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Looking for a little advice. I need to start clocking some miles if I've any hope of getting round the keilder in (rapidly approaching) September without being swept up, so I'm thinking of heading over to do a section of the pbw between Hebden Bridge and Settle in a week or two. Useful as they're both reasonably accessible by train and I can always pull short at Colne then head to Skipton for the rail return if I over estimated.
Anyone got an opinion on which would be the best direction to head in and what to expect in terms of the trail? I've done a reasonable chunk round both towns but all of about nothing in between them and have no idea if the pbw is essentially well surfaced double track or something more fun for most of its length.
Cheers
[edit ] being stw I guess everyone has an opinion, I should clarify I mean a valid /useful one.
Mainly doubletrack or similar throughout - it's aimed as much (if not more) at horse-trekkers as ourselves. IMO Hebden to Settle is a kind of 'inbetweeny section' as it crosses the Aire Gap. Certainly no rockfests etc.
Settle (or Skipton) to Kirkby Stephen is a decent run if you're planning on using the train. There is some narrower more interesting stuff here and there on that, particularly if you go up the singletrack past Wharfe in Crummackdale rather than up Long Lane.
You also have a choice of four bail-out stations along the way at Horton, Ribblehead, Dent and Garsdale.
how about looking in the other direction
The PBW passes through HB with the Mary Townley Loop
so you have a good training 55 mile loop to work on.
martinhutch is definitely correct on the 'inbetweenness'
North from Settle you've got more bridleways than you could know whjat to do with.
I did most of that section last year - lots of gates 😡 . I'd look at Settle to Kirkby Stephen as suggested by Martin.
Which way to do it? With one exception I think that bit is better North to South - the exception is the climb out of Stainforth which is very steep at the bottom though definitely rideable after about 200 metres.
Def do Settle (or even Paythorne) to Kirkby Stephen. I know it very, very well. Get train back to Settle (or Long Preston, or Hellifield). If you ride that in a day, you'll be doing very well.
C
Which way to do it? With one exception I think that bit is better North to South - the exception is the climb out of Stainforth which is very steep at the bottom though definitely rideable after about 200 metres.
Possibly. Coal Road is a bit of a beast N-S though.
Only when you've done 70 miles on the Etape 😉 Probably the fifth hardest road climb in the Dales (Park Rash; Fleet Moss; Coal Road from Dent; Low Row) but certainly in the top ten. Not selling it am I? 😛
It's pretty good, nay excellent, cross country riding in either direction, the views are excellent and worth waiting for a good day to do it. It's pretty exposed from Horton to Garsdale which is another reason for wanting good weather.
Thank you, I Didn't think to look as far north as Kirkby Stephen largely from a getting there logistics point of view (wasn't expecting a train station up there!) so will probably look at heading that way another afternoon with more company. Duller double track sounds less inviting but more sensible as a solo ride and my first over 50k of the year.
Not recognising the other climbs mentioned I can say old coal road (edit: from dent) was a horrible climb but the descent it led to was nice in a wide fast water bar (and gate) filled sort of way and it was the better climb of the day when I rode it having set of from Horton in ribblesdale via cam end then up whernside from ribble head which I found largely unrideable as a result of being mostly steps. The run down whernside was the only time I have set fire to my brakes though before or since
That bridleway across Whernside is better the other way. Sounds like you came down Arten Gill.
A good little loop from Ribblehead is along the road towards Hawes then cut right on to the Cam Road, up to the top of this then follow the PBW as far as Arten Gill, down this to Stonehouses, down Dentdale then over the bridleway back to Ribblehead.
that yorkshire dales 300 does look epic - a bit too much for me.
This was a 92km loop we did the other w/e from Ingleton https://www.strava.com/activities/319779023
The YD300 might be a bit much for me as well - I'll have found out by a week tomorrow 😳
That's a good ride there Bill.
goodluck whitestone - weather looks a bit grim for Sunday.
Yeah it was a great ride - would have been better if I had not dehydrated - brain got confused as it was excessively windy = 50+mph winds