I planned on heading around pen y Ghent from horton in Ribblesdale on Thursday. Thursdays given as a pretty good day, however there’s a lot of heavy rain forecast tomorrow and Wednesday.

Having not ridden this route before but noting one area is considered generally boggy, I wondered how it may fair, any advice appreciated.

This is the basic route, I then planned to head over and around Clapham way.

http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/visit-the-dales/things-to-see-and-do/get-outdoors-dales/mountain-biking/mountain-biking-routes/mtb-routes/mtb-route-penyghent/mtb-tour_of_penyghent.pdf

You’ll be doing a lot of very boggy walking once past Section 2 through to Foxup. The whole of the Dales is a soggy bog fest at present. Any route unless it’s hard pack is real soft going. There are routes you can do from Horton that would be better going at present. Have a good day out.

Agree with the above. It’s not a route I would choose right now.

Clapham would be a better starting point. The Tunnels and Bridges route has virtually no soft stuff on it, and if you can extend it into the Settle loop (Clockwise) via Stainforth. The only muddy bit on that is the first climb out of Settle, which you can avoid.

Most routes in the Dales are all-weather but the bit above Foxup is one of the exceptions.

There’s a Stainforth loop in the Vertebrate Dales South book that is reasonably all weather: Stainforth -> up road towards Halton Gill -> BW down to Helwith Bridge -> BW up to Penyghent -> back to Halton Gill rd -> BW down to Litton (HB to here is the opposite direction to the lower line on the OP’s map) -> road to Arncliffe Cote > BW over to Malham tarn (first bit can be muddy) -> BW to pick up Settle loop -> follow SL back to Stainforth.

On the OP’s indicated route I wouldn’t head up from Litton to Dawson Close (5 -6), the first Km or so will just be pushing.

On the OP’s indicated route I wouldn’t head up from Litton to Dawson Close (5 -6), the first Km or so will just be pushing.

That bit’s OK hardpacked track, just steep. Much prefer that to the climb from Arncliffe Cote to Street Gate, which will be a grassy slog at this time of year.

“Most routes in the Dales are all-weather”. That should read “they are there in all weathers” but some places are definitely places I’d not be in or after all weathers.

@martinhutch – it’s a slog at all times of year and I do prefer it the other way TBH

@mt are you conflating trail usability with rider preparedness? Some tracks are high and exposed but rideable in most conditions (sheet ice and metre deep snow being the main exceptions). Last January I did a loop from Ribblehead up the Cam road, followed the PBW to Arten Gill, down Dentdale then back over Great Wold to Ribblehead. Apart from a couple of deep snow drifts and one ten metre bog on Great Wold it was all rideable. Also did a ride from Buckden over Firth Fell in truly foul conditions, the BW was OK, the condition of the riders wasn’t so we binned the ride.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/11946622

Thanks guys I will save it for another time, when I do it would probably be the above route. rather then climbing up from Horton ill come up from the Selfside direction. Does anybody know if you can connect with the route up just before the forest after Birkith as ive shown on my route?

I’m assuming you mean at mile 8? If so then yes, there’s a locked gate at the edge of the forest that you need to lift your bike over but you are on a typical forestry logging road.

That bit’s OK hardpacked track, just steep. Much prefer that to the climb from Arncliffe Cote to Street Gate, which will be a grassy slog at this time of year.

It’s a slog of a climb in summer in all but the best conditions, I’d be pushing in winter and cursing anyone who’d talked me into it.