in places and not that well signed, so easy to plead ignorance. used in combo with the tarmac drive you could extend it quite a bit more. There’s also a really big high quality kids play area you could stop at. If you want, I could send you a map with the appropriate tracks marked out. Lets face it, no one but the most grumpy of misery guts are going to challenge a family cyclist on wide walking tracks. There are a few ‘no cycling’ signs, but I know first hand that not many from BMDC parks would bother challenging a considerate cyclist with his kid on tow.

Lets face it, no one but the most grumpy of misery guts are going to challenge a family cyclist on wide walking tracks.

It happened to me just the other week. Me and my lad went a bit off track in St ives woods just where your talking about and a pair of women had a moan at me. Its a bit muddy/slippy at the moment in there so we were avoiding a section of path.

Yep gisburn is in a right state after the last two winters. But theres not a lot of cash thrown at the place and ive heard the pay and display keeps getting broken into.

Dalby would be a safe bet or stick ta roads in gisburn.

It happened to me just the other week. Me and my lad went a bit off track in St ives woods just where your talking about and a pair of women had a moan at me. Its a bit muddy/slippy at the moment in there so we were avoiding a section of path.

Don’t let that experience put you off Darren. The main BMDC park people just advocate being considerate and respectful, you can’t do any more. There’s nothing can be done about odd whinging, perhaps they just didn’t realise there’s was a family cycle route on or very near their walk. They possibly may have been aware of the MTB tracks which BMDC tried to introduce, this family cycle track is nothing to do with that and was built a few years ago by BMDC.

You can see the loop from here

Would help if I included the link.

http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/outandabout/gettingactive/cycling/mtb/mtb-findaroute/mtb-route-tunnelsbridges/mtb-tunnels_and_bridges.pdf

Don’t let that experience put you off Darren. The main BMDC park people just advocate being considerate and respectful, you can’t do any more. There’s nothing can be done about odd whinging, perhaps they just didn’t realise there’s was a family cycle route on or very near their walk. They possibly may have been aware of the MTB tracks which BMDC tried to introduce, this family cycle track is nothing to do with that and was built a few years ago by BMDC.

I never do. Told them to ‘cheer up’.

You could always just cycle the forest roads at Gisburn

Check out 1st hand before taking the family, but:
Otley Chevin forest park is nearly all easy Bridleway/permissive way.
It’s 20years ago, but I recall Harewood House BW’s and permissive tracks being very tame but interesting.
There’s a cycle track built by Yorkshire Water by one of the car parks at Fewston Res (nr Timble?), also no reason why you couldn’t cycle Fewston and/or swinsty.
canal in both directions from Skip

Oh, yes, and there is a purpose built, tame but fun track at Hurstwood, with a couple of fairly easy extensions detailed here.

http://www.pmba.org.uk/Hurstwood.htm

Some good suggestions thanks guys will take a look.

might be a daft suggestion, but as it is 30 minutes away, why not pop over & ride it yourself, & explore & see the opportunities. You will then have the confidence that you know you are not risking their little lives.

Not too far from you is Lancaster, you can ride from Glasson Docks up to Lancaster & then up the river Lune to Catton, or v-v. Good safe riding & a good place when the kids get there first bikes.