Anyone got a decent 50-100km mixed terrain route in, say, the Yorkshire Dales, North Moors etc? Looking for something a bit further afield (but no more than an hour or so drive from Leeds) to start from.

Ideally would hold up ok in this weather, and suitable for a CX / gravel bike.

There’s the routes used by the True Grit rides. There’s the route that the Hope Pre-Peaks event took in the south Dales but I don’t have a link for the route.

Any loop you care to work out yourself in the south west of the Dales should be fine short of deep snow.

Settle – Malham tarn – Mastiles – Litton – Dawson Close – Helwith Bridge is a good day out, we do it on an MTB tandem and there’s nothing much technical in either direction, mostly hardpack gravel/road. Hawkswick Cote is an alternative way over but probably a bit muddy at the moment. Good choice of pubs for a lunch stop depending on start point, direction and timing. Under 50km though, you could add a loop of Ingleborough if you want more.

http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/visit-the-dales/get-outdoors-dales/mountain-biking/mountain-biking-routes/mtb-routes/mtb-route-granddayout/mtb-a_grand_day_out.pdf

Pretty weatherproof.

Give the Cycle Hub in Fryup North Yorkshire a ding or drop them an email, even better, base your ride from there and finish with a brew and big slice at their café, they’ll have loads of routes which I’m sure they would be willing to share with you.

Yorkshire dales 200 route is aimed at gravely bikes from riders bike centre in skipton

Yorkshire dales 200 route is aimed at gravely bikes from riders bike centre in skipton

Ha! Ha! Stuart Rider was heard to mutter “What the f*** was I thinking calling this a gravel friendly route?”

The YD200 changes each year so all that refers to the 2017 route.

once did a offroad 130 km audax from appletreewick.

route was roughly,
apletreewick, skyreholme, pockstones moor, west end, blubberhouse quarry, kex gill bw, storiths, bolton abbey, middle hare head,lumb gill head, rylestone, hetton, moor lane, the weets, goredale, malhame, malham cove road, fair sleets gate, kirkby fell, stockdale lane, settle, feizor thwaite, feizor, austwick, thwaite lane, long lane, long scar, sulber nick, selside road, horton, helwith, long lane, churn milk hole, dawson close,litton, arnecliffe, arncliffe cote, lee gate moor, street gate, mastilles lane, mastilles gate, bordley, fleets, cracoe, thorpe lane, thorpe, wharfe suspension bridge, hartlington, appletreewick.

it is a toughie,but it is a great summer route. good pubs and cafes available all the way round.

@ton – what’s the cafe at Feizor like? I’ve heard good things about it

The cafe at Feizor is good – very popular with both cyclists and bikers.

And grannies.

I’d say not quite as good as the reviews make out, but a decent enough stop.

Some useful ideas to start from on the NYM park website. There are a lot of shortcuts on tracks near the road routes too. The cinder track from Whitby to Scarborough is worthwhile and ideal for a cross bike. The 32 mile circular route looks a good ride but I’ve yet to do the whole route.

http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/enjoy-outdoors/cycling/moor-to-sea-cycle-network

Hope this helps with ideas.

Ol

Did the Cinder track last week,never seen it in such a state! Like a river flowing through parts of it!