What's the best route in Swaledale?

I kind of know the area but not well enough to answer the question

 Pop in the Dales bike centre and buy some great cake to take on the ride. Then ask for a recommendation. 

Park at the bike centre, up through Grinton onto High Harker Hill. Just past the bridleway sign (for Pipeline) turn right and head between two lines of stones down a cheeky gully line. Then continue on shooting track and then bridle noway to Morley Folly then shoot right down the shooting track as fast as you can. Right along the road to Birks End and turn left to head straight down to Low Houses. From here either do Smarber, Barf End, Bunton Hush, Barf End, Gunnerside and back along the swale trail or go via Healaugh, Nova Scotia to Fore Gill Gate then along Moulds to either Hungry Hushes or Low Rake. Back via the bridleway north of the Arkle from Langthwaite.

The Fell end descent from Fremmy Edge is also worth doing if you have the legs to continue around Moresdale to Hurst.

I'm away this weekend but up dale most weekends if you fancy a ride out.

Matt

Are any of the Ard Rock stages accessible away from race day?

The Fell End descent through the quarry and Barf End to Gunnerside (Electric Gate) are two of my favourites. I think the Ard Rock path to the N of Fell End is easy to locate using Strava and rideable most of the time (though I haven’t done it).

Posted by: Mark

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Are any of the Ard Rock stages accessible away from race day?

You can get to any of them easily but as far as I know it's not the done thing. There's quite a lot of good will in the area towards bikes, and quite a lot of unadvertised cheeky stuff that is tolerated (and use of shooting tracks). I was under the impression that jeopardizing the Ard Rock access agreements was a no-no. 

Cheers Yorksmatt, that looks like a good route. I can't pinpoint where this is exactly: "Just past the bridleway sign (for Pipeline) turn right and head between two lines of stones down a cheeky gully line.". I can't see anywhere marked Pipeline on the OS Map, I can see a BW going off right (north) at High Harker Hill though. Got any other references?

The bridleway running to the NE is Pipeline, a nice enough descent but full of snipers. The area of old workings running to the NW has the gully line in.

Nice one, got it. Cheers!