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Hi all
I'm planning up ride to Northumberland later in the week to meet some friends.
I'm setting off from Halifax and am looking to spend a couple of days riding up there exploring the section north of Skipton through Buckden, Hawes, Keld and Reeth ultimately ending up in Barnard Castle and riding the sections I know up there through to Hexham.
Whilst I have done a tonne of road biking up there, I've only done a little mountain biking up through Swaledale and Gunnerside whilst I was training for the Coast to Coast Adventure Race.
Any thought, recommendations, advice welcomed as always.
Weather's getting sorted out nicely for you! Envious.
Route wise, what kind of terrain/distance/climbing did you have in mind?
* follows with interest *
Mart
Yep weather looks cracking for this week.
Totally open in terms of route, climbing, distance. Ideally looking to cherry pick some of the best stuff on the way up, so happy to make slight detours if neccesarry.
I'll be riding my fat bike up there, and after the last 12 months following the Andes, I'd say I'm pretty comfortable on the bike over pretty much anything.
(Website in my profile)
Mart
Mum?
Sounds like fitness ain't a problem then.
Top of My head, I would head out via Hetton to Weets Top, then Mastiles Lane down to Kilnsey (refreshments at the trout farm). Here you can head over to Langstrothdale, perhaps via Horse Head Moor (which will be hard work in places), then you have a choice - up through Buckden, Stake Allotments and down to Thoralby (good descent) etc, or turn left, go up the tarmac past Oughtershaw to pick up the Cam High Road, either going left and dropping into Hawes (good rough descent) or blasting down to Bainbridge (long fast descent).
The Thoralby way probably lines you up better for climbing into Swaledale via Apedale and Reeth from Castle Bolton. If you want to go directly towards Keld, there are fewer off-road options direct from the Hawes end.
The Fremington/Great Pinseat/Gunnerside riding is a highlight.
Son....
Excellent, I was thinking about Mastiles and how I could link it, admittedly having not looked at a map for a long time.
Thorably Way is probably the way I would head for Swaledale.
It's a bit of a diversion, unless you forget Horsehead and just take backroads up towards Buckden. I quite like riding up Littondale though.
You can head up towards Mossdale from Conistone and pick up tracks towards Kettlewell, but that's a bit more cheeky.
sorry for the slight hijack, I just wanted to say that I had a fantastic day out in the dales near littondale last week,
I did the vertebrate book loop from Stainforth - around pen y Ghent - down to Litton. I really enjoyed that section but then the grassy ascent from arncliffe to malham tarn was a complete slog - although the track was in good nick. And then the langliffe BW to the descent into staincliffe isn't that good so the ride petered out - still a great day though
I was thinking of doing it again but going to Litton and then over the hills to kettlewell, do the circuit there and then up thru starbotton and humberstones and then do the horsehead moor descent. only problem with that is theres loads of road miles particularly if the BW spits me out into Horton and my car's 5 miles away in stainforth.
any ideas on how to tailor that a bit? I loved the riding from stanforth into Litton so its building a loop round that
Which way did you go between Stainforth and Litton? Foxup Road?
I went down ribble way, which turned towards pen y Ghent, followed the road that goes down the eastern side of PYG then turn right off road - Cow close - spittle croft?
Oh, I see. Can't really see any advantage to starting in Stainforth in that case. Why not start in Horton, ride the mile or so to Helwith Bridge to climb to join the same route?
Then you can finish via Foxup Road without any road to finish. And a cafe.
I've not ridden in the dales much except for the PBW - which is well signposted and easy to follow. Have entered the Dales 300 later in the year - http://riderscyclecentre.com/yorkshiredales300/ which has been put together by Stuart Rider - whilst I can't vouch for the route yet I understand he may have ridden those parts a bit and suspect the route (which is available as a gpx) will be a good'un. 😉
Thanks Ian
Got to admit I'd not heard of this ride, maybe next year.
Looks interesting but really only touches a small part of the area I'm hoping to home in on.
personnally I would skip Mastiles Lane.
This [url= http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=392427&Y=467917&A=Y&Z=120 ]b-way from Malham Tarn[/url] epitomises the Dales IMO