Taking advantage of some £5 virgin trains tickets and spending a weekend up near the dales. Any recommendations on where to go from Leeds, ideally by train? I have been to the Skipton area a few times on the road bike and it looks like there should be some good riding round there, am i right?

we would quite like to do a couple of days riding with a hostel or air B&B stop on the saturday night

Any recommendations appreciated!
Thanks!

Dales Bike Centre isn’t cheap for accomodation, but a lovely place to visit.

Grinton Youth Hostel is just up the road and next to the best riding going.

Depending on the distance you want to do each day one option would be: train to Settle and ride to Kirkby Stephen along the Pennine Bridleway stopping somewhere like the Moorcock Inn http://moorcockinn.com/ then get the train back to Leeds. You could start nearer to Leeds if you wanted more distance.

When I lived up there, apart from local rides around Esholt woods, Bingley, Keighley way and South Bradford (Wyke), we used to frequent a route in Nidderdale over the resevoir and along the tops.

Calderdale is good, Skipton and out past it is ok.

For most you’d possibly need a guide or a good study of a map which isn’t ideal in winter.

Any direction from Leeds is likely to be good tbh as there are hills in most directions quite close.

Most stops on the Airedale line

Saltaire – baildon moor, Shipley glen, gilstead moor.
Bingley – Bingley bash, the standard one is good but the locals version is superb.
Skipton – there’s at least one classic route and a few shorter variants.
Settle, clapham etc loads of Dales routes of varying length.

Get the train to Settle and ride back to Skipton via Malham Tarn. Very nice ride and should keep you busy.

It’s been said but +1 for all the suggestions for Skipton/Settle/beyond by train (many possibilities from the settle to carlisle line). Trains to Settle and beyond are a bit patchy but Skipton is easy. You could go pretty much anywhere in the dales over 2 days – you didn’t say road or MTB, both would be great.

Book B&B in Settle & catch early train from Leeds:

Day1: Settle, Gorbeck BW to Malham Tarn. BW from Street Gate to Arncliffe then road to Kilnsey. Up long climb of Mastiles Lane to reach Malham Tarn again. BW to Langscar Gate & take BW towards Kirkby Fell & onto Stockdale Lane. At lane end take Lambert Lane down to Lodge Farm & right at big barn to follow Brockhole Lane back into Settle. Big day ride!

Day2: Repeat climb out of Settle to above Langcliffe. Right & up the road to cattle grid. Left down lane to Winskill & then right towards Catrigg Force (worth a view) then down track to Stainforth. Cross main road & then over river to Little Stainforth & turn right. Follow road north to meet Helwith Bridge road & turn left for 500m & take BW on left. Follow signs/BW to Feizor & call at Elaine’s cafe (great place). BW on left takes to back to Settle via long road drop from Buckhaw Brow.

Navigation with a map isn’t too demanding either 🙂

See if you can get hold of a northern local paper. Starting this weekend they are printing tokens for unlimited travel on Northern Trains local services through the whole of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and Gt Manchester.£10 will get you a days travel or £17 for the weekend. Would cover all of the rides suggested above. Just for W Yorks £7.20 will get you a days unlimited travel.

I oftem Ride from Settle to Ilkley. There are good routes south from Kirby Stephen and you can pick up the train from any station south towards Settle. Calderdale is good with the train and you can ride over Bingley and pick up the train there. Marsden or Stalybridge gets you some good routes over into Calderdale.

Got a Monday night free?

Thanks all, very useful. What happens on Monday nights??
Turns out the settle line is not running on the Sunday, so we’ll have to get the train back to Leeds from elsewhere, but it seems like settle is a good place to start

If the Settle-Carlisle isn’t running (usually due to engineering works) then they run a replacement coach service which does take bikes. If you are at Settle then Giggleswick station is only a mile away and you should be able to get a train from there back to Leeds (will be an infrequent service though). The line from Leeds splits just before Settle with one line going to Carlisle and one to Lancaster, Settle station is on the former and Giggleswick station is on the latter.

While not from actual Leeds, the Monday Night Pub Rides are likely to be accessible to you if you have a car.

Not only are they good rides, they feature lovely people, beer and occasional all-star guests (Hans Ray, anyone?).