[Closed] Awesome Dales routes

Away from Swaledale pretty much all of the Dales riding is old school XC riding, i.e. borderline gravel bike to HT territory and most descents are also rideable as climbs. There are some short technical sections but when I say short I'm meaning maybe 20 metres!

That linked route is very much in that style. There's a bit of HaB up from Yockenthwaite over to Halton Gill (the descent is a farm track) and it's a push up from Halton Gill for the first bit.

OK, here's a figure of eight around Horton. Start at Horton and follow the PN route but before you get to the woods turn left over a short hill and drop down to join the PBW. Follow this over the Ribble to Selside then over Sulber Nick to drop into Crummackdale farm. Down the lane, turn left to take a BW to Wharfe. Small lanes to Feizor (good cafe) over to Helwith Bridge. Road to Horton, now do the last bit of the PN route in reverse to Halton Gill. Down the road towards Litton but just before the village turn right and climb up a BW onto Dawson Close. At the road go left then just before the second cattle grid turn right towards Penyghent. After about a km go left and follow the track down Long Lane to Helwith Bridge. Road back to Horton.

That Heart of the Dales route is OK, although the bainbridge and Buckden descents have got the Highways treatment fairly recently and aren't quite as much fun to ride (lots of loose stuff).

You could start the same way, but turn off on Horton Moor on the Pennine Way across to Old Ings, then follow the PBW up onto Cam Fell, then along to rejoin. If it's a bit drier, drop to Burtersett (better descent), along to Bainbridge, up via Carpley Green or Semer Water and back onto your route. Foxup is better when dry. Dawson Close to Helwith Bridge is an alternative.

I tend to start/finish this ride in Helwith Bridge, as there is a free car park near the pub, and head across to Wharfe and up Crummackdale to start. Adds a few miles and feet.

Thanks for the ideas, might just take my gravel bike with me and do a gravel ride on the Friday...

to get you into the mood for ard rock go to the dales bike centre and pick up a leaflet for the edge route. Its XC but its nice and will give you a good feel.

Anyone suggested Bowderdale yet?

Ingleborough up the BW and down the fp towards sulber but head to sulber gate then drop down theives moss and on tiny single-track across top of moughton scar, down fp then be to wharfe, over to Clapham via to thwaite lane BW then back on road

Off Ingleborough this way is great fun steep tech chunder fast drops the lot. Don't do it on the weekend or bank hol.

I've been riding the settle loop loads this summer. I forgot how good it is! It's a 2 hour ride really but you can extend by going east to malham tarn and mastiles lane

I've been starting from long Preston to link it up with the Pennine bridleway which means some extra descending either way

The descents down Pennine BW from Stockdale east and west are probably my two favourite descents in south dales at the minute.

Thanks all.

I have done the PBW and settle loops and agree they are good, but was looking for something different. Might even just head over to NY moors...

OP, I tried this a while back. Having ridden the reeth stuff to death, I went hunting more.

Unfortunately, it's only really gravel bike terrain. You might enjoy a long day on an xc bike - much like you might enjoy riding the South downs way, but don't expect anything in the way of technical descents and my 120mm trail bike was a chore.

Truth is - the riding in Yorkshire (Dales) is mostly crap. The land is all privately owned. Rich people don't let kids build bike tracks, and keep the doubletrack in good condition for their 4*4s.

Eastern moors are good, but when it's dry. Expect a peaty bogfest otherwise - and don't ride them as you'll ruin the ground.

The best route in Yorkshire is the A65 to the lakes.

I kind of agree @continuity, sure others will be along soon to disagree! Done Swaledale loads and I do love it.

Also thought about heading across the Lakes as I am up that way already.

Truth is – the riding in Yorkshire (Dales) is mostly crap.

There's tech in the Dales outside Swaledale. Unfortunately a lot of it is not on the BWs. Even in Swaledale, a lot of the best descents are away from our ROWs. If you're local, you have to find a different mindset to make the riding a challenge, and that's not for everyone.

If hike a bike and long, techy descents are what turns you on, then I'd agree, It's perfectly possible to get over to the Lakes for a long day - I live in the south Dales, and can get to Staveley quicker than I can get to Reeth.

I've ridden a lot in Swaledale, but very much XC territory, mainly rode it on a SS.

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All the riding in the dales I've done is along the lines of a nice day out riding off road, as above it's very old school. I enjoy the riding around Austwick/Clapham etc as it's not too far from my mum's and very pretty and pleasant but I've never found a really exciting techy type of ride in the Dales.

Echoing others re: the Dales being mainly XC type stuff, when I lived in Skipton a few years ago I used to love the riding up round Malam. I used to park next to the Angel Inn in Hetton and take the bridleway straight up to Malam Tarn. From there you can do any number of routes; Weets Top, down into Littondale taking the Monk's Road if you fancy an argument with an angry farmer, over to Kettlewell for some brutal climbs, Settle and back if you're into putting in the miles. Yes, you can do it all on a hardtail, and some routes are gravel bike friendly, but there are some great descents and some killer climbs (going up Mastiles Lane from Kilnsey was always a favourite).

The "Gnarpoonauts" on here will moan about the lack of "tech" descents but I don't really understand where they're coming from. Yes, there's a lack of Red Bull Rampage style enduro routes but is that really what UK MTB is solely about? If you love a full day out riding, taking in incredible scenery, then you'll find plenty in the Dales. Just leave your downhill bike at home.

It's true, it is a bit shit. Was a miserable ride today.

Anyone suggested Bowderdale yet?

I was about to, plus descent from the calf.

Wild Boar Fell fits into a few rounds and the ridge descent from the Nab is loads of fun. The bridleways round buckden pike, upper wharfedale and crisscrossing to litendale are all good and much more MTB than xbike territory (including that descent to Halton Gill which is a great blast, followed by the one to Kettlewell). And there's good albeit cheekier riding on the gritstone Moors down towards Skipton, but a bit of a hike from the swale.

My main Swaledale route was this one:

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/7843/40420731873_e80d0d9e18.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/7843/40420731873_e80d0d9e18.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/24zQPme ]Swaledale Round[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

Some fantastic scenery.

@devash

Weird inverse snobbery flex mate. Is that some kind of ego thing? What's a gnarpoonaunt - someone handier on a bike than you?

@footflaps

Why would you climb up the mine works not descend them? You also miss the great single-track on the eastern side of gunnerside Gill, and the even better rollercoaster single-track over the back of grinton moor! I'd be tempted to reverse half of your route! 🙂

I love a good Malham killer loop or Kettlewell killer loop and I enjoy mastiles lane.

I guess I just love riding in the dales, doesn't matter where I am.

The only bit I've not enjoyed was taking the bridle way on the pedal north c2c route by Dent that seemed to by vertical! I pushed my bike up most of it thinking I bet this is so much better going the other way! But the views and the old railway still made it a pleasure.

@devash, we also park at the Angel in Hetton too 👍

A good route is Ribble Head via duct, over the Great Wold, left at the end of the track across the river into Deepdale up to the Occupation rd, descend Flintergill into Dent, along the road to Cowgill, Over to Dandra Garth, past Garsdale Station, up to Monkey Beck grains, down Artengill, upto Dent head, then across Gayle moor, around 35 miles with a decent amount of ascending and descending.
Did this around a month ago start can be viewed :-

up to the Occupation rd

Occupation Road, a classic of its kind.

Occupation Road, a classic of its kind

Is it any better than it was 20yrs ago?

I've not been up there for about three years, but vowed never to return at that point.

It's not too bad now, did it on the monstercross back in April.
[img] [/img].
Some walking, but not the Somme like carnage of past decades. The Kingsdale end has been gravellised.

vowed never to return

That's what I said in 1999 after floundering through ruts, bogs, thick mud & hidden stones submerged in deep pools of water (taken from the walls by 4x4 crews). Grim!!
Thinking back Mastiles, Gorbeck, Turbary were all well used by motorised vehicles. Watched many being towed out on Mastiles in the 90s.

singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/awesome-dales-routes/#post-11954740

Considerably better than it used to be, used to do it on my motorbike, spent many an hour just getting over the first mile, then it was 'CROW'D' and the first mile surfaced ??

Driest I've seen it this time, last year's jaunt :-

(at 2 mins or so) not quite so 🙁

Some walking, but not the Somme like carnage of past decades.

Good to hear. That pic is the 'better' flat bit above Dent, isn't it? The problem area was always just the mile or so of descending down from the high point above Kingsdale. Deepest ruts in the Dales!

That youtube video is interesting. Some stuff on the north side of Dentdale I've not done.

There's a rough central section, but it's not the waist deep trench I remember from the early 90s, when I vowed never to return. I did go back, though, because I've seen how well Mastiles and Foxup have recovered since.